Acts 26
1 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You [(sg)] are permitted [now] to speak [to defend] yourself.” Paul stretched out his hand ([dramatically/to salute the king]) and began to defend himself. He said,
tata AgrippaH paulam avAdIt, nijAM kathAM kathayituM tubhyam anumati rdIyatE| tasmAt paulaH karaM prasAryya svasmin uttaram avAdIt|
2 “King Agrippa, I consider that I am fortunate that today, while you [(sg)] listen, I can defend myself from all the things about which the Jewish [leaders] [SYN] are accusing me.
hE AgripparAja yatkAraNAdahaM yihUdIyairapavAditO 'bhavaM tasya vRttAntam adya bhavataH sAkSAn nivEdayitumanumatOham idaM svIyaM paramaM bhAgyaM manyE;
3 I am really fortunate, because you [(sg)] know all about the customs of us Jews and the questions that we [(exc)] argue about. So I ask you, please listen patiently to what I say.”
yatO yihUdIyalOkAnAM madhyE yA yA rItiH sUkSmavicArAzca santi tESu bhavAn vijnjatamaH; ataEva prArthayE dhairyyamavalambya mama nivEdanaM zRNOtu|
4 “Many [HYP] of my fellow Jews know about how I have conducted my life, from the time I was a child. They know how I lived in the area where I [was born] and [also later] in Jerusalem.
ahaM yirUzAlamnagarE svadEzIyalOkAnAM madhyE tiSThan A yauvanakAlAd yadrUpam AcaritavAn tad yihUdIyalOkAH sarvvE vidanti|
5 They have known for many years, and they could tell you, if they wanted to, that [since I was very young] I obeyed the customs of our religion very carefully, just like the [other] Pharisees do.
asmAkaM sarvvEbhyaH zuddhatamaM yat phirUzIyamataM tadavalambI bhUtvAhaM kAlaM yApitavAn yE janA A bAlyakAlAn mAM jAnAnti tE EtAdRzaM sAkSyaM yadi dadAti tarhi dAtuM zaknuvanti|
6 Today I am being put on trial {[they] are putting me on trial} because I am confidently expecting that God will do what he promised our [(exc)] ancestors.
kintu hE AgripparAja IzvarO'smAkaM pUrvvapuruSANAM nikaTE yad aggIkRtavAn tasya pratyAzAhEtOraham idAnIM vicArasthAnE daNPAyamAnOsmi|
7 Our twelve tribes are [also] confidently waiting for God to do [for us what he promised], as they respectfully worship him, day and night. [Respected] king, I confidently expect [that God will do what he promised, and they also believe that! But that is the reason] that these Jewish leaders [SYN] are accusing me!
tasyAggIkArasya phalaM prAptum asmAkaM dvAdazavaMzA divAnizaM mahAyatnAd IzvarasEvanaM kRtvA yAM pratyAzAM kurvvanti tasyAH pratyAzAyA hEtOrahaM yihUdIyairapavAditO'bhavam|
8 They believe that God can cause those who have died to become alive again, so (why [do any of you refuse to believe that he raised Jesus from the dead?/none of you should refuse to believe that he raised Jesus from the dead!]) [RHQ]”
IzvarO mRtAn utthApayiSyatIti vAkyaM yuSmAkaM nikaTE'sambhavaM kutO bhavEt?
9 “[Formerly] I, too, was sure that I should do everything that I could to oppose Jesus [MTY], the man from Nazareth [town].
nAsaratIyayIzO rnAmnO viruddhaM nAnAprakArapratikUlAcaraNam ucitam ityahaM manasi yathArthaM vijnjAya
10 So that is what I did [when I lived] in Jerusalem. I put many of the believers in jail, as the chief priests there had authorized me [to do]. When [the Jewish leaders wanted] those Christians killed {someone to kill those [Christians]}, I voted [for that].
yirUzAlamanagarE tadakaravaM phalataH pradhAnayAjakasya nikaTAt kSamatAM prApya bahUn pavitralOkAn kArAyAM baddhavAn vizESatastESAM hananasamayE tESAM viruddhAM nijAM sammatiM prakAzitavAn|
11 Many times I punished the believers [whom I found] in Jewish meeting places. [By punishing them], I tried to force them to speak evil [about Jesus]. I was so angry with the followers of Jesus that I even traveled to other cities to [find them and] do things to harm them.”
