26

Paul Before Agrippa

¹Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.”
So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense: ²“King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews, ³and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.
⁴“The Jewish people all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. ⁵They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that I conformed to the strictest sect of our religion, living as a Pharisee. ⁶And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our ancestors that I am on trial today. ⁷This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that these Jews are accusing me. ⁸Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?
⁹“I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. ¹⁰And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the Lord’s people in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. ¹¹Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities.
¹²“On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. ¹³About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. ¹⁴We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic,⚓‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
¹⁵“Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’
“ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ¹⁶‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. ¹⁷I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them ¹⁸to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
¹⁹“So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. ²⁰First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds. ²¹That is why some Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. ²²But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen— ²³that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.”
²⁴At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning is driving you insane.”
²⁵“I am not insane, most excellent Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable. ²⁶The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. ²⁷King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.”
²⁸Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”
²⁹Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”
³⁰The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them. ³¹After they left the room, they began saying to one another, “This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.”
³²Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

26

Povlauj has daws nwg zaaj rua Akipa

¹Akipa has rua Povlauj tas. “Kuv tso cai koj has daws koj zaaj.” Povlauj txawm tsaa teg has daws nwg zaaj tas, ²“Vaajntxwv Akipa, kuv pum tas nub nua muaj zoo swjhawm kws tau nyob ntawm koj xubndag has daws tej lug kws cov Yutai kom huvsw, ³mas qhov luj yog qhov kws koj yeej paub cov Yutai tej kevcai hab tej teeb meem. Yog le nuav thov koj ua sab ntev noog kuv has.
⁴“Cov Yutai suavdawg yeej paub kuv lub neej txwj thaus yau lug hab paub thaus chiv thawj kuv yeej nrug kuv haiv tuabneeg nyob hab nyob huv lub nroog Yeluxalee. ⁵Puab yeej paub kuv ntev lug lawm. Yog puab yeem ua timkhawv puab yeej ua tau has tas kuv ua lub neej lawv le paab Falixai kws coj kevcai nruj kawg. ⁶Qhov kws nwgnuav kuv tau lug sawv rua koj txav txem tub yog qhov kws muaj sab vaam rua tej lug kws Vaajtswv cog tseg rua peb tej laug. ⁷Peb kaum ob xeem ua koom rua Vaajtswv kawg daag kawg zug nruab nub mo ntuj vem muaj sab vaam yuav tau tej lug cog tseg hov. Au vaajntxwv, vem yog txujkev vaam nuav cov Yutai txhad kom kuv. ⁸Ua caag mej xaav tas qhov kws Vaajtswv tsaa tuabneeg tuag caj sawv rov lug hov yog zaaj kws ntseeg tsw tau?
