1 “Vakwetu nootate, purateneye komambo wandje ngu me riyeura na wo mba komurungu weṋu!” 2 Nowo tji ve mu zuva ama hungire Otjiheberi ku wo, arire tji va mwinine ko tjinene; nu Paulus wa hungira komurungu a tja:
3 “Owami Omujuda, ngu mba kwaterwa mOtarsus mehi ra Silisie, nungwari ngu mbe kurira muno mOjerusalem e rire omuhongewa wa Gamaliel. Ami mba pewa omahongero omakukutu mOmatwako wootate mukururume nu mba panḓera pokuyenenisa ombango ya Ndjambi otja eṋe amuhe punga amu tjita ndinondi. 4 Ami mba tatumisa ovandu mba mbaa ve kongorere ondjira ndji yovakambure neve yandja kokuṱa. Ami mba kambura ovarumendu novakazendu neve twa motjovakamburwa. 5 Omupristeri Otjiuru novanene avehe votjira tjOvajuda mave hongonona kutja ami me hungire ouatjiri. Owo ve ndji pa otutuu tu twa tjangerwa Ovajuda ovakwao mOdamaskus, nami opu mba ira ngo okukakambura ovakambure nokuveeta kOjerusalem ava pandekwa kutja ve yokuverwa.
Paulus ma serekarere ondanaukiro ye
(Oviu 9:1-19Oviu 26:12-18)6 “Ngunda ame kayenda nambi ri popezu na Damaskus oiri mangara mutenya, tjimanga ondjerera onamasa ndja zire keyuru arire tji ye ndji kondoroka. 7 Ami mba wira pehi nu e zuu eraka nda tjere nai ku ami: ‘Saul, Saul, mo ndji tjerere tjike okundjizepa?’ 8 Ami mba pura e tja: ‘Oove aṋi, Muhona?’ Eye a ziri a tja: ‘Owami Jesus wa Nasaret ngu mo tjere okuzepa.’ 9 Ovarumendu mba ri puna ami va muna indji ondjerera, nungwari owo kave mwine ingwi omundu ngwaa hungire na ami. 10 Ami mba pura e tja: ‘Hi tjite tjike, Muhona?’ Nu Muhona e ndji ziri a tja: ‘Sekama u kahite mOdamaskus, nu ingo oku mo karaererwa avihe Ndjambi mbye ku pa okutjita.’ 11 Nami tjinga amba poṱuparisiwa i ondjerera onamasa, ovendjikongorere otjinga ave ndji kambura pokuoko nave ndji hitisa mOdamaskus.
12 “Motjihuro hi mwa ri omurumendu wena Ananias, omunangamburiro ngwaa ṱakamisa Omatwako wetu, nu ngwa yozikirwe tjinene i Ovajuda avehe mba turire mo. 13 Eye weya ku ami, a kurama meṋe yandje a tja: ‘Mukwetu Saul, muna rukwao!’ Moiri tjingeyo ndji ami mba uta okumuna rukwao nu e tara mu ye. 14 Eye wa tjere nai: ‘Ndjambi wootate mukururume we ku toororera okutjiwa ombango ye, nokumuna Omunausemba nokuzuva ombosiro yeraka re omuini, 15 ove tjinga amo rire omumuhongononene okuraera ovandu avehe imbi mbi wa muna na mbi wa zuva. 16 Nambano mo wombere tjike nai? Sekama u papitisiwe nu u kohwe kourunde woye indu tji wa isana ena re!’
Paulus ma isanenwa okukazuvarisira imba mbe he ri Ovajuda
17 “Ami mba yaruka kOjerusalem, nu ngunda ame kumbu mondjuwo ya Muhona, arire tji mba munu otjirimunikise. 18 Mu tjo mba muna mo Muhona ama tja ku ami: ‘Hakahana u ze mo tjimanga mOjerusalem, ovandu muno tjinga ave hi nokuyakura imbi mbi mo hongonene ami!’ 19 Ami e ziri e tja: ‘Muhona, owo mave tjiwa nawa kutja ami mba ire kozosinagoge okukakambura nokukatona imba mba kambura move. 20 Nomuhongonone woye Stefanus tja ṱa, ami omuini opu mba ri ame nyandere onḓiro ye nu amba ṱiza ozombanda zovemuzepe.’ 21 Muhona arire tja tja ku ami: ‘Twende, orondu ami me ku hindi kokure ku imba mbe he ri Ovajuda.’ ”
22 Ovandu va puratenene ku Paulus nga tja hungire omambo nga aehe; nungwari okuzambo va uta okuravaera neraka enene ave tja: “Nga ze po! Nga ṱe! Eye ka pwire okukara nomuinyo!” 23 Owo va rokoha ave ritaura ozombanda zawo nave yumbu ehi meyuru. 24 Omuhongore wovita Omuroma wa rakiza kovandu ve ve tware Paulus komaturiro wovarwe wovita, nu we ve raera kutja ve kemutone a rire pa tjivirwa po kutja Ovajuda mave mu urire tjike nai. 25 Nungwari owo tji va pandeka Paulus kutja ve mu tone, eye arire tja tja komunane wovita ngwa kuramene mbo: “Eṋe kamu yandjererwe okutona omukwatera wa Roma ngunda e hiya pangurwa namunikwondjo?”
