Acts 26
1 Turning to Paul, Agrippa said, ‘You are at liberty to speak for yourself.’ Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defence.
Nake Agiripa akĩĩra Paũlũ atĩrĩ, “Ũrĩ na rũũtha rwa kwĩyarĩrĩria.” Nĩ ũndũ ũcio Paũlũ agĩtambũrũkia guoko, akĩambĩrĩria kwĩyarĩrĩria, akiuga atĩrĩ,
2 ‘I have been congratulating myself, King Agrippa,’ he said, ‘that it is before you that I have to make my defence today, with regard to all the charges brought against me by my own people,
“Mũthamaki Agiripa, nĩngũigua ndĩ mũtĩĩku kũrũgama mbere yaku ũmũthĩ ndĩyarĩrĩrie igũrũ rĩa maũndũ mothe marĩa thitangĩirwo nĩ Ayahudi,
3 especially as you are so well-versed in all the customs and questions of the Jewish world. I beg you therefore to give me a patient hearing.
na makĩria nĩ tondũ wee nĩũũĩ mĩtugo yothe ya Ayahudi na maũndũ marĩa makararanagĩria. Nĩ ũndũ ũcio nĩndakũhooya ũũthikĩrĩrie ũtegũthethũka.
4 My life, then, from youth upwards, was passed, from the very first, among my own nation, and in Jerusalem, and is within the knowledge of all Jews;
“Ayahudi othe nĩmooĩ ũrĩa ndũũrĩte kuuma ndĩ mwana, kuuma kĩambĩrĩria kĩa mũtũũrĩre wakwa ndĩ bũrũri-inĩ wakwa kĩũmbe, o na ndĩ Jerusalemu.
5 and they have always known – if they choose to give evidence – that, in accordance with the very strictest form of our religion, I lived a true Pharisee.
Nĩmanjũũĩ hĩndĩ ndaaya, na mangĩenda, no maheane ũira wakwa, atĩ kũringana na watho ndaatũũrĩte ndĩ Mũfarisai, ndĩĩrutanĩirie na kĩyo kũrũmia maũndũ mothe ma ndini iitũ.
6 Even now, it is because of my hope in the promise given by God to our ancestors that I stand here on my trial –
Na rĩrĩ, ndũgamĩte haha ũmũthĩ njiirithio nĩ ũndũ wa kwĩrĩgĩrĩra kĩĩranĩro kĩrĩa Ngai eerĩire maithe maitũ.
7 A promise which our twelve tribes, by earnest service night and day, hope to see fulfilled. It is for this hope, your Majesty, that I am accused – and by Jews themselves!
Kĩĩranĩro kĩu no kĩo mĩhĩrĩga ĩrĩa iitũ ikũmi na ĩĩrĩ ĩĩrĩgagĩrĩra kuona gĩkĩhingio, rĩrĩa ĩtungatagĩra Ngai na kĩyo ũtukũ na mũthenya. Na rĩrĩ, wee Mũthamaki, Ayahudi maathitangĩte nĩ ũndũ wa kĩĩrĩgĩrĩro kĩu.
8 Why do you all hold it incredible that God should raise the dead?
Nĩ kĩĩ kĩngĩtũma mũndũ o na ũrĩkũ wanyu atue atĩ nĩ ũndũ ũtangĩĩtĩkio, atĩ Ngai nĩariũkagia arĩa akuũ?
9 I myself, it is true, once thought it my duty to oppose in every way the name of Jesus of Nazareth;
“O na niĩ nĩndaiguithĩtio atĩ nĩndagĩrĩirwo nĩ gwĩka ũrĩa wothe ingĩahotire ndegane na rĩĩtwa rĩa Jesũ wa Nazarethi.
10 and I actually did so at Jerusalem. Acting on the authority of the chief priests, I myself threw many of the people of Christ into prison, and, when it was proposed to put them to death, I gave my vote for it.
Na ũguo nĩguo ndeekire kũu Jerusalemu. Ngĩikia andũ aingĩ a arĩa aamũre njeera, heetwo rũũtha nĩ athĩnjĩri-Ngai arĩa anene, na rĩrĩa andũ acio mooragagwo, nĩndetĩkanagia na ituĩro rĩu.
11 Time after time, in every synagogue, I tried by punishments to force them to blaspheme. So frantic was I against them, that I pursued them even to towns beyond our borders.
