1 “Aalumentu ne, aamwameme nootate, pulakeneni, sho tandi ipopile koshipala sheni.” 2 Ano sho yu uvu te ya popitha mOshihebeli, oya mwena thilu. Nena Paulus okwa tsikile ihe okupopya ta ti:
3 “Ngame Omujuda, nda valelwa muTarsus shomuKilikia nonda putudhilwa muka muJerusalem. Omulongi gwandje oGamaliel. Ngame onda longwa nawa okutseya ompango yookuku nonda li omulaadhi mokulongela Kalunga pamukalo naanaa ngoka mu li ngashingeyi. 4 Nokuli ngame onda hepekele nonda dhipaga aantu mboka haa landula ondjila yuukriste. Onda li nda kwata aalumentu naakiintu nonde ya edhilile mondholongo. 5 Omuyambimukuluntu niilyo ayihe yoshigongi shaatokoli otaa vulu okukoleka kutya ote popi oshili. Oyo naanaa mboka ya li ya pe ndje oontumwafo dha nyolelwa Aajuda ooyakwetu yomuDamaskus, opo ndi ye ko, ndi ke ya kwate nondi ya ete kuJerusalem ya mangwa nomalyenge, ya wape okugeelwa.”
Paulus ta hokolola eitedhululo lye
(Iil. 9:1-19Iil. 26:12-18)6 “Ano mokweenda kwandje, manga nda li mondjila pokati komutenya tandi ihilile kuDamaskus, ohaluka yowala onda adhiminwa kuuyelele uunene wa zi megulu nowa kondeke ndje. 7 Nena ondi ihata pevi nondu uvu ewi tali popitha ndje tali ti: ‘Saulus, Saulus, omolwashike to tidhagana ndje?’ 8 Ongame onda pula ihe nda ti: ‘Ongoye lye ano, Omuwa?’ Oye okwa yamukula ndje a ti: ‘Ongame Jesus Omunasareti, oongoka to mu tidhagana.’ 9 Aalumentu mboka ya li pamwe nangame, oya mono uuyelele, ihe ewi ndyoka lya popitha ndje, inaye li uva. 10 Nena onde mu pula nda ti: ‘Omuwa, ondi na okuninga shike?’ Oye okwa lombwele ndje ihe ta ti: ‘Thikama, inda kuDamaskus. Oko hoka to ka lombwelwa ashihe shoka Kalunga a hala, u ninge.’ 11 Uuyelele mbuka owa tsikitha omeho gandje, onkee aalumentu mboka ya li pamwe nangame, oya kwata ndje keti e taa fala ndje kuDamaskus.
12 “Okwa li ku na omulumentu gumwe, edhina lye Ananias, ha simaneke Kalunga nonakuvulika kompango, ngoka a li a simanekwa kAajuda ayehe yomuDamaskus. 13 Oye okwe ya kungame, a hedha ponto yandje nokwa lombwele ndje e ta ti: ‘Mumwameme Saulus, mona ko ishewe!’ Pethimbo olyo tuu ndyoka onda mono ko nonde mu tala. 14 Opo ihe okwa lombwele ndje e ta ti: ‘Kalunga ngoka ootate ya kala haye mu longele, okwe ku hogolola, opo u tseye ehalo lye, ngoye u mone Omuntu gwe omuyuuki nou uve ewi lye, sho te ku popitha. 15 Oshoka ongoye oto ka ninga onzapo ye okuhokololela aantu ayehe shoka we shi mono nowe shi uvu. 16 Nokuli ngashingeyi oto tegelele we shike? Thikama, u ithane edhina lye ngoye u shashwe, noondjo dhoye dhi dhimwe po.’ ”
Paulus ti ithanwa, a ka uvithile aapagani
17 “Nena onda shuna kuJerusalem, nomanga nda li te galikana motempeli, onda mono emoniko, 18 ndi wete Omuwa ta lombwele ndje ta ti: ‘Endelela, u ze mo muJerusalem, oshoka aantu yaamuka itaa ka itaala nando shoka to ya lombwele, sho to hokolola ndje.’ 19 Ngame onde mu yamukula nda ti: ‘Omuwa, oyo oye shi shi kutya onda li handi yi moosinagoga okukwata nokudhenga aantu ayehe mboka ye ku itaala. 20 Nokuli nomumati omuhokololi gwoye Stefanus sho a dhipagwa, nangame wo opo nda li. Onda li nda panda okudhipagwa kwe nonda li tandi tonatele oonguwo dhaadhipagi ye.’ 21 Ihe Omuwa okwa lombwele ndje ta ti: ‘Inda ko, oshoka otandi ke ku tuma kokule kaapagani.’ ”
22 Sigo oompoka aantu oya pulakene Paulus, opo ihe oya tameke okwiigidha mokule ya ti: “Na ze po! Na dhipagwe! Oye ina gwana we okukala e na omwenyo!” 23 Oyo oya li taa igidha yo taa dhungadhunga oonguwo dhawo e taa fundu evi. 24 Nena omuwiliki omukuluntu gwaakwiita Aaroma okwa lombwele aamati ye, ya fale Paulus meni lyepopilongulu. Oye okwe ya lombwele, ye mu pule noku mu dhenga, opo yu uve kutya omolwashike Aajuda taye mu kugilile ngeyi. 25 Ihe sho ye mu manga, ya vule oku mu dhenga noongola, Paulus okwa pula omukuluntu gwaakwiita, ngoka a li a thikama puyo e ta ti: “Osha pitikwa tuu pampango okudhenga Omuroma, manga ina pangulwa, a monike ondjo?”
