Paul Appeals to the Emperor
1 Three days after Festus arrived in the province, he went from Caesarea to Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders brought their charges against Paul. They begged Festus 3 to do them the favor of having Paul come to Jerusalem, for they had made a plot to kill him on the way. 4 Festus answered, “Paul is being kept a prisoner in Caesarea, and I myself will be going back there soon. 5 Let your leaders go to Caesarea with me and accuse the man if he has done anything wrong.”
6 Festus spent another eight or ten days with them and then went to Caesarea. On the next day he sat down in the judgment court and ordered Paul to be brought in. 7 When Paul arrived, the Jews who had come from Jerusalem stood around him and started making many serious charges against him, which they were not able to prove. 8 But Paul defended himself: “I have done nothing wrong against the Law of the Jews or against the Temple or against the Roman Emperor.”
9 But Festus wanted to gain favor with the Jews, so he asked Paul, “Would you be willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried on these charges before me there?”
10 Paul said, “I am standing before the Emperor's own judgment court, where I should be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you yourself well know. 11 If I have broken the law and done something for which I deserve the death penalty, I do not ask to escape it. But if there is no truth in the charges they bring against me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to the Emperor.”
12 Then Festus, after conferring with his advisers, answered, “You have appealed to the Emperor, so to the Emperor you will go.”
Paul before Agrippa and Bernice
13 Some time later King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to pay a visit of welcome to Festus. 14 After they had been there several days, Festus explained Paul's situation to the king: “There is a man here who was left a prisoner by Felix; 15 and when I went to Jerusalem, the Jewish chief priests and elders brought charges against him and asked me to condemn him. 16 But I told them that we Romans are not in the habit of handing over any who are accused of a crime before they have met their accusers face-to-face and have had the chance of defending themselves against the accusation. 17 When they came here, then, I lost no time, but on the very next day I sat in the judgment court and ordered the man to be brought in. 18 His opponents stood up, but they did not accuse him of any of the evil crimes that I thought they would. 19 All they had were some arguments with him about their own religion and about a man named Jesus, who has died; but Paul claims that he is alive. 20 I was undecided about how I could get information on these matters, so I asked Paul if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there on these charges. 21 But Paul appealed; he asked to be kept under guard and to let the Emperor decide his case. So I gave orders for him to be kept under guard until I could send him to the Emperor.”
22 Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.”
“You will hear him tomorrow,” Festus answered.
23 The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and ceremony and entered the audience hall with the military chiefs and the leading men of the city. Festus gave the order, and Paul was brought in. 24 Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are here with us: You see this man against whom all the Jewish people, both here and in Jerusalem, have brought complaints to me. They scream that he should not live any longer. 25 But I could not find that he had done anything for which he deserved the death sentence. And since he himself made an appeal to the Emperor, I have decided to send him. 26 But I have nothing definite about him to write to the Emperor. So I have brought him here before you—and especially before you, King Agrippa!—so that, after investigating his case, I may have something to write. 27 For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without clearly indicating the charges against him.”
Paulus ti indile, a ka pangulwe komupangeli Omuroma
1 Konima yomasiku gatatu Festus sho a ningi omuleli gwoshitopolwa shoka, okwa zi mo muKesarea a ta yi kuJerusalem. 2 Nena aayambi aakuluntu naawiliki yAajuda oye ya kuFestus noya tameke oku mu hokololela uusama waPaulus mpoka u li. Oyo oyi indile ihe Festus, 3 e ya kwathe, a tume ko Paulus kuKesarea, e ye kuJerusalem, oshoka oya adhika ya pangela ompangela, ye mu dhipagele mondjila. 4 Ihe Festus okwe ya yamukula nokwa ti: “Paulus oku li muKesarea a kwatwa, nangame mwene otandi ka shuna mbala hwiyaka. 5 Aawiliki yeni naa ye kuKesarea pamwe nangame, ye ke mu tamanekele hwiyaka, ngele oku na shoka a yona.”
6 Festus okwa menekele natango puyo uule womasiku gahetatu nenge omulongo nokwa shuna kuKesarea. Esiku lya landula okwa kuutumba koshipundi shepangulo nokwa lombwele aakwiita, ye ete mo Paulus. 7 Ano Paulus sho e ya mo, Aajuda mboka ya zi kuJerusalem, oye mu kundukidha noya tameke oku mu pa oondjo odhindji noondhigu, ihe oya nyengwa oku dhi monena omatompelo. 8 Oshoka Paulus okwi ipopile a ti: “Ongame inandi ninga nando osha sha tsa ondumbo nompango yAajuda nenge notempeli nenge nomupangeli Omuroma.”
9 Ihe Festus okwa li a hala okwoopalela Aajuda, onkee okwa pula Paulus ta ti: “Owa hala, tu ye kuJerusalem, ndi ka pulakene oohapu dhoye hwiyaka?”
