1Vajntxwv Akipas hais rau Paulus hais tias, “Kuv cia koj hais daws koj zaj.” Paulus xyab hlo tes thiab hais daws nws zaj li no: 2“Vajntxwv Akipas, kuv zoo siab kawg li, hnub no kuv tau los sawv ntawm koj xubntiag hais daws txhua zaj uas cov Yudais nkaug kuv hais tias kuv ua txhaum rau koj mloog, 3rau qhov koj yeej paub cov Yudais tej kevcai thiab tej uas peb cov Yudais hais tsis sib haum lawm. Yog li ntawd, thov koj ua siab ntev mloog kuv hais. 4“Txij thaum kuv yau los txog niaj hnub no, kuv lub neej zoo li cas los cov Yudais puavleej paub huv tibsi. Kuv yeej nrog kuv haivneeg nyob hlob hauv kuv lub tebchaws thiab hauv lub nroog Yeluxalees. 5Lawv yeej ibtxwm paub kuv thaum ub los lawm. Yog lawv kam ua timkhawv, lawv yeej ua tau timkhawv hais tias kuv yog ib tug Falixais uas yog pab coj nruj. 6Nimno kuv tuaj sawv ntawm no twb yog vim kuv cia siab rau tej uas Vajtswv tau coglus tseg rau peb cov yawgkoob lawm. 7Peb cov neeg kaum ob xeem puavleej muab siab rau niaj hnub niaj hmo ua raws li Vajtswv txoj Kevcai. Peb cia siab hais tias peb yuav tau raws li tej lus uas Vajtswv cog tseg ntawd. Vajntxwv, twb yog vim kuv cia siab li no cov Yudais thiaj hais tias kuv ua txhaum. 8Ua li cas nej cov uas yog neeg Yudais ib yam li kuv, nej pheej tsis ntseeg hais tias, Vajtswv tsa tau cov neeg uas tuag lawm sawv hauv qhov tuag rov qab los? 9“Yav tas los lawm, kuv yeej xav hais tias kuv yuav ua txhua yam tawmtsam Yexus tus uas yog neeg Naxales. 10Kuv thiaj ua li ntawd nram lub nroog Yeluxalees. Cov thawj ntawm cov povthawj tso cai rau kuv mus ntes cov ntseeg Vajtswv coj los kaw rau hauv tsev lojcuj. Thaum cov thawj txiav txim hais tias yuav muab cov ntseeg ntawd coj mus tua povtseg, kuv pom zoo li ntawd thiab. 11Muaj ntau zaug kuv mus ntes cov ntseeg hauv tej tsev sablaj los rau txim thiab yuam kom lawv tso lawv tej kev ntseeg tseg. Kuv ntxub lawv kawg li, kuv thiaj mus tsimtxom cov ntseeg uas nyob hauv lwm Haivneeg tej tebchaws thiab.
Paulus Hais Txog Nws Hloov Dua Siab Tshiab
(Tes Haujlwm 9.1-19; 22.6-16)
12“Yog li ntawd, kuv thiaj thov cov thawj ntawm cov povthawj ua ntawv tso cai rau kuv mus tsimtxom cov ntseeg pem lub nroog Damaxes. 13Vajntxwv, thaum tavsu uas kuv taug kev mus, kuv pom duab ci nplas saum ntuj tuaj, ci tshaj lub hnub tuaj rau kuv thiab cov neeg uas nrog kuv mus ntawd. 14Peb txawm ntog tas rau hauv av, kuv hnov ib lub suab ua lus Henplais hais rau kuv hais tias, ‘Xaulus, Xaulus! Ua li cas koj tsimtxom kuv? Yog koj tawmtsam kuv, yuav mob koj ib yam li tus nyuj uas tuam nws tus tswv tus pas, ces yeej yuav mob nyuj nqaij xwb.’ 15Kuv nug hais tias, ‘Tus Tswv, koj yog leejtwg?’ Tus Tswv teb hais tias, ‘Kuv yog Yexus tus uas koj tsimtxom ntag. 16Koj cia li sawv, qhov uas kuv los tshwm rau koj pom no yog kuv los tsa koj ua kuv tus tubtxib. Koj yuav mus qhia qhov uas hnub no koj pom kuv thiab tej uas kuv yuav ua rau koj pom yav tom ntej rau sawvdaws paub. 17Kuv yuav txib koj mus qhia cov Yixalayees thiab lwm Haivneeg; kuv yuav tsomkwm koj, tsis pub leejtwg ua phem rau koj. 18Kuv yuav txib koj mus qhia cov neeg uas nyob hauv qhov tsaus ntuj kom lawv tawm los nyob qhov pom kev thiab tawm hauv dab Ntxwgnyoog txhais tes los cuag Vajtswv. Thaum lawv los ntseeg kuv lawm, Vajtswv yuav zam txim rau lawv, lawv thiaj tau los nrog cov neeg uas Vajtswv xaiv cia ua Vajtswv haivneeg lawm nyob ua ke.’
