1 Agripa sacīja Pāvilam: "Tev ir atļauts aizstāvēties." Tad Pāvils izstiepa roku un teica aizstāvēšanās runu: 2 "Ķēniņ Agripa, es sevi turu par laimīgu, ka varu šodien tavā priekšā aizstāvēties pret visu, par ko jūdi mani apsūdz, 3 jo vairāk tādēļ, ka tu pārzini visas jūdu paražas un jautājumus; tāpēc es tevi lūdzu mani pacietīgi uzklausīt. 4 Visi jūdi pazīst manu dzīvi no mazām dienām, kā tā no paša sākuma risinājusies manas tautas vidū un Jeruzālemē, 5 pazīdami mani jau sen, tā ka tie varētu liecināt, ka esmu dzīvojis pēc mūsu reliģijas visstingrākās sektas noteikumiem, būdams farizejs. 6 Un tagad mani tiesā par cerību, ka Dievs piepildīs apsolījumu, ko Viņš mūsu tēviem devis, 7 ko mūsu divpadsmit ciltis cer iemantot, bez mitēšanās Dievam kalpodamas nakti un dienu. Par šo cerību, ķēniņ, jūdi mani apsūdz. 8 Vai jums šķiet neticami, ka Dievs uzmodina mirušos? 9 Man pašam gan šķita, ka man vajag nacarieša Jēzus Vārdam noteikti pretoties. 10 To es arī darīju Jeruzālemē. Saņēmis pilnvaras no augstajiem priesteriem, es esmu daudz svēto ieslēdzis cietumā, un, kad viņus nomaitāja, man tas bija pa prātam. 11 Pa visām sinagogām es tos daudzkārt ar sodiem esmu spiedis zaimot, pārlieku pret tiem trakojis, vajādams tos pat svešās pilsētās. 12 Iedams ar tādu nolūku uz Damasku ar augsto priesteru atļauju un pilnvarām, 13 es, ķēniņ, dienas vidū uz ceļa redzēju gaismu no debesīm, spožāku par saules gaismu, apspīdam mani un manus ceļabiedrus. 14 Mēs visi nokritām pie zemes, un es dzirdēju balsi ebreju valodā uz mani sakām: Saul, Saul, ko tu Mani vajā? Tev grūti nāksies pret dzenuli spārdīt. 15 Es sacīju: kas Tu esi, Kungs? - Tas Kungs atbildēja: Es esmu Jēzus, ko tu vajā. 16 Bet celies kājās! Jo tāpēc Es tev esmu parādījies, lai tu Man kalpotu un apliecinātu, kā tu Mani esi redzējis un kā Es tev parādīšos, 17 lai tevi izglābtu no šīs tautas un pagāniem, pie kuriem Es tevi sūtu 18 atvērt viņu acis, lai tie atgriežas no tumsas gaismā, no sātana varas pie Dieva, un ticībā uz Mani dabū grēku piedošanu un mantojumu svēto pulkā. 19 Tāpēc, ķēniņ Agripa, es šai debesu parādībai neesmu bijis nepaklausīgs, 20 bet esmu sludinājis vispirms tiem, kas dzīvo Damaskā, Jeruzālemē un visā jūdu zemē, kā arī pagāniem, lai tie nožēlo savus grēkus un atgriežas pie Dieva un dara darbus, kas grēku nožēlas cienīgi. 21 Tādēļ jūdi Templī mani sagrāba un mēģināja nonāvēt. 22 Bet Dievs man palīdzējis līdz šai dienai, un es še stāvu kā liecinieks maziem un lieliem, neko citu nesludinādams kā vien to, ko pravieši un Mozus par nākamām lietām runājuši, 23 ka Kristum bija jācieš, ka Viņš pirmais no mirušiem augšāmcēlies sludināt gaismu Savai tautai un pagāniem." 24 Viņam tā aizstāvoties, Fēsts sacīja skaļā balsī: "Pāvil, tu esi traks, lielās zināšanas tevi padara traku!" 25 Bet Pāvils sacīja: "Es neesmu vis traks, ļoti cienījamais Fēst, bet es runāju patiesus un prātīgus vārdus, 26 jo par šīm lietām zina arī ķēniņš, uz ko es droši runāju. Es neticu, ka kaut kas no tā viņam palicis apslēpts, jo tas nav noticis svešā stūrī. 27 Vai tu, ķēniņ Agripa, tici praviešiem? Es zinu, ka tu tici." 28 Bet Agripa sacīja Pāvilam: "Tu gandrīz mani pārliecini kļūt par kristieti." 29 Pāvils atbildēja: "Lai Dievs dod, ka agri vai vēlu ne vien tu, bet arī visi, kas mani šodien dzird, kļūtu tādi, kāds es esmu, tikai bez šīm važām." 30 Tad ķēniņš un zemes pārvaldnieks, un Bernīke, un visi, kas pie viņiem sēdēja, piecēlās 31 un aizgāja, runādami savā starpā: "Šis cilvēks neko nedara, ar ko viņš būtu pelnījis nāvi vai važas." 32 Bet Agripa Fēstam sacīja: "Šo cilvēku varētu atbrīvot, ja viņš nebūtu piesaucis ķeizaru."
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.”
