prEritAH 26
1 tata AgrippaH paulam avAdIt, nijAM kathAM kathayituM tubhyam anumati rdIyatE| tasmAt paulaH karaM prasAryya svasmin uttaram avAdIt|
Turning to Paul, Agrippa said: “You are at liberty to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defence.
2 hE AgripparAja yatkAraNAdahaM yihUdIyairapavAditO 'bhavaM tasya vRttAntam adya bhavataH sAkSAn nivEdayitumanumatOham idaM svIyaM paramaM bhAgyaM manyE;
“I have been congratulating myself, King Agrippa,” he said, “that it is before you that I have to make my defence to-day, with regard to all the charges brought against me by Jews,
3 yatO yihUdIyalOkAnAM madhyE yA yA rItiH sUkSmavicArAzca santi tESu bhavAn vijnjatamaH; ataEva prArthayE dhairyyamavalambya mama nivEdanaM zRNOtu|
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.
4 ahaM yirUzAlamnagarE svadEzIyalOkAnAM madhyE tiSThan A yauvanakAlAd yadrUpam AcaritavAn tad yihUdIyalOkAH sarvvE vidanti|
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;
5 asmAkaM sarvvEbhyaH zuddhatamaM yat phirUzIyamataM tadavalambI bhUtvAhaM kAlaM yApitavAn yE janA A bAlyakAlAn mAM jAnAnti tE EtAdRzaM sAkSyaM yadi dadAti tarhi dAtuM zaknuvanti|
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.
6 kintu hE AgripparAja IzvarO'smAkaM pUrvvapuruSANAM nikaTE yad aggIkRtavAn tasya pratyAzAhEtOraham idAnIM vicArasthAnE daNPAyamAnOsmi|
Even now, it is because of my hope in the promise given by God to our ancestors that I stand here on my trial —
7 tasyAggIkArasya phalaM prAptum asmAkaM dvAdazavaMzA divAnizaM mahAyatnAd IzvarasEvanaM kRtvA yAM pratyAzAM kurvvanti tasyAH pratyAzAyA hEtOrahaM yihUdIyairapavAditO'bhavam|
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!
8 IzvarO mRtAn utthApayiSyatIti vAkyaM yuSmAkaM nikaTE'sambhavaM kutO bhavEt?
Why do you all hold it incredible that God should raise the dead?
9 nAsaratIyayIzO rnAmnO viruddhaM nAnAprakArapratikUlAcaraNam ucitam ityahaM manasi yathArthaM vijnjAya
I myself, it is true, once thought it my duty to oppose in every way the Name of Jesus of Nazareth;
10 yirUzAlamanagarE tadakaravaM phalataH pradhAnayAjakasya nikaTAt kSamatAM prApya bahUn pavitralOkAn kArAyAM baddhavAn vizESatastESAM hananasamayE tESAM viruddhAM nijAM sammatiM prakAzitavAn|
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.
11 vAraM vAraM bhajanabhavanESu tEbhyO daNPaM pradattavAn balAt taM dharmmaM nindayitavAMzca punazca tAn prati mahAkrOdhAd unmattaH san vidEzIyanagarANi yAvat tAn tAPitavAn|
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.
12 itthaM pradhAnayAjakasya samIpAt zaktim AjnjApatranjca labdhvA dammESaknagaraM gatavAn|
It was while I was traveling to Damascus on an errand of this kind, entrusted with full powers by the Chief Priests,
13 tadAhaM hE rAjan mArgamadhyE madhyAhnakAlE mama madIyasagginAM lOkAnAnjca catasRSu dikSu gagaNAt prakAzamAnAM bhAskaratOpi tEjasvatIM dIptiM dRSTavAn|
that at mid-day, 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.
14 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|
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.’
