Paul Defends Himself before Agrippa
1 Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak on your own behalf.” Paul stretched out his hand and defended himself as follows:
2 “King Agrippa! I consider myself fortunate that today I am to defend myself before you from all the things these Jews accuse me of, 3 particularly since you know so well all the Jewish customs and disputes. I ask you, then, to listen to me with patience.
4 “All the Jews know how I have lived ever since I was young. They know how I have spent my whole life, at first in my own country and then in Jerusalem. 5 They have always known, if they are willing to testify, that from the very first I have lived as a member of the strictest party of our religion, the Pharisees. 6 And now I stand here to be tried because of the hope I have in the promise that God made to our ancestors— 7 the very thing that the twelve tribes of our people hope to receive, as they worship God day and night. And it is because of this hope, Your Majesty, that I am being accused by these Jews! 8 Why do you who are here find it impossible to believe that God raises the dead?
9 “I myself thought that I should do everything I could against the cause of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 That is what I did in Jerusalem. I received authority from the chief priests and put many of God's people in prison; and when they were sentenced to death, I also voted against them. 11 Many times I had them punished in the synagogues and tried to make them deny their faith. I was so furious with them that I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.
Paul Tells of His Conversion
(Acts 9.1-19Acts 22.6-16)12 “It was for this purpose that I went to Damascus with authority and orders from the chief priests. 13 It was on the road at midday, Your Majesty, that I saw a light much brighter than the sun, coming from the sky and shining around me and the men traveling with me. 14 All of us fell to the ground, and I heard a voice say to me in Hebrew, ‘Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting me? You are hurting yourself by hitting back, like an ox kicking against its owner's stick.’ 15 ‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. And the Lord answered, ‘I am Jesus, whom you persecute. 16 But get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant. You are to tell others what you have seen of me today and what I will show you in the future. 17 I will rescue you from the people of Israel and from the Gentiles to whom I will send you. 18 You are to open their eyes and turn them from the darkness to the light and from the power of Satan to God, so that through their faith in me they will have their sins forgiven and receive their place among God's chosen people.’
Paul Tells of His Work
19 “And so, King Agrippa, I did not disobey the vision I had from heaven. 20 First in Damascus and in Jerusalem and then in the whole country of Israel and among the Gentiles, I preached that they must repent of their sins and turn to God and do the things that would show they had repented. 21 It was for this reason that these Jews seized me while I was in the Temple, and they tried to kill me. 22 But to this very day I have been helped by God, and so I stand here giving my witness to all, to small and great alike. What I say is the very same thing which the prophets and Moses said was going to happen: 23 that the Messiah must suffer and be the first one to rise from death, to announce the light of salvation to the Jews and to the Gentiles.”
24 As Paul defended himself in this way, Festus shouted at him, “You are mad, Paul! Your great learning is driving you mad!”
25 Paul answered, “I am not mad, Your Excellency! I am speaking the sober truth. 26 King Agrippa! I can speak to you with all boldness, because you know about these things. I am sure that you have taken notice of every one of them, for this thing has not happened hidden away in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do!”
28 Agrippa said to Paul, “In this short time do you think you will make me a Christian?”
29 “Whether a short time or a long time,” Paul answered, “my prayer to God is that you and all the rest of you who are listening to me today might become what I am—except, of course, for these chains!”
30 Then the king, the governor, Bernice, and all the others got up, 31 and after leaving they said to each other, “This man has not done anything for which he should die or be put in prison.” 32 And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to the Emperor.”
Pāvils aizstāvas Agripas priekšā
1 Agripa sacīja Pāvilam: “Tev ir ļauts par sevi runāt.” Tad Pāvils pacēla roku un sevis aizstāvībai sacīja: 2 “Es uzskatu sevi par laimīgu, ķēniņ Agripa, ka tieši tavā priekšā man ir jāaizstāvas pret visu to, par ko jūdi mani apsūdz, 3 jo tev vislabāk ir pazīstamas jūdu ieražas un svarīgākie jautājumi, tādēļ es tevi lūdzu uzmanīgi mani uzklausīt. 4 Tiešām, manu dzīvi visi jūdi zina jau no manas jaunības, kā tā sākumā ritēja manā tautā Jeruzālemē, 5 labi pazīdami mani no paša sākuma, kad es dzīvoju kā visstingrākā novirziena dievbijīgs farizejs, – ja vien viņi gribētu par mani liecināt. 6 Tagad, šeit stāvot, es tieku tiesāts par cerību, ko Dievs caur apsolījumu devis mūsu tēviem, – 7 par cerību, ko mūsu divpadsmit ciltis cer sasniegt, nepārtraukti kalpojot Dievam dienu un nakti. Par šo cerību, ķēniņ, jūdi mani apsūdz. 8 Kas tad, pēc jūsu atzinuma, tur ir neticams, ja Dievs uzmodina mirušos? 9 Man gan pašam šķita, ka man jādarbojas Jēzus, Nācarieša, vārdam pretī, cik vien iespējams. 10 To Jeruzālemē es arī darīju un, saņēmis no virspriesteriem pilnvaru, daudzus svētos esmu slēdzis cietumā, un, kad tie bija jānogalina, arī es par to balsoju. 11 Pa visām sinagogām es bieži viņus sodīju, daudz un dažādi spiedu viņus zaimot un, pār mēru trakodams, vajāju viņus pat svešās pilsētās.
