Asomafoɔ 26
1 Ɔhene Agripa ka kyerɛɛ Paulo sɛ, “Afei, mema wo ho ɛkwan sɛ woyi wo ho ano.” Paulo maa ne nsa so kasaa sɛ,
Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense:
2 “Ɔhene Agripa! Ɛyɛ me anigye sɛ ɛnnɛ manya mu kwan gyina wʼanim ha reyi me ho ano wɔ asɛm a Yudafoɔ aka atia me no ho.
“King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today to defend myself against all the accusations of the Jews,
3 Deɛ ɛma meka saa ne sɛ, wonim Yudafoɔ mmara ne wɔn amanneɛ nyinaa fekɔɔ. Enti, mesrɛ wo, to wo bo ase tie me.
especially since you are acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. I beg you, therefore, to listen to me patiently.
4 “Yudafoɔ no nim mʼasetena mu nsɛm nyinaa firi me mmɔfraase. Wɔnim mʼasetena mu nsɛm wɔ me kurom ne Yerusalem nso.
Surely all the Jews know how I have lived from the earliest days of my youth, among my own people and in Jerusalem.
5 Sɛ wɔbɛka nokorɛ a, wɔnim sɛ meyɛ Farisini a medi Yudafoɔ mmara ne wɔn som so pɛpɛɛpɛ.
They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that I lived as a Pharisee, adhering to the strictest sect of our religion.
6 Na afei ɛyɛ bɔ a Onyankopɔn hyɛɛ yɛn nananom no enti na megyina ha ɛnnɛ na wɔrebu me atɛn yi.
And now I stand on trial because of my hope in the promise that God made to our fathers,
7 Saa bɔhyɛ yi na yɛn mmusuakuo dumienu hwɛ ɛkwan sɛ ɛbɛba mu no enti na wɔsom Onyankopɔn awia ne anadwo no. Ɔhene, saa anidasoɔ yi enti na Yudafoɔ asɔre atia me yi.
the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to realize as they earnestly serve God day and night. It is because of this hope, O king, that I am accused by the Jews.
8 Adɛn enti na mo Yudafoɔ nnye nni sɛ Onyankopɔn nyane awufoɔ?
Why would any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?
9 “Mmerɛ bi a atwam no, na mʼadwene nyinaa ne sɛ mɛyɛ biribiara a mɛtumi de atia Yesu a ɔfiri Nasaret no din.
So then, I too was convinced that I ought to do all I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
10 Saa ara na meyɛɛ wɔ Yerusalem. Megyee tumi nwoma firii asɔfoɔ mpanin nkyɛn gyinaa so kyekyeree Onyankopɔn akyidifoɔ guu afiase; na sɛ wɔbu wɔn kumfɔ a, medi mu akotene.
And that is what I did in Jerusalem. With authority from the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were condemned to death, I cast my vote against them.
11 Memaa wɔtwee wɔn aso mmerɛ pii wɔ hyiadan mu sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a, wɔbɛpa wɔn gyidie. Mʼani beree wɔn so yie maa metaa wɔn kɔduruu aman afoforɔ so.”
I frequently had them punished in the synagogues, and I tried to make them blaspheme. In my raging fury against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.
12 “Saa ɔtaa yi enti na mekɔgyee tumi nwoma firii asɔfoɔ mpanin nkyɛn sɛ mede rekɔ Damasko no.
In this pursuit I was on my way to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.
13 Daasebrɛ, da bi owigyinaeɛ a merekɔ Damasko no, hann bi a ɛkyɛn owia hyerɛn firii ɔsoro bɛtwaa me ne wɔn a yɛnam no ho hyiaeɛ.
About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my companions.
14 Yɛn nyinaa twitwa hwehwee fam na metee nne bi wɔ Arameike kasa mu sɛ, ‘Saulo! Saulo! Adɛn enti na wotaa me? Deɛ woyɛ yi nyinaa wode reha wo ho sɛdeɛ nantwie tu ne nan wɔ ɔkafoɔ poma ano.’
We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice say to me in Hebrew, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
15 “Mebisaa sɛ, ‘Ɛyɛ wo hwan, Awurade?’ “Awurade buaa sɛ, ‘Ɛyɛ me Yesu a wotaa me no.
‘Who are You, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied.
16 Sɔre gyina hɔ. Ɛnnɛ mayi me ho adi akyerɛ wo; mɛma woayɛ me ɔsomfoɔ na woadi adanseɛ wɔ deɛ woahunu afa me ho yi ne deɛ mɛkyerɛ wo nyinaa ho.
‘But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen from Me and what I will show you.