15 tadAhaM pRSTavAn hE prabhO kO bhavAn? tataH sa kathitavAn yaM yIzuM tvaM tAPayasi sOhaM,
‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. And the Lord said: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting;
16 kintu samuttiSTha tvaM yad dRSTavAn itaH punanjca yadyat tvAM darzayiSyAmi tESAM sarvvESAM kAryyANAM tvAM sAkSiNaM mama sEvakanjca karttum darzanam adAm|
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 shall yet appear to you,
17 vizESatO yihUdIyalOkEbhyO bhinnajAtIyEbhyazca tvAM manOnItaM kRtvA tESAM yathA pApamOcanaM bhavati
since I am choosing you out from your own people and from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you,
18 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|
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.’
19 hE AgripparAja EtAdRzaM svargIyapratyAdEzaM agrAhyam akRtvAhaM
After that, King Agrippa, I did not fail to obey the heavenly vision;
20 prathamatO dammESaknagarE tatO yirUzAlami sarvvasmin yihUdIyadEzE anyESu dEzESu ca yEna lOkA matiM parAvarttya IzvaraM prati parAvarttayantE, manaHparAvarttanayOgyAni karmmANi ca kurvvanti tAdRzam upadEzaM pracAritavAn|
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.
21 EtatkAraNAd yihUdIyA madhyEmandiraM mAM dhRtvA hantum udyatAH|
This is why the Jews seized me in the Temple, and made attempts upon my life.
22 tathApi khrISTO duHkhaM bhuktvA sarvvESAM pUrvvaM zmazAnAd utthAya nijadEzIyAnAM bhinnadEzIyAnAnjca samIpE dIptiM prakAzayiSyati
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 —
23 bhaviSyadvAdigaNO mUsAzca bhAvikAryyasya yadidaM pramANam adadurEtad vinAnyAM kathAM na kathayitvA IzvarAd anugrahaM labdhvA mahatAM kSudrANAnjca sarvvESAM samIpE pramANaM dattvAdya yAvat tiSThAmi|
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.”
24 tasyamAM kathAM nizamya phISTa uccaiH svarENa kathitavAn hE paula tvam unmattOsi bahuvidyAbhyAsEna tvaM hatajnjAnO jAtaH|
While Paul was making this defence, Festus called out loudly: “You are mad, Paul; your great learning is driving you mad.”
25 sa uktavAn hE mahAmahima phISTa nAham unmattaH kintu satyaM vivEcanIyanjca vAkyaM prastaumi|
“I am not mad, your Excellency,” he replied; “on the contrary, the statements that I am making are true and sober.
26 yasya sAkSAd akSObhaH san kathAM kathayAmi sa rAjA tadvRttAntaM jAnAti tasya samIpE kimapi guptaM nEti mayA nizcitaM budhyatE yatastad vijanE na kRtaM|
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.
27 hE AgripparAja bhavAn kiM bhaviSyadvAdigaNOktAni vAkyAni pratyEti? bhavAn pratyEti tadahaM jAnAmi|
King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know you do.”
28 tata AgrippaH paulam abhihitavAn tvaM pravRttiM janayitvA prAyENa mAmapi khrISTIyaM karOSi|
But Agrippa said to Paul: “You are soon trying to make a Christian of me!”
29 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|
“Whether it is soon or late,” answered Paul, “I would to God that not only you, but all who are listening to me, might to-day become just what I am myself — except for these chains!”
30 EtasyAM kathAyAM kathitAyAM sa rAjA sO'dhipati rbarNIkI sabhAsthA lOkAzca tasmAd utthAya
Then the King rose, with the Governor and Bernice and those who had been sitting with them,
31 gOpanE parasparaM vivicya kathitavanta ESa janO bandhanArhaM prANahananArhaM vA kimapi karmma nAkarOt|
and, after retiring, discussed the case among themselves. “There is nothing,” they said, “deserving death or imprisonment in this man’s conduct”;
32 tata AgrippaH phISTam avadat, yadyESa mAnuSaH kaisarasya nikaTE vicAritO bhavituM na prArthayiSyat tarhi muktO bhavitum azakSyat|
and, speaking to Festus, Agrippa added: “The man might have been discharged, if he had not appealed to the Emperor.”