10 Paulus okwe mu yamukula a ti: “Ngame onda thikama mompangu yomupangeli Omuroma nopo mpaka nda hala, ndi uthilwe oohapu dhandje. KAajuda inandi pogola ko nando osha, ngashika nangoye mwene u shi shi nawa. 11 Mpaka itandi indile ando, ndaa dhipagwe, ngele nani onda yona ompango nonda ninga sha, shoka sha gwana okugeelitha ndje neso. Ihe ngele iinima mbyoka taa tamanekele ndje, kaayi shi yoshili, nena kape na nando omuntu ta vulu okugandja ndje miikaha yawo. Ngame otandi igameke komupangeli Omuroma.”
12 Festus sho a kundathana nomalenga ge, okwa lombwele Paulus a ti: “Ngoye sho wi igameke komupangeli Omuroma, onkee ano okuye u na okuya.”
Paulus koshipala shaAgrippa naBernike
13 Omasiku gamwe sho ga piti po, omukwaniilwa Agrippa naBernike oye ya kuKesarea okutalela po noku kunda Festus. 14 Ano sho ya ningi mo omasiku gamwe, Festus okwa hokololele omukwaniilwa okukala kwaPaulus a ti: “Muka omu na omulumentu onkwatwa a thigwa mo kuFeliks. 15 Ngame sho nda yile kuJerusalem, aayambi aakuluntu naakuluntu yAajuda oyi ile kungame e taa hokololele ndje shoka taye mu tamanekele noyi indile ndje, ndi mu pangule. 16 Ihe ngame onde ya lombwele nda ti: Aaroma ihaa gandja omutamanekwa, manga inaa tulwa pamwe naatamaneki ye, opo a mone ompito yokwiipopila mwaashoka ta tamanekelwa. 17 Ano sho ye ya huka, ngame mbalambala mesiku lya landula onda kuutumba koshipundi shepangulo nonda lombwele aamati, ye ete mo omutamanekwa. 18 Nena aatamaneki ye oya thikama e taye mu tamaneke, ihe nani itaye mu tamanekele eyono enene, ngaashi nda li nda dhiladhila. 19 Nani otaye mu tamanekele ashike iinima yimwe yi na sha nelongelokalunga lyawo nosho wo kombinga yanakusa gumwe, edhina lye Jesus, ngoka Paulus ta ti kutya oku na omwenyo. 20 Ngame sho nda li mokwaashisha, oshinima sha tya ngeyi nkene shi na okukonakonwa, onda pula Paulus, ngele okwa hala okuya kuJerusalem, opo ndi ka pulakene oohapu dhe hwiyaka. 21 Ihe Paulus okwi igameke komupangeli Omuroma nokwi indile, a kale mondholongo, sigo omupangeli Omuroma ta ka tokola oohapu dhe. Onkee ano onda gandja elombwelo kutya na kale manga mondholongo sigo okesiku ndyoka tandi ka mona ompito oku mu tuma, a ye komupangeli Omuroma.”
22 Nena Agrippa okwa lombwele Festus a ti: “Nangame wo onda hala okupulakena oohapu dhomulumentu ngoka.”
Festus okwe mu yamukula a ti: “Oto ke dhi pulakena ngula.”
23 Esiku lya landula Agrippa naBernike oya thindikilwa nesimaneko enene koshinyanga shiihokolola kaakuluntu yaakwiita nokaanenentu yomoshilando. Nena Festus okwa gandja elombwelo, Paulus e etwe mo. 24 Opo ihe Festus okwa lombwele Agrippa ta ti: “Omukwaniilwa Agrippa naasimanekwa amuhe mboka mu li mpaka pamwe natse! Omulumentu nguka mu wete, oye ngoka Aajuda ayehe yaamuka muKesarea nokuJerusalem haye mu tamaneke koshipala shandje. Oyo ohaa igidha mokule taa ti kutya na dhipagwe. 25 Ihe ngame kandi wete nando kutya okwa ninga sha, shoka sha gwana oku mu dhipagitha. Onkee ano ye mwene sho i igameke komupangeli Omuroma, onda hala oku mu tuma kuye. 26 Ihe kandi na naanaa sha, shoka nda gwana oku shi lombwela omupangeli Omuroma, ngele tandi mu nyolele. Onkee onde mu eta mpaka koshipala sheni, unene koshipala shoye, omukwaniilwa Agrippa. Opo ihe ngele wa konakona oshinima she, pamwe tandi mono po wo tuu sha sha gwana okunyolwa. 27 Oshoka osha nika uugoya kungame okutuma onkwatwa pwaa na etseyithilo lya yela lyaashoka ta tamanekelwa.”
