Actuum Apostolorum 26
1 Agrippa vero ad Paulum ait permittitur tibi loqui pro temet ipso tunc Paulus extenta manu coepit rationem reddere
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,
2 de omnibus quibus accusor a Iudaeis rex Agrippa aestimo me beatum apud te cum sim defensurus me hodie
“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.
3 maxime te sciente omnia quae apud Iudaeos sunt consuetudines et quaestiones propter quod obsecro patienter me audias
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.”
4 et quidem vitam meam a iuventute quae ab initio fuit in gente mea in Hierosolymis noverunt omnes Iudaei
“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.
5 praescientes me ab initio si velint testimonium perhibere quoniam secundum certissimam sectam nostrae religionis vixi Pharisaeus
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.
6 et nunc in spe quae ad patres nostros repromissionis facta est a Deo sto iudicio subiectus
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.
7 in quam duodecim tribus nostrae nocte ac die deservientes sperant devenire de qua spe accusor a Iudaeis rex
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!
8 quid incredibile iudicatur apud vos si Deus mortuos suscitat
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]”
9 et ego quidem existimaveram me adversus nomen Iesu Nazareni debere multa contraria agere
“[Formerly] I, too, was sure that I should do everything that I could to oppose Jesus [MTY], the man from Nazareth [town].
10 quod et feci Hierosolymis et multos sanctorum ego in carceribus inclusi a principibus sacerdotum potestate accepta et cum occiderentur detuli sententiam
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].
11 et per omnes synagogas frequenter puniens eos conpellebam blasphemare et amplius insaniens in eos persequebar usque in exteras civitates
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.”
12 in quibus dum irem Damascum cum potestate et permissu principum sacerdotum
“[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].
13 die media in via vidi rex de caelo supra splendorem solis circumfulsisse me lumen et eos qui mecum simul erant
[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.
14 omnesque nos cum decidissemus in terram audivi vocem loquentem mihi hebraica lingua Saule Saule quid me persequeris durum est tibi contra stimulum calcitrare
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.’
15 ego autem dixi quis es Domine Dominus autem dixit ego sum Iesus quem tu persequeris
Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘I am Jesus. You [(sg)] are harming me [by harming my followers].
16 sed exsurge et sta super pedes tuos ad hoc enim apparui tibi ut constituam te ministrum et testem eorum quae vidisti et eorum quibus apparebo tibi
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.
17 eripiens te de populo et gentibus in quas nunc ego mitto te
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
18 aperire oculos eorum ut convertantur a tenebris ad lucem et de potestate Satanae ad Deum ut accipiant remissionem peccatorum et sortem inter sanctos per fidem quae est in me
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].”
19 unde rex Agrippa non fui incredulus caelestis visionis
“So, King Agrippa, I fully obeyed [LIT] what [the Lord Jesus told me to do when he spoke to me] from heaven.
20 sed his qui sunt Damasci primum et Hierosolymis et in omnem regionem Iudaeae et gentibus adnuntiabam ut paenitentiam agerent et converterentur ad Deum digna paenitentiae opera facientes
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.”
21 hac ex causa me Iudaei cum essem in templo conprehensum temptabant interficere
“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.
22 auxilio autem adiutus Dei usque in hodiernum diem sto testificans minori atque maiori nihil extra dicens quam ea quae prophetae sunt locuti futura esse et Moses
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.
23 si passibilis Christus si primus ex resurrectione mortuorum lumen adnuntiaturus est populo et gentibus
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.”
24 haec loquente eo et rationem reddente Festus magna voce dixit insanis Paule multae te litterae ad insaniam convertunt
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!”
25 at Paulus non insanio inquit optime Feste sed veritatis et sobrietatis verba eloquor
But Paul answered, “Your Excellency, Festus, I am not raving [insanely]. On the contrary, what I am saying is true and sensible!
26 scit enim de his rex ad quem et constanter loquor latere enim eum nihil horum arbitror neque enim in angulo quicquam horum gestum est
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].”
27 credis rex Agrippa prophetis scio quia credis
Then Paul asked, “King Agrippa, do you believe [what] the prophets [wrote]? I know that you [(sg)] believe it.”
28 Agrippa autem ad Paulum in modico suades me Christianum fieri
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]
29 et Paulus opto apud Deum et in modico et in magno non tantum te sed et omnes hos qui audiunt hodie fieri tales qualis et ego sum exceptis vinculis his
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].”
30 et exsurrexit rex et praeses et Bernice et qui adsidebant eis
Then the king, the governor, Bernice, and all the others got up
31 et cum secessissent loquebantur ad invicem dicentes quia nihil morte aut vinculorum dignum quid facit homo iste
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].”
32 Agrippa autem Festo dixit dimitti poterat homo hic si non appellasset Caesarem
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}.”