26 Omukuluntu nguno sho e shi uvu, okwa yi komuwiliki omukuluntu gwaakwiita e te mu pula ta ti: “Oto ningi ngiini ngawo? Omulumentu nguka Omuroma.”
27 Nena omuwiliki omukuluntu gwaakwiita okwa yi kuPaulus nokwe mu pula a ti: “Lombwela ndje, ngoye ngele Omuroma?”
Paulus okwe mu yamukula a ti: “Eeno, osho.”
28 Omuwiliki gwaakwiita okwa ti: “Ngame onda mono uukwashigwana mbuka wAaroma, sho nda futu epangelo iimaliwa oyindji.”
Paulus okwe mu yamukula a ti: “Ihe ngame Omuromalela kevalo.”
29 Mbalambala aalumentu mboka ya li ye na okupula Paulus, oye mu etha. Nokuli omuwiliki gwaakwiita okwa li a tila, sho a dhimbulula kutya nani Paulus ngoka e mu mangitha nomalyenge, oye Omuroma.
Paulus moshigongi shaatokoli
30 Omuwiliki omukuluntu gwaakwiita okwa li a hala okutseya kutya oshike naanaa Aajuda taa tamanekele Paulus. Onkee esiku lya landula okwa lombwele aamati ye, ya mangulule mo Paulus momalyenge. Nena oye okwa hiya ihe aayambi aakuluntu naakuluntu ayehe yAajuda, ye ye koshigongi shawo nokwe eta mo Paulus e te mu thikameke komeho gawo.
1 “My fellow Jews, listen to me as I make my defense before you!” 2 When they heard him speaking to them in Hebrew, they became even quieter; and Paul went on:
3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up here in Jerusalem as a student of Gamaliel. I received strict instruction in the Law of our ancestors and was just as dedicated to God as are all of you who are here today. 4 I persecuted to the death the people who followed this Way. I arrested men and women and threw them into prison. 5 The High Priest and the whole Council can prove that I am telling the truth. I received from them letters written to fellow Jews in Damascus, so I went there to arrest these people and bring them back in chains to Jerusalem to be punished.
Paul Tells of His Conversion
(Acts 9.1-19Acts 26.12-18)6 “As I was traveling and coming near Damascus, about midday a bright light from the sky flashed suddenly around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute me?’ 8 ‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute,’ he said to me. 9 The men with me saw the light, but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10 I asked, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ and the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything that God has determined for you to do.’ 11 I was blind because of the bright light, and so my companions took me by the hand and led me into Damascus.
12 “In that city was a man named Ananias, a religious man who obeyed our Law and was highly respected by all the Jews living there. 13 He came to me, stood by me, and said, ‘Brother Saul, see again!’ At that very moment I saw again and looked at him. 14 He said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see his righteous Servant, and to hear him speaking with his own voice. 15 For you will be a witness for him to tell everyone what you have seen and heard. 16 And now, why wait any longer? Get up and be baptized and have your sins washed away by praying to him.’
Paul's Call to Preach to the Gentiles
17 “I went back to Jerusalem, and while I was praying in the Temple, I had a vision, 18 in which I saw the Lord, as he said to me, ‘Hurry and leave Jerusalem quickly, because the people here will not accept your witness about me.’ 19 ‘Lord,’ I answered, ‘they know very well that I went to the synagogues and arrested and beat those who believe in you. 20 And when your witness Stephen was put to death, I myself was there, approving of his murder and taking care of the cloaks of his murderers.’ 21 ‘Go,’ the Lord said to me, ‘for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
22 The people listened to Paul until he said this; but then they started shouting at the top of their voices, “Away with him! Kill him! He's not fit to live!” 23 They were screaming, waving their clothes, and throwing dust up in the air. 24 The Roman commander ordered his men to take Paul into the fort, and he told them to whip him in order to find out why the Jews were screaming like this against him. 25 But when they had tied him up to be whipped, Paul said to the officer standing there, “Is it lawful for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn't even been tried for any crime?”
26 When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and asked him, “What are you doing? That man is a Roman citizen!”
27 So the commander went to Paul and asked him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”
“Yes,” answered Paul.
28 The commander said, “I became one by paying a large amount of money.”
“But I am one by birth,” Paul answered.
29 At once the men who were going to question Paul drew back from him; and the commander was frightened when he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had put him in chains.
Paul before the Council
30 The commander wanted to find out for sure what the Jews were accusing Paul of; so the next day he had Paul's chains taken off and ordered the chief priests and the whole Council to meet. Then he took Paul and made him stand before them.
