Dɔwɔwɔwo 24
1 Le ŋkeke etɔ̃a gbe la, nunɔlagã Anania kple eŋumewo yi Kaesarea be yewoatsɔ nya ɖe Paulo ŋu. Ame siwo nɔ Anania ŋu la woe nye, Yudatɔwo ƒe kplɔla aɖewo kple senyala Tertulo.
Five days later, Ananias the high priest came down to Caesarea with some of the elders, and with an orator, named Tertullus. They laid information before the governor against Paul.
2 Esi mɔmefia la bia gbe wo la, Tertulo ƒo nu ɖe wo nu gblɔ be, “Amegã bubutɔ Felix, le wò kpɔkplɔ nyui la te la, mí Yudatɔwo míekpɔ tomefafa kple bubu, eye amewo megakpɔa mí abe nu tsɛ aɖewo ko ene o.
So Paul was sent for, and then Tertullus began to accuse him, saying. "As it is owing to your excellency that we enjoy profound peace, and that the state of this nation,
3 Ke le afi sia afi míele akpe manyagblɔ aɖe dam na wò tso míaƒe dzi me ke ɖe esia ta.
"owing to your wise care, has been improved in every respect and in every place, we accept it with profound thankfulness.
4 Nyemedi be magblẽ ɣeyiɣi na wò boo o, eya ta meɖe kuku na wò mayi nye nya dzi agblɔe kpuie ko le wò dɔmefafa la nu.
"But not to weary you too much, I beg of your Excellency to listen to a few words from us.
5 “Ame si wokplɔ va gbɔwòe la, ame vɔ̃ɖi aɖe ŋutɔ wònye. Eƒe dɔ koe nye be wòanɔ ʋunyaʋunya dem Yudatɔwo dome le xexea me katã godoo be woatsi tsitre ɖe Roma dziɖuɖu la ŋu, anɔ woƒe sewo kple kɔnuwo dzi dam. Eya kee nye habɔbɔ si woyɔna be, Nazaretitɔwo la ƒe amegã.
"For we have found this fellow a pest, an inciter of insurrection among all the Jews of the empire, and a ringleader in the heresy of the Nazarenes.
6 Nu si gavlo wu lae nye be edi be yeado vlo míaƒe gbedoxɔ la hafi míeva do ɖe edzi helée. [Ɖe míebe míadrɔ̃ ʋɔnue le míaƒe se la nu hafi.
"He even tried to profane the Temple, but we arrested him.
7 Ke asrafowo ƒe amegã Lisia va xɔe le mía si sesẽtɔe
"Then the chief captain, Lysias came and violently took him from us.
8 eye wòna be enutsolawo nava gbɔwò.] Ne wò ŋutɔ èse eƒe numegbe ko la, ekema míaƒe nya me akɔ na wò.”
From him you will be able, by examining Paul yourself, to learn the truth of all these charges we are bringing against him."
9 Yudatɔ mamlɛawo xɔ ɖe Tertulo ƒe nyawo dzi be wole eme tututu abe ale si wògblɔe ene.
The Jews also joined in the charge, maintaining that these were the facts.
10 Azɔ eɖo Paulo hã dzi be wòaɖe eɖokui nu. Mɔmefiagã la wɔ asi nɛ be wòatso aƒo nu. Paulo ɖe eɖokui nu gblɔ be, “Amegã bubutɔ, menya be menye egbee nèle Yudatɔwo ƒe nyawo drɔ̃m o. Le esia ta la, dzideƒo le asinye be maɖe ɖokuinye nu le gbɔwò.
Then at a nod from the governor, Paul spoke. "Because I know that for many years you have been a judge in this nation, I feel encouraged to make my defense.
11 Anɔ abe ŋkeke wuieve koe nye esi ene, meva ɖo Yerusalem be mawɔ subɔsubɔdɔ le gbedoxɔ me.
"For you have it in your power to know that it is not more than twelve days ago that I went up to Jerusalem to worship;
12 Ame siwo le nunye tsom la mekpɔm menɔ nya hem kple ame aɖeke le gbedoxɔ la me alo de zitɔtɔ ameha aɖewo dome le ƒuƒoƒe aɖeke alo le dua ƒe akpa aɖeke o.
"and that neither in the Temple, nor in the synagogues, nor in the city, did they find me disputing with any man or stirring up a crowd.
13 Le nya si wotsɔ ɖe nunye fifia la hã me la, womate ŋu aɖee afia be enye nyateƒe o.
"Nor can they prove the charges which they are now bringing against me.
14 Ke hã la, melɔ̃ ɖe edzi be mesubɔa mía fofowo ƒe Mawu la abe ame si le Mɔ la dzi ene, esi amewo yɔna be kɔmama. Mexɔ nu sia nu si sɔ kple se la kple nu siwo woŋlɔ ɖe nyagblɔɖigbalẽawo me la dzi se.