26 Omukarere tja zuvire omambo nga waya komuhongore wovita ne kemupura nai: “Mo vanga okutjita tjike? Omurumendu ngwi omukwatera wa Roma!”
27 Omuhongore wovita opa ira ku Paulus ne kemupura a tja: “Ndji raera, oove omukwatera wa Roma are?”
Paulus e mu ziri a tja: “Ii, owami omukwatera wa Roma.”
28 Omuhongore wovita arire tja tja: “Ami mba suta ovimariva ovingi tjinene okurira Omuroma.”
Paulus wa zirire a tja: “Nungwari ami owami Omuroma okukwatwa.”
29 Tjimanga ovarumendu mba mba vangere okukambura Paulus ave zu po pu ye; nomuhongore wovita wa tira indu tja muna kutja Paulus omukwatera wa Roma, na indu kutja eye we mu pandekisa nouketanga.
Paulus komurungu wotjombanguriro
30 Omuhongore wovita wa vangere okutjiwa ouatjiri wokutja Ovajuda Paulus mave mu pere tjike ondjo; nu mependukirwa eye opa pandurira Paulus na rakiza kovapristeri oviuru na kOtjira atjihe tjOvajuda kutja ve worongane. Tjazumba a eta Paulus ne mu kuramisa komurungu wawo.
1 “My friends and leaders of our nation, listen as I explain what happened!” 2 When the crowd heard Paul speak to them in Aramaic, they became even quieter. Then Paul said:
3 I am a Jew, born in the city of Tarsus in Cilicia. But I grew up here in Jerusalem where I was a student of Gamaliel and was taught to follow every single law of our ancestors. In fact, I was just as eager to obey God as any of you are today.
4 I made trouble for everyone who followed the Lord's Way, and I even had some of them killed. I had others arrested and put in jail. I didn't care if they were men or women. 5 The high priest and all the council members can tell you this is true. They even gave me letters to the Jewish leaders in Damascus, so that I could arrest people there and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 One day about noon I was getting close to Damascus, when a bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice asking, “Saul, Saul, why are you so cruel to me?”
8 “Who are you?” I answered.
The Lord replied, “I am Jesus from Nazareth! I am the one you are so cruel to.” 9 Those who were traveling with me saw the light, but did not hear the voice.
10 I asked, “Lord, what do you want me to do?”
Then he told me, “Get up and go to Damascus. When you get there, you will be told what to do.” 11 The light had been so bright that I couldn't see. And the others had to lead me by the hand to Damascus.
12 In that city there was a man named Ananias, who faithfully obeyed the Law of Moses and was well liked by all the Jewish people living there. 13 He came to me and said, “Saul, my friend, you can now see again!”
At once I could see. 14 Then Ananias told me, “The God that our ancestors worshiped has chosen you to know what he wants done. He has chosen you to see the One Who Obeys God and to hear his voice. 15 You must tell everyone what you have seen and heard. 16 What are you waiting for? Get up! Be baptized, and wash away your sins by praying to the Lord.”
17 After this I returned to Jerusalem and went to the temple to pray. There I had a vision 18 of the Lord who said to me, “Hurry and leave Jerusalem! The people won't listen to what you say about me.”
19 I replied, “Lord, they know that in many of our synagogues I arrested and beat people who had faith in you. 20 Stephen was killed because he spoke for you, and I stood there and cheered them on. I even guarded the clothes of the men who murdered him.”
21 But the Lord told me to go, and he promised to send me far away to the Gentiles.
22 The crowd listened until Paul said this. Then they started shouting, “Get rid of this man! He doesn't deserve to live.” 23 They kept shouting. They waved their clothes around and threw dust into the air.
Paul and the Roman Army Commander
24 The Roman commander ordered Paul to be taken into the fortress and beaten with a whip. He did this to find out why the people were screaming at Paul.
25 While the soldiers were tying Paul up to be beaten, he asked the officer standing there, “Is it legal to beat a Roman citizen before he has been tried in court?”
26 When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and said, “What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!”
27 The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”
“Yes,” Paul answered.
28 The commander then said, “I paid a lot of money to become a Roman citizen.”
But Paul replied, “I was born a Roman citizen.”
29 The men who were about to beat and question Paul quickly backed off. And the commander himself was frightened when he realized that he had put a Roman citizen in chains.
Paul Is Tried by the Council
30 The next day the commander wanted to know the real reason why the Jewish leaders had brought charges against Paul. So he had Paul's chains removed, and he ordered the chief priests and the whole council to meet. Then he had Paul led in and made him stand in front of them.