Pāvils stāsta par notikumu uz Damaskas ceļa
(Apd 9:1–19Apd 22:6–16)12 Ar tādu nolūku es devos uz Damasku ar virspriesteru pilnvaru un pavēli, 13 un, dienas vidū pa ceļu ejot, ak, ķēniņ, es ieraudzīju gaismu no debesīm, spožāku par sauli, kas apspīdēja mani un manus ceļabiedrus. 14 Mēs nokritām visi pie zemes, un es dzirdēju balsi uzrunājam mani ebreju valodā: Saul, Saul, kādēļ tu mani vajā? Grūti tev ir pret dzelksni spārdīt. 15 Bet es jautāju: Kungs, kas tu esi? Kungs sacīja: es esmu Jēzus, ko tu vajā. 16 Celies augšā un nostājies uz savām kājām; es parādījos tev tādēļ, ka esmu izraudzījis tevi par kalpu un liecinieku tam, ko tu redzēji un ko es tev rādīšu. 17 Es tevi izrāvu laukā no šīs tautas un no pagāniem, pie kuriem es tevi sūtīšu, 18 lai tu atvērtu viņu acis un viņi atgrieztos no tumsas gaismā, no sātana varas pie Dieva, lai saņemtu grēku piedošanu un ticībā uz mani iemantotu vietu starp svētajiem.
Pāvila liecība jūdiem un pagāniem
19 Tādēļ, ķēniņ Agripa, es nevarēju būt nepaklausīgs redzējumam no debesīm. 20 Vispirms damaskiešiem, pēc tam jeruzālemiešiem un visā jūdu zemē, un arī pagāniem es sludināju grēku nožēlu, lai tie atgriežas pie Dieva un dara grēku nožēlas cienīgus darbus. 21 Tādēļ jūdi sagūstīja mani templī un gribēja noslepkavot. 22 Bet palīdzība no Dieva man ir nākusi līdz pat šai dienai, un es stāvu šeit, liecinādams kā maziem, tā lieliem, ka nerunāju neko, ko nebūtu pravietojuši Mozus un pravieši – 23 ka Kristum bija jācieš, ka viņš ir pirmais, kam bija augšāmcelties no mirušajiem, pasludinot gaismu šai tautai un pagāniem.”
Pāvils aicina Agripu ticēt evaņģēlijam
24 Pāvilam tā runājot, Fēsts skaļā balsī sacīja: “Tu esi traks, Pāvil, tavas pārlieku lielās zināšanas padara tevi traku.” 25 Bet Pāvils atbildēja: “Es neesmu traks, augsti cienījamais Fēst, bet paužu patiesības un saprāta vārdus. 26 Arī ķēniņš, kuram es atklāti to stāstīju, to zina. Es neticu, ka viņam ir palicis kaut kas apslēpts, jo tas taču nav darīts kādā nomaļā kaktā. 27 Vai tu tici praviešiem, ķēniņ Agripa? Es zinu, ka tu tici.” 28 Bet Agripa sacīja Pāvilam: “Nu jau tu mani mēģini padarīt par kristieti.” 29 Tad Pāvils atbildēja: “Es lūdzu Dievu, lai agrāk vai vēlāk ne vien tu, bet arī visi pārējie, kas šodien manī klausās, kļūtu tādi paši, kāds esmu es, tikai bez šīm važām.” 30 Tad ķēniņš, vietvaldis un Berenīke, un tie, kas sēdēja kopā ar viņiem, piecēlās 31 un, iedami prom, cits citam sacīja: “Šis cilvēks nav darījis nekā tāda, ka būtu pelnījis nāvi vai važas.” 32 Bet Agripa sacīja Fēstam: “Šo cilvēku varētu atlaist, ja vien viņš nebūtu piesaucis cēzaru.”