vAraM vAraM bhajanabhavanESu tEbhyO daNPaM pradattavAn balAt taM dharmmaM nindayitavAMzca punazca tAn prati mahAkrOdhAd unmattaH san vidEzIyanagarANi yAvat tAn tAPitavAn|
12 “[One day], I was on my way to Damascus [city] to do that. The chief priests [in Jerusalem] had authorized and sent me [to seize the believers there].
itthaM pradhAnayAjakasya samIpAt zaktim AjnjApatranjca labdhvA dammESaknagaraM gatavAn|
13 [My respected] king, [while I was going] along the road, at about noon I saw a [bright] light in the sky. It was even brighter than the sun! It shone all around me, and also around the men who were traveling with me.
tadAhaM hE rAjan mArgamadhyE madhyAhnakAlE mama madIyasagginAM lOkAnAnjca catasRSu dikSu gagaNAt prakAzamAnAM bhAskaratOpi tEjasvatIM dIptiM dRSTavAn|
14 We [(exc)] all fell to the ground. Then I heard the voice of someone speaking to me in my own Hebrew language [MTY]. He said ‘Saul, Saul, (stop causing me to suffer!/why are you causing me to suffer?) [RHQ] You [(sg)] are [hurting yourself by trying to hurt me] [MET], [like an ox] kicking against [its owner’s] goad.’
tasmAd asmAsu sarvvESu bhUmau patitESu satsu hE zaula hai zaula kutO mAM tAPayasi? kaNTakAnAM mukhE pAdAhananaM tava duHsAdhyam ibrIyabhASayA gadita EtAdRza EkaH zabdO mayA zrutaH|
15 Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘I am Jesus. You [(sg)] are harming me [by harming my followers].
tadAhaM pRSTavAn hE prabhO kO bhavAn? tataH sa kathitavAn yaM yIzuM tvaM tAPayasi sOhaM,
16 But instead [of continuing to do that], stand up now! I have appeared to you [(sg)] to tell you that I have chosen you to serve me. You must tell people about [what I am showing you] as you are seeing me [now], and about what I [will show you when] I will [later] appear to you.
kintu samuttiSTha tvaM yad dRSTavAn itaH punanjca yadyat tvAM darzayiSyAmi tESAM sarvvESAM kAryyANAM tvAM sAkSiNaM mama sEvakanjca karttum darzanam adAm|
17 I will protect you [from those who will try to harm you, both] your own people and [also] those who are not Jewish. I am sending you to non-Jews
vizESatO yihUdIyalOkEbhyO bhinnajAtIyEbhyazca tvAM manOnItaM kRtvA tESAM yathA pApamOcanaM bhavati
18 to help them to realize [MTY] what is true and to stop believing what is false [MET]. I am sending you to them so that they may let God control them and not let Satan control them any more. [Then God] will forgive their sins and will accept them as his people because they believe in me.’ [That is what Jesus said to me].”
yathA tE mayi vizvasya pavitrIkRtAnAM madhyE bhAgaM prApnuvanti tadabhiprAyENa tESAM jnjAnacakSUMSi prasannAni karttuM tathAndhakArAd dIptiM prati zaitAnAdhikArAcca IzvaraM prati matIH parAvarttayituM tESAM samIpaM tvAM prESyAmi|
19 “So, King Agrippa, I fully obeyed [LIT] what [the Lord Jesus told me to do when he spoke to me] from heaven.
hE AgripparAja EtAdRzaM svargIyapratyAdEzaM agrAhyam akRtvAhaM
20 First, I preached to [the Jews] in Damascus. Then I [preached to the Jews] in Jerusalem and throughout [the rest of] Judea [province]. After that, I also preached to non-Jews. I preached that they must turn away from their sinful behavior and turn their lives over to God. I told them that they must do things that would show that they had truly stopped their sinful behavior.”
prathamatO dammESaknagarE tatO yirUzAlami sarvvasmin yihUdIyadEzE anyESu dEzESu ca yEna lOkA matiM parAvarttya IzvaraM prati parAvarttayantE, manaHparAvarttanayOgyAni karmmANi ca kurvvanti tAdRzam upadEzaM pracAritavAn|
21 “It is because I [preached] this message [that some] [SYN] Jews seized me [when I was] in the Temple [courtyard and] tried to kill me.