Mahinda maingĩ nĩndathiiaga kuuma thunagogi-inĩ ĩmwe nginya ĩrĩa ĩngĩ nĩgeetha ndĩmaneane maherithio, na ngageria kũmahatĩrĩria marume Ngai. Na tondũ wa ũrĩa ndaamarakarĩire mũno nĩndathiiaga kũmanyariira o na matũũra-inĩ marĩa manene ma kũngĩ.
12 It was while I was traveling to Damascus on an errand of this kind, entrusted with full powers by the chief priests,
“Hĩndĩ ĩmwe ndĩ rũgendo-inĩ ta rũu-rĩ, ndaathiiaga Dameski heetwo ũhoti na ngatũmwo nĩ athĩnjĩri-Ngai arĩa anene.
13 that at midday, your Majesty, I saw right in my path, coming from the heavens, a light brighter than the glare of the sun, which shone all round me and those traveling with me.
Kũrĩ thaa thita cia mũthenya, wee Mũthamaki, ndĩ njĩra-inĩ ngĩona ũtheri mũnene woimĩte igũrũ ũkengete gũkĩra riũa, ũkĩnjarĩra mĩena yothe, niĩ na andũ arĩa twarĩ nao.
14 We all fell to the ground, and then I heard a voice saying to me in Hebrew – “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? By kicking against the goad you are punishing yourself.”
Ithuothe tũkĩgũa thĩ, na niĩ ngĩigua mũgambo ũkĩnjĩĩra atĩrĩ na rwario rwa Kĩhibirania, ‘Saũlũ, Saũlũ, ũũnyariiraga nĩkĩ? Nĩ ũndũ ũrĩ hinya harĩwe kũhũũra mĩcengi na haati.’
15 “Who are you, Lord?” I asked. And the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting;
“Na niĩ hĩndĩ ĩyo ngĩũria atĩrĩ, ‘Wee nĩwe ũ, Mwathani?’ “Nake Mwathani akĩnjookeria atĩrĩ, ‘Nĩ niĩ Jesũ ũrĩa ũnyariiraga.
16 but get up and stand upright; for I have appeared to you in order to appoint you a servant and a witness of those revelations of me which you have already had, and of those in which I will yet appear to you,
Rĩu ũkĩra ũrũgame na magũrũ maku. Ndaakuumĩrĩra ngwamũre ũtuĩke ndungata na ũtuĩke mũira wa maũndũ marĩa wonete mangoniĩ na marĩa ngũkuonia.
17 since I am choosing you out from your own people and from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you,
Nĩngũkũhonokia kuuma kũrĩ andũ anyu na kuuma kũrĩ andũ-a-Ndũrĩrĩ arĩa ndĩragũtũma kũrĩ o,
18 to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God; so that they may receive pardon for their sins, and a place among those who have become God’s people, by faith in me.”
ũkamahingũre maitho, na ũmagarũre moime nduma-inĩ mathiĩ ũtheri-inĩ, na ũmarute hinya-inĩ wa Shaitani ũmatware kũrĩ Ngai, nĩgeetha maamũkĩre ũrekanĩri wa mehia, na magĩe na handũ gatagatĩ-inĩ ka andũ arĩa matheretio na ũndũ wa kũnjĩtĩkia.’
19 After that, King Agrippa, I did not fail to obey the heavenly vision;
“Nĩ ũndũ ũcio, Mũthamaki Agiripa, ndiigana kwaga gwathĩkĩra kĩoneki kĩu kĩoimĩte igũrũ.
20 on the contrary, first to those at Damascus and Jerusalem, and then through the whole of Judea, and to the Gentiles as well, I began to preach repentance and conversion to God, and a life befitting that repentance.
Ngĩambĩrĩria kũhunjĩria andũ arĩa maarĩ Dameski, ngĩcooka ngĩhunjĩria andũ a kũu Jerusalemu o na a Judea guothe, na andũ-a-Ndũrĩrĩ o nao. Ndaahunjagia atĩ nĩmagĩrĩirwo nĩ kwĩrira na magarũrũke kũrĩ Ngai, na moonanie kwĩrira kwao na ũndũ wa ciĩko ciao.