"But this I confess to you, that I worship the God of our ancestors, according to the Way which they call a heresy, believing everything that is according to the Law, or is written in the Prophets,
15 Mexɔe se hã abe ame siawo ke ene be Mawu ana nu vɔ̃ wɔlawo kple ame dzɔdzɔewo siaa afɔ tso ku me,
"and having hope toward God, which these also themselves look for, that there is to be a resurrection both of the just and the unjust.
16 eye le esia ta la, medzea agbagba wɔa nye dzitsinya ŋuti dɔ nyuie be nye agbenɔnɔ nadze Mawu kple amegbetɔwo ŋu.”
"Hence I too endeavor to have a conscience void of offense toward God and men alway.
17 Paulo yi eƒe nuƒoa dzi be, “Menɔ gbedzi ƒe geɖe, eye metrɔ va Yerusalem, hetsɔ ga ɖe asi be mava kpe ɖe Yudatɔwo ŋu, eye masa vɔ na Mawu hã.
"Now after many years I came to bring alms to my nation, and to offer sacrifices.
18 Nye futɔ siawo va ke ɖe ŋunye le gbedoxɔ la me, mele ŋutinye kɔm. Ameha aɖeke alo ʋunyaʋunya aɖeke menɔ afi ma kura o.
"While I was thus engaged, they found me in the temple, purified, with no crowd and no uproar. But there were certain Asiatic Jews
19 Ke dzɔgbevɔ̃etɔe la, Yudatɔ aɖewo, ame siwo tso Asia nuto me, ame siwo wòle be woanɔ afi sia hafi hã nɔ afi ma ɣe ma ɣi.
"who ought to have been here before you, and to have made accusations if they had anything against me.
20 Bia ame siawo le afi sia fifia ŋutɔ be esi wokplɔm yi Yudatɔwo ƒe takpekpe gã la me ɖe, vodada ka wokpɔ le ŋunye mahã. Nu si megblɔ si ɖewohĩ
"Or let these men themselves say what fault they found, when I appeared before the Sanhedrin!
21 medze be magblɔ hafi o koe nye be, ‘Nu si ta wokplɔm va mia dome le takpekpe gã sia me ɖo lae nye be mexɔe se be ame siwo katã ku la agafɔ ɖe tsitre tso ku me!’”
"Unless it was for this one sentence which I uttered when I stood and cried, ‘It is for the resurrection of the dead that I am on my trial today before you.’"
22 Felix nya nyuie be kristotɔwo mewɔa ʋunyaʋunya o. Le esia ta la, egblɔ na Yudatɔwo be woalala va se ɖe esime asrafowo ƒe amegã, Lisia nava hafi yeatso nya la me.
At this point Felix, who had a pretty accurate knowledge of the Way, adjourned the case, saying to the Jews, "When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will go carefully into the matter."
23 Ede se be woakplɔ Paulo ayi gaxɔa me, gake woakpɔ edzi nyuie. Woaɖe mɔ faa be exɔlɔ̃wo nava kpɔe ɖa, eye woate ŋu atsɔ nunanawo vɛ nɛ faa, be eƒe dzi nadze eme.
And he gave orders to the centurion that Paul should be kept in custody, but treated with indulgence, and that his personal friends were not to be forbidden to minister to him.
24 Le ŋkeke ʋɛ aɖewo megbe la, Felix kple srɔ̃a Drusila, ame si nye Yudatɔ la va, eye woɖo ame ɖe Paulo be wòava. Esi Paulo va la, eƒo nu na wo le Yesu Kristo dzixɔse ƒe nyawo ŋu. Nyawo de to me na Felix srɔ̃ nyuie.
Some days later Felix came, with his wife Drusilla, a Jewess; he sent for Paul, and listened to him concerning the faith in Christ Jesus.
25 Ke esi wòɖe nya me na wo le dzɔdzɔenyenye, ɖokuidziɖuɖu kple ʋɔnudɔdrɔ̃ si li gbɔna ŋu la, vɔvɔ̃ ɖo Felix, eye wògblɔ na Paulo be neyi gbɔ, ne yegakpɔ ɣeyiɣi nyui aɖe la, yeagaɖo ame ɖee.
And as he reasoned about morality, self-control, and the future judgment, Felix was terrified, and said, "For the present go on your way, and when I find a convenient season, I will send for you."
26 Felix nɔ mɔ kpɔm be Paulo ana zãnu ye, eya ta eyɔe zi geɖe henɔ nya me dzrom kplii.
He was hoping that Paul would give him money, and for this reason he used to send for him often to converse with him.
27 Wonɔ esia dzi alea ʋuu ƒe eve sɔŋ. Ke mlɔeba la, woɖe Felix le afi ma hetsɔ Porkio Festus ɖo eteƒe. Le esi Felix di be Yudatɔwo nakpɔ ŋudzedze le ye ŋu ta la, egblẽ Paulo ɖe gaxɔ me hafi dzo.
But after two full years Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and because he wished to curry favor with the Jews, Felix left Paul still in prison.