Paulus Hais Txog Nws Tes Haujlwm
19“Vajntxwv Akipas, twb yog vim li ntawd, kuv thiaj ua raws li tej uas kuv hnov lub suab saum ntuj hais kom kuv ua. 20Kuv xub qhia cov neeg uas nyob hauv lub nroog Damaxes, kuv mam li mus qhia nram lub nroog Yeluxalees. Tom qab ntawd kuv mus qhia thoob plaws hauv lub xeev Yudais thiab qhia lwm Haivneeg kom sawvdaws nyias tso nyias tej kev txhaum tseg thiab tig rov los cuag Vajtswv, thiab nyias ua nyias lub neej kom phim qhov uas nyias twb tso nyias tej kev txhaum tseg lawm. 21Twb yog vim li ntawd, cov Yudais thiaj li tuaj ntes kuv hauv lub Tuamtsev; thaum ntawd lawv twb yuav muab kuv tua povtseg. 22Tiamsis Vajtswv niaj zaus pab kuv los txog hnub no, kuv thiaj li tau tuaj sawv ntawm no ua timkhawv qhia tej uas kuv pom thiab kuv paub lawm rau cov hlob cov yau sawvdaws mloog. Tej uas kuv qhia, kuv tsuas qhia raws li tej lus uas cov cev Vajtswv lus thiab Mauxes xub qhia tseg lawm 23hais tias tus Mexiyas yuav raug kev tsimtxom thiab nws yuav yog thawj tug uas sawv hauv qhov tuag rov qab los. Nws yuav qhia qhov kaj uas yog txojkev cawm dim rau cov Yudais thiab lwm Haivneeg.” 24Thaum Paulus tabtom hais daws Paulus zaj tsis tau tas, Fexatus txawm hais nrov nrov rau Paulus hais tias, “Paulus, koj vwm lawm! Tej kev txawj ntse uas koj kawm ua rau koj vwm lawm.” 25Paulus teb hais tias, “Fexatus, kuv tsis vwm! Kuv yeej meejpem thiab tej lus uas kuv hais no yeej muaj tseeb tiag. 26Vajntxwv Akipas, kuv muaj lub siab tawv qhia tej no rau koj, rau qhov koj yeej paub tej no tas lawm, vim tej no muaj tabmeeg sawvdaws. Kuv ntseeg hais tias koj yeej paub tej no huv tibsi lawm. 27Vajntxwv Akipas, koj puas ntseeg tej lus uas cov cev Vajtswv lus qhia? Kuv paub hais tias koj yeej ntseeg tej lus ntawd.” 28Vajntxwv Akipas hais rau Paulus hais tias, “Koj nyuam qhuav qhia mentsis rau kuv xwb, koj txawm siv xav hais tias koj yuav yaum tau kuv los ntseeg Yexus no los?” 29Paulus teb hais tias, “Txawm yog kuv qhia ntau qhia tsawg los kuv thov Vajtswv pab koj thiab nej txhua tus uas tabtom mloog kuv qhia no kom sawvdaws los ua ib yam li kuv ua, tsuas yog tsis txhob raug luag muab saw hlau khi li kuv raug no xwb.” 30Paulus hais li ntawd tas, Vajntxwv Akipas thiab tus Tswvxeev Fexatus, Npelanikes thiab cov neeg uas nyob ntawd txawm sawv. 31Thaum lawv tawm mus rau nraum zoov lawm, lawv sib tham hais tias, “Tus txivneej no tsis tau ua ib qho txhaum uas yuav txaus muab nws tua povtseg lossis muab nws kaw rau hauv tsev lojcuj.” 32Vajntxwv Akipas hais rau Fexatus hais tias, “Yog tus txivneej no tsis txhob thov mus hais tim Huabtais Xixas, ces peb cia li muab nws tso mus los tau.”
26
Paul’s Early Life
1Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself: 2“I think myself ⚓happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer ⚓for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am ⚓accused by the Jews, 3especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently. 4“My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know. 5They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to ⚓the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. 6⚓And now I stand and am judged for the hope of ⚓the promise made by God to our fathers. 7To this promise⚓our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God⚓night and day, ⚓hope to attain. For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. 8Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead? 9⚓“Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of ⚓Jesus of Nazareth. 10⚓This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority ⚓from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.11⚓And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
Paul Recounts His Conversion
12⚓“While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, 13at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. 14And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’15So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.16But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, ⚓to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.17I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, ⚓to whom I now send you,18⚓to open their eyes, in order⚓to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, ⚓that they may receive forgiveness of sins and ⚓an inheritance among those who are ⚓sanctified by faith in Me.’
Paul’s Post-Conversion Life
19“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20but ⚓declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do ⚓works befitting repentance. 21For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.22Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those ⚓which the prophets and ⚓Moses said would come— 23⚓that the Christ would suffer, ⚓that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and ⚓would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”
Agrippa Parries Paul’s Challenge
24Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, ⚓you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!” 25But he said, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason. 26For the king, before whom I also speak freely, ⚓knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner. 27King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.” 28Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” 29And Paul said, ⚓“I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.” 30When he had said these things, the king stood up, as well as the governor and Bernice and those who sat with them; 31and when they had gone aside, they talked among themselves, saying, ⚓“This man is doing nothing deserving of death or chains.” 32Then Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set ⚓free ⚓if he had not appealed to Caesar.”