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 hais daws nws zaj rau Akipa

¹Akipa hais rau Povlauj tias. “Kuv tso cai koj hais daws koj zaj.” Povlauj txawm tsa tes hais daws nws zaj tias, ²“Vajntxwv Akipa, kuv pom tias hnub no muaj zoo sijhawm uas tau nyob ntawm koj xubntiag hais daws tej lus uas cov Yudai kom huvsi, ³mas qhov loj yog qhov uas koj yeej paub cov Yudai tej kevcai thiab tej teeb meem. Yog li no thov koj ua siab ntev mloog kuv hais.
⁴“Cov Yudai sawvdaws yeej paub kuv lub neej txij thaum yau los thiab paub thaum chiv thawj kuv yeej nrog kuv haiv neeg nyob thiab nyob hauv lub nroog Yeluxalees. ⁵Lawv yeej paub kuv ntev los lawm. Yog lawv yeem ua timkhawv lawv yeej ua tau hais tias kuv ua lub neej raws li pab Falixai uas coj kevcai nruj kawg. ⁶Qhov uas nimno kuv tau los sawv rau koj txiav txim twb yog qhov uas muaj siab vam rau tej lus uas Vajtswv cog tseg rau peb tej poj koob yawm txwv. ⁷Peb kaum ob xeem ua koom tu Vajtswv kawg dag kawg zog nruab hnub hmo ntuj vim muaj siab vam yuav tau tej lus cog tseg ntawd. Au vajntxwv, vim yog txojkev vam no cov Yudai thiaj kom kuv. ⁸Ua cas nej xav tias qhov uas Vajtswv tsa neeg tuag ciaj sawv rov los ntawd yog zaj uas ntseeg tsis tau?
⁹“Kuv txeev xav hauv kuv lub siab tias kuv yuav tsum ua ntau yam tawm tsam Yexus uas yog neeg Naxale lub npe. ¹⁰Kuv twb ua tej no rau hauv Yeluxalees. Thaum kuv tau hwjchim ntawm cov pov thawj hlob lawm kuv ntes cov xov dawb coob coob kaw rau hauv tsev lojfaj, thiab thaum lawv raug tua pov tseg kuv kuj pom zoo. ¹¹Kuv pheej rau txim rau lawv tsis tseg hauv txhua lub tsev sablaj thiab quab yuam lawv hais lus tuam mom Vajtswv. Kuv npau taws rau lawv heev kuv thiaj caum mus tsim txom lawv rau hauv lwm tebchaws tej moos.
¹²“Yog li ntawd thaum kuv tau hwjchim ntawm cov pov thawj hlob thiab lawv txib kuv mus, kuv txawm taug kev mus rau lub nroog Damaxaka. ¹³Au vajntxwv, thaum tav su kuv tabtom taug kev mus kuv txawm pom ib tug duab ci heev dua lub hnub tsom saum ntuj los vij nkaus kuv thiab cov neeg uas nrog kuv mus. ¹⁴Thaum peb sawvdaws ntog tag rau hauv pem teb kuv hnov ib lub suab hais rau kuv ua lus Henplais tias, ‘Xolau, Xolau 'e, ua cas koj tsim txom kuv. Qhov uas koj tuam tus hmuv kuj mob koj tus kheej xwb.’ ¹⁵Kuv txawm hais tias, ‘Tus Tswv, koj yog leejtwg?’ Tus Tswv hais tias, ‘Kuv yog Yexus uas koj tabtom tsim txom. ¹⁶Cia li sawv tsees sawv ntsug vim tias kuv los tshwm rau koj pom, yuav tsa koj ua tub qhe thiab ua timkhawv txog tej xwm txheej uas koj tau pom kuv ua thiab tej uas kuv yuav ua tshwm rau koj. ¹⁷Kuv yuav cawm koj dim hauv koj haiv neeg thiab hauv lwm haiv neeg uas kuv txib koj mus ntawd. ¹⁸Koj yuav mus qheb lawv lub qhov muag kom lawv tig ntawm txojkev tsaus ntuj los cuag txojkev kaj, thiab tig ntawm Xatas⚓ lub hwjchim los cuag Vajtswv, lawv thiaj tau txais kev zam txim thiab muaj feem nrog cov uas twb raug muab cais ua dawb huv vim yog ntseeg kuv nyob ua ke.’
¹⁹“Au vajntxwv Akipa, vim li no kuv thiaj tsis tawv zaj yug toos uas los saum ntuj los, ²⁰tiamsis kuv xub piav rau cov uas nyob Damaxaka paub li piav rau hauv Yeluxalees thiab thoob plaws lub xeev Yudia thiab piav rau lwm haiv neeg kom lawv ntxeev dua siab tshiab thiab tig los cuag Vajtswv thiab ua lub neej phim qhov uas lawv ntxeev dua siab tshiab. ²¹Vim li no cov Yudai thiaj ntes kuv hauv lub tuam tsev thiab yooj xeeb yuav tua kuv pov tseg. ²²Tiamsis vim Vajtswv pab kuv los txog niaj hnub nimno kuv thiaj tau los sawv ntawm no ua timkhawv rau cov hlob cov yau. Kuv tsuas hais txog tej uas cov xibhwb cev Vajtswv lus thiab Mauxe hais cia tias yuav tshwm los xwb, ²³yog qhov uas tus Kheto⚓ yuav tsum raug kev tsim txom thiab qhov uas nws yog thawj tug uas ciaj sawv hauv qhov tuag rov los nws thiaj qhia txojkev kaj rau cov Yudai thiab lwm haiv neeg.”
²⁴Thaum Povlauj tabtom hais daws nws zaj ntawd, Fexata txawm qw nrov hais tias, “Povlauj, koj vwm lawm lauj. Koj kawm paub txujci ntau ua rau koj vwm.” ²⁵Tiamsis Povlauj hais tias, “Fexata uas saib hlob, kuv tsis vwm li, kuv hais tseeb thiab hais lus feeb meej. ²⁶Vajntxwv yeej paub txog tej no, kuv thiaj muaj siab tuab hais rau nws, vim kuv ntseeg tias tej xwm txheej no tsis muaj ib yam twg uas nws tsis pom, rau qhov tej no tsis tau ua nraim nkoos. ²⁷Vajntxwv Akipa, koj puas ntseeg tej lus uas cov xibhwb cev Vajtswv lus hais? Kuv yeej paub tias koj ntseeg.” ²⁸Akipa hais rau Povlauj tias, “Koj yuav yaum kuv los ua Khixatia⚓ sai sai no lov?” ²⁹Povlauj hais tias, “Tsis hais qeeb los sai kuv thov Vajtswv tias tsis yog koj tib leeg xwb tiamsis txhua tus uas hnub no hnov kuv hais yuav tau ua ib yam li kuv tsuas yog tseg tsis txhob raug saw hlau khi li kuv no xwb.”
³⁰Ces vajntxwv thiab tus tswv xeev thiab Npawnij thiab sawvdaws uas nyob ntawd txawm sawv pes tsees. ³¹Thaum lawv tawm mus lawv txawm sib hais tias, “Tus yawg no tsis tau ua ib yam txhaum uas tsim nyog muab rau txim tuag lossis muab kaw.” ³²Akipa txawm hais rau Fexata tias, “Yog tus no tsis tau thov cia mus hais kom txog Xixa, ces muab nws tso kuj tau.”