⁹“Kuv txeev xaav huv kuv lub sab tas kuv yuav tsum ua ntau yaam tawm tsaam Yexu kws yog tuabneeg Naxale lub npe. ¹⁰Kuv tub ua tej nuav rua huv Yeluxalee. Thaus kuv tau fwjchim ntawm cov pov thawj hlub lawm kuv nteg cov xuv dawb coob coob kaw rua huv tsev lojfaaj, hab thaus puab raug tua pov tseg kuv kuj pum zoo. ¹¹Kuv pheej rau txem rua puab tsw tseg huv txhua lub tsev sablaaj hab quab yuam puab has lug tuam mom Vaajtswv. Kuv npau tawg rua puab heev kuv txhad lawv moog tswm txom puab rua huv lwm tebchaws tej moos.
¹²“Yog le hov thaus kuv tau fwjchim ntawm cov pov thawj hlub hab puab khaiv kuv moog, kuv txawm taug kev moog rua lub nroog Ntamaxaka. ¹³Au vaajntxwv, thaus taav su kuv saamswm taug kev moog kuv txawm pum ib tug duab ci heev dua lub nub tsom sau ntuj lug vej nkaus kuv hab cov tuabneeg kws nrug kuv moog. ¹⁴Thaus peb suavdawg qaug taag rua huv peg teb kuv nov ib lub suab has rua kuv ua lug Henplais tas, ‘Xolau, Xolau 'e, ua caag koj tswm txom kuv. Qhov kws koj tuam tug muv kuj mob koj tug kheej xwb.’ ¹⁵Kuv txawm has tas, ‘Tug Tswv, koj yog leejtwg?’ Tug Tswv has tas, ‘Kuv yog Yexu kws koj saamswm tswm txom. ¹⁶Ca le sawv tseeg sawv ntsug vem tas kuv lug tshwm rua koj pum, yuav tsaa koj ua tub qhe hab ua timkhawv txug tej xwm txheej kws koj tau pum kuv ua hab tej kws kuv yuav ua tshwm rua koj. ¹⁷Kuv yuav cawm koj dim huv koj haiv tuabneeg hab huv lwm haiv tuabneeg kws kuv khaiv koj moog ntawd. ¹⁸Koj yuav moog qheb puab lub qhov muag kuas puab tig ntawm txujkev tsaus ntuj lug cuag txujkev kaaj, hab tig ntawm Xataa⚓ tug fwjchim lug cuag Vaajtswv, puab txhad tau txais kev zaam txem hab muaj feem nrug cov kws tub raug muab cais ua dawb huv vem yog ntseeg kuv nyob ua ke.’
¹⁹“Au vaajntxwv Akipa, vem le nuav kuv txhad tsw tawv zaaj yug toog kws lug sau ntuj lug, ²⁰tassws kuv xub pav rua cov kws nyob Ntamaxaka paub le pav rua huv Yeluxalee hab thoob plawg lub xeev Yutia hab pav rua lwm haiv tuabneeg kuas puab ntxeev dua sab tshab hab tig lug cuag Vaajtswv hab ua lub neej phim qhov kws puab ntxeev dua sab tshab. ²¹Vem le nuav cov Yutai txhad nteg kuv huv lub tuam tsev hab yooj xeeb yuav tua kuv pov tseg. ²²Tassws vem Vaajtswv paab kuv lug txug naj nub nwgnuav kuv txhad tau lug sawv ntawm nuav ua timkhawv rua cov hlub cov yau. Kuv tsuas has txug tej kws cov xwbfwb cev Vaajtswv lug hab Mauxe has ca tas yuav tshwm lug xwb, ²³yog qhov kws tug Kheto⚓ yuav tsum raug kev tswm txom hab qhov kws nwg yog thawj tug kws caj sawv huv qhov tuag rov lug nwg txhad qha txujkev kaaj rua cov Yutai hab lwm haiv tuabneeg.”
²⁴Thaus Povlauj saamswm has daws nwg zaaj hov, Fexata txawm qw nrov has tas, “Povlauj, koj vwm lawm lauj. Koj kawm paub txujci ntau ua rua koj vwm.” ²⁵Tassws Povlauj has tas, “Fexata kws saib hlub, kuv tsw vwm le, kuv has tseeb hab has lug feeb meej. ²⁶Vaajntxwv yeej paub txug tej nuav, kuv txhad muaj sab tuab has rua nwg, vem kuv ntseeg tas tej xwm txheej nuav tsw muaj ib yaam twg kws nwg tsw pum, tsua qhov tej nuav tsw tau ua nraim nreeg. ²⁷Vaajntxwv Akipa, koj puas ntseeg tej lug kws cov xwbfwb cev Vaajtswv lug has? Kuv yeej paub tas koj ntseeg.” ²⁸Akipa has rua Povlauj tas, “Koj yuav yum kuv lug ua Khixatia⚓ sai sai nuav lov?” ²⁹Povlauj has tas, “Tsw has qeeb los sai kuv thov Vaajtswv tas tsw yog koj tuab leeg xwb tassws txhua tug kws nub nua nov kuv has yuav tau ua ib yaam le kuv tsuas yog tseg tsw xob raug saw hlau khi le kuv nuav xwb.”
³⁰Tes vaajntxwv hab tug tswv xeev hab Npawnij hab suavdawg kws nyob ntawd txawm sawv pis tseeg. ³¹Thaus puab tawm moog puab txawm sws has tas, “Tug yawm nuav tsw tau ua ib yaam txhum kws tswm nyog muab rau txem tuag lossws muab kaw.” ³²Akipa txawm has rua Fexata tas, “Yog tug nuav tsw tau thov ca moog has kuas txug Xixa, tes muab nwg tso kuj tau.”