21 This is why some men seized me in the Temple, and made attempts on my life.
Kĩu nĩkĩo gĩatũmire Ayahudi maanyiitĩre hekarũ-inĩ, na magerie kũnjũraga.
22 However I have received help from God to this very day, and so stand here, and bear my testimony to high and low alike – without adding a word to what the prophets, as well as Moses, declared should happen –
No nĩngoretwo ndĩ na ũteithio wa Ngai nginya ũmũthĩ ũyũ, na nĩkĩo nũngiĩ haha nĩguo heane ũira kũrĩ andũ arĩa anini na arĩa anene o ũndũ ũmwe. Ndirĩ ũndũ njugaga makĩria ma ũrĩa anabii na Musa moigĩte atĩ nĩũgekĩka,
23 That the Christ must suffer, and that, by rising from the dead, he was destined to be the first to bring news of light, not only to our nation, but also to the Gentiles.’
atĩ Kristũ nĩakanyariirwo, na atuĩke wa mbere kũriũka kuuma kũrĩ arĩa akuũ, nĩguo ahunjie ũhoro wa ũtheri kũrĩ andũ aake kĩũmbe o na kũrĩ andũ-a-Ndũrĩrĩ.”
24 While Paul was making this defence, Festus called out loudly, ‘You are mad, Paul; your great learning is driving you mad.’
Fesito aigua ũguo, akĩmũgũthũkĩra akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Wee Paũlũ nĩkũgũrũka ũgũrũkĩte! Gĩthomo kĩu gĩaku kĩingĩ nĩgĩtũmĩte ũgũrũke.”
25 ‘I am not mad, your Excellency,’ he replied. ‘On the contrary, the statements that I am making are true and sober.
Nake Paũlũ akĩmũcookeria atĩrĩ, “Atĩrĩrĩ mũgaathe Fesito, niĩ ndigũrũkĩte. Ũndũ ũrĩa ndĩroiga nĩ wa ma na ti ũgũrũki.
26 Indeed, the king knows about these matters, so I speak before him without constraint. I am sure that there is nothing whatever of what I have been telling him that has escaped his attention; for all this has not been done in a corner.
Mũthamaki nĩoĩ maũndũ maya, na no ndĩmwarĩrie itegwĩtigĩra. Nĩ njũũĩ atĩ gũtirĩ ũndũ o na ũmwe wa maũndũ maya aagĩte kũmenya, tondũ matiekĩirwo hitho-inĩ.
27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.’
Mũthamaki Agiripa, wee nĩwĩtĩkĩtie anabii? Nĩnjũũĩ atĩ nĩũmetĩkĩtie.”
28 But Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You are soon trying to make a Christian of me!’
Hĩndĩ ĩyo Agiripa akĩũria Paũlũ atĩrĩ, “Nĩũgwĩciiria atĩ kahinda-inĩ kanini ũguo no ũnjiguithie nduĩke Mũkristiano?”
29 ‘Whether it is soon or late,’ answered Paul, ‘I pray to God that not only you, but all who are listening to me, might today become just what I am myself – except for these chains!’
Nake Paũlũ akĩmũcookeria atĩrĩ, “kahinda kanyiihe kana karaihe, ndĩrahooya Ngai atĩ to wee wiki, no o na andũ aya angĩ othe maraathikĩrĩria ũmũthĩ, ndenda matuĩke ta niĩ, tiga o mĩnyororo ĩno.”
30 Then the king rose, with the Governor and Bernice and those who had been sitting with them,
Mũthamaki ũcio agĩũkĩra marĩ hamwe na barũthi, na Berinike, na andũ arĩa maikarĩte hamwe nao.
31 and, after retiring, discussed the case among themselves. ‘There is nothing,’ they said, ‘deserving death or imprisonment in this man’s conduct’;
Makiuma nyũmba ĩyo, na rĩrĩa maaranagĩria, makiuga atĩrĩ, “Mũndũ ũyũ ndarĩ ũndũ ekĩte wa gũtũma ooragwo kana ohwo.”
32 and, speaking to Festus, Agrippa added, ‘The man might have been discharged, if he had not appealed to the Emperor.’
Agiripa akĩĩra Fesito atĩrĩ, “Mũndũ ũyũ nĩangĩarekererio korwo ndaracooketie ciira riiko kũrĩ Kaisari.”