17 Mɛgye wo mafiri Israelfoɔ ne amanamanmufoɔ a wɔresoma wo akɔ wɔn nkyɛn no nsam.
I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them
18 Wobɛbue wɔn ani na woatwe wɔn afiri sum mu aba hann mu, na woayi wɔn afiri ɔbonsam tumi ase aba Onyankopɔn nkyɛn. Na wɔnam wɔn gyidie a wɔwɔ wɔ me mu no so anya bɔne fakyɛ na wɔayɛ Onyankopɔn mma.’
to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me.’
19 “Ɛno enti, Ɔhene Agripa, meyɛɛ ɔsetie maa nne a ɛfiri ɔsoro no.
So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.
20 Mefirii aseɛ kaa asɛmpa no wɔ Damasko ne Yerusalem ne Yudeafoɔ aman nyinaa so ne amanamanmufoɔ mu sɛ, ɛsɛ sɛ wɔnu wɔn ho na wɔde wɔn ho ma Onyankopɔn, na wɔn nneyɛeɛ akyerɛ sɛ wɔasakyera.
First to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, then to everyone in the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I declared that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds worthy of their repentance.
21 Saa asɛm yi ara enti na mewɔ asɔredan mu resom no, Yudafoɔ no bɛkyeree me sɛ wɔrekɔku me.
For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me.
22 Nanso, ɛbɛsi ɛnnɛ, Onyankopɔn abɔ me ho ban enti na megyina ha redi adanseɛ akyerɛ obiara yi. Asɛm korɔ a Mose ne adiyifoɔ no kaa sɛ,
But I have had God’s help to this day, and I stand here to testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen:
23 Ɛsɛ sɛ Agyenkwa no hunu amane na wadi awufoɔ sɔreɛ mu ɛkan, na wɔaka hann ho asɛm akyerɛ Yudafoɔ ne amanamanmufoɔ.”
that the Christ would suffer, and as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles.”
24 Paulo gu so rekasa no, Festo tiaa no kaa sɛ, “Paulo, woabɔ dam. Wo nwomanim bebrebe no abɔ wo dam.”
At this stage of Paul’s defense, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, “You are insane, Paul! Your great learning is driving you to madness!”
25 Nanso, Paulo buaa sɛ, “Daasebrɛ, memmɔɔ dam. Nsɛm a mereka no yɛ nokorɛ a aba wɔ mu.
But Paul answered, “I am not insane, most excellent Festus; I am speaking words of truth and sobriety.
26 Ɔhene Agripa, ɛsiane sɛ wonim saa nsɛm yi nyinaa enti, mɛtumi magyina wʼanim mede akokoɔduru makasa. Megye di sɛ biribiara a ɛsiiɛ no wonim, ɛfiri sɛ, emu biara nni hɔ a ɛyɛ kokoamsɛm.
For the king knows about these matters, and I can speak freely to him. I am confident that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner.
27 Ɔhene Agripa, wogye adiyifoɔ no di anaa? Menim sɛ wogye wɔn di.”
King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.”
28 Agripa bisaa Paulo sɛ, “Wogye di sɛ wobɛtumi adane mʼadwene ama mayɛ Kristoni saa ɛberɛ tiawa yi mu anaa?”
Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Can you persuade me in such a short time to become a Christian?”
29 Paulo buaa sɛ, “Sɛ nsɛm a mereka no ho hia anaa ɛho nhia no, me mpaeɛbɔ ara ne sɛ, Onyankopɔn bɛma wo ne wɔn a wɔretie me ɛnnɛ yi nyinaa bɛsakyera abɛyɛ sɛ me, agye nkɔnsɔnkɔnsɔn a ɛgu me yi nko ara.”
“Short time or long,” Paul replied, “I wish to God that not only you but all who hear me this day may become what I am, except for these chains.”
30 Afei, ɔhene no ne Amrado ne Berenike ne wɔn a wɔahyia hɔ no nyinaa sɔreeɛ.
Then the king and the governor rose, along with Bernice and those seated with them.
31 Wɔrekɔ no, wɔkeka kyerɛɛ wɔn ho wɔn ho sɛ, “Saa onipa yi nyɛɛ biribiara a ɛsɛ sɛ wɔgyina so bu no kumfɔ anaasɛ wɔde no to afiase.”
On their way out, they said to one another, “This man has done nothing worthy of death or imprisonment.”
32 Ɔhene Agripa ka kyerɛɛ Festo sɛ, “Sɛ onipa yi nnwane ntoaa Kaesare a anka yɛbɛtumi agyaa no.”
And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