EtatkAraNAd yihUdIyA madhyEmandiraM mAM dhRtvA hantum udyatAH|
22 However, God has been helping me [from that time, and he is still helping me] today. So I stand here and I tell [all of you people], those who are important and those who are not, [who Jesus is]. Everything that I say [about him] is what Moses and the [other] prophets wrote [about long ago, things that they said] would happen.
tathApi khrISTO duHkhaM bhuktvA sarvvESAM pUrvvaM zmazAnAd utthAya nijadEzIyAnAM bhinnadEzIyAnAnjca samIpE dIptiM prakAzayiSyati
23 They wrote that [people would cause] the Messiah to suffer and die. They also wrote that he would be the first person to become alive again, to proclaim [the message that would be like] light, [that he would save] both [his own Jewish] people and non-Jewish people.”
bhaviSyadvAdigaNO mUsAzca bhAvikAryyasya yadidaM pramANam adadurEtad vinAnyAM kathAM na kathayitvA IzvarAd anugrahaM labdhvA mahatAM kSudrANAnjca sarvvESAM samIpE pramANaM dattvAdya yAvat tiSThAmi|
24 Before Paul could say anything [further] to defend himself, Festus shouted: “Paul, you are crazy! You have studied too much, and it has made you insane!”
tasyamAM kathAM nizamya phISTa uccaiH svarENa kathitavAn hE paula tvam unmattOsi bahuvidyAbhyAsEna tvaM hatajnjAnO jAtaH|
25 But Paul answered, “Your Excellency, Festus, I am not raving [insanely]. On the contrary, what I am saying is true and sensible!
sa uktavAn hE mahAmahima phISTa nAham unmattaH kintu satyaM vivEcanIyanjca vAkyaM prastaumi|
26 King Agrippa knows the things [that I have been talking about], and I can speak confidently to him [about them]. I am sure that he knows [LIT] these things, because people everywhere [IDM] have heard [LIT] about what happened [to Jesus].”
yasya sAkSAd akSObhaH san kathAM kathayAmi sa rAjA tadvRttAntaM jAnAti tasya samIpE kimapi guptaM nEti mayA nizcitaM budhyatE yatastad vijanE na kRtaM|
27 Then Paul asked, “King Agrippa, do you believe [what] the prophets [wrote]? I know that you [(sg)] believe it.”
hE AgripparAja bhavAn kiM bhaviSyadvAdigaNOktAni vAkyAni pratyEti? bhavAn pratyEti tadahaM jAnAmi|
28 Then Agrippa [answered] Paul, “([I hope that you(sg)] do not think that by the few things [that you have just now said] you can persuade me to become a Christian!/You do not think, [do you], that by the few things [that you have just now said] you can persuade me to become a Christian?)” [RHQ]
tata AgrippaH paulam abhihitavAn tvaM pravRttiM janayitvA prAyENa mAmapi khrISTIyaM karOSi|
29 Paul replied, “Whether it takes a short time or a long time, it does not matter. I pray to God that you and also all of the others who are listening to me today will also [believe in Jesus] like I do, but I do not want you to become prisoners [MTY] [like I am].”
tataH sO'vAdIt bhavAn yE yE lOkAzca mama kathAm adya zRNvanti prAyENa iti nahi kintvEtat zRgkhalabandhanaM vinA sarvvathA tE sarvvE mAdRzA bhavantvitIzvasya samIpE prArthayE'ham|
30 Then the king, the governor, Bernice, and all the others got up
EtasyAM kathAyAM kathitAyAM sa rAjA sO'dhipati rbarNIkI sabhAsthA lOkAzca tasmAd utthAya
31 and left [the room. While] they were talking to one another they said to each other, “There is no reason why (the authorities/we) should execute this man, or that he should even be kept in prison [MTY].”
gOpanE parasparaM vivicya kathitavanta ESa janO bandhanArhaM prANahananArhaM vA kimapi karmma nAkarOt|
32 Agrippa said to Festus, “If this man had not asked that the Emperor judge him, he could have been released {[we(inc)] could have released him}.”
tata AgrippaH phISTam avadat, yadyESa mAnuSaH kaisarasya nikaTE vicAritO bhavituM na prArthayiSyat tarhi muktO bhavitum azakSyat|
