Atos 26

1 Agrippa said to Paul, "You may speak for yourself."

Then Paul stretched out his hand, and made his defense. 2 "I think myself happy, King Agrippa, that I am to make my defense before you today concerning all the things that I am accused by the Jews, 3 especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.

4 "Indeed, all the Jews know my way of life from my youth up, which was from the beginning among my own nation and at Jerusalem; 5 having known me from the first, if they are willing to testify, that after the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. 6 Now I stand here to be judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers, 7 which our twelve tribes, earnestly serving night and day, hope to attain. Concerning this hope I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa! 8 Why is it judged incredible with you if God does raise the dead?

9 "I myself most certainly thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 I also did this in Jerusalem. I both shut up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death I gave my vote against them. 11 Punishing them often in all the synagogues, I tried to make them blaspheme. Being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

12 "Whereupon as I traveled to Damascus with the authority and commission from the chief priests, 13 at noon, O king, I saw on the way a light from the sky, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who traveled with me. 14 When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

15 "I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’

"He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 16 But arise, and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose: to appoint you a servant and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will reveal to you; 17 delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you, 18 to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

19 "Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but declared first to them of Damascus, at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance. 21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. 22 Having therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would happen, 23 how the Christ must suffer, and how, by the resurrection of the dead, he would be first to proclaim light both to these people and to the Gentiles."

24 As he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, "Paul, you are crazy! Your great learning is driving you insane!"

25 But he said, "I am not crazy, most excellent Festus, but boldly declare words of truth and reasonableness. 26 For the king knows of these things, to whom also I speak freely. For I am persuaded that none of these things is hidden from him, for this has not been done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe."

28 Agrippa said to Paul, "With a little persuasion are you trying to make me a Christian?"

29 Paul said, "I pray to God, that whether with little or with much, not only you, but also all that hear me today, might become such as I am, except for these bonds."

30 The king rose up with the governor and Bernice, and those who sat with them. 31 When they had withdrawn, they spoke to one another, saying, "This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds." 32 Agrippa said to Festus, "This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar."

Tā Pāora Tohe i te Aroaro o Akaripa

1 Nā, ko te meatanga a Akaripa ki a Pāora, "E āhei ana koe kia kōrero i āu kōrero." Kātahi, ka totoro te ringa o Pāora, ā, ka kōrero ia: 2 "He koa ngā ngākau tēnei ki ahau, e Kīngi Akaripa, kia kōrerotia e ahau ki a koe āianei ngā mea katoa e whakawākia nei ahau e ngā Hūrai; 3 he mōhio rawa hoki koe ki ngā ritenga katoa, ki ngā tautohe hoki anō a ngā Hūrai; nā reira, kia pai koe ki te whakarongo mārie ki ahau.

4 "Ko tāku whakahaere mai o tōku tamarikitanga, nō te tīmatanga mai rā anō i roto i tōku iwi, i Hiruhārama hoki, e mōhio ana ngā Hūrai katoa. 5 Mōhio tonu rātou ki ahau ō mua iho, me i pai rātou ki te whakaatu; ko tāku mahi, i whai i tā te tītorehanga pakeke rawa o tō tātou karakia, i tā te Parihi. 6 Tēnei ahau te tū nei i konei, te whakawākia nei mō te tūmanako ki te mea i kōrerotia e te Atua i mua ki ō tātou mātua. 7 E tūmanako nei ō tātou iwi kotahi tekau mā rua kia uru ki tēnei, i a rātou e mahi tonu nei ki te Atua i te ao, i te pō. Ko tēnei e tūmanakohia atu nei e te kīngi, te mea e whakawākia nei ahau e ngā Hūrai. 8 He aha rawa kia kore e whakaponohia e koutou, ki te mea ka whakaara ake te Atua i te hunga mate?

9 "Ko ahau nei, i whakaaro ahau kia maha tonu ngā mea e mahia e ahau hei pēhi mō te ingoa o Īhu o Nahareta. 10 Āe, i meinga anō tēnei e ahau ki Hiruhārama; he tokomaha anō te hunga tapu i uakina e ahau ki ngā whare herehere, he mea tuku mai hoki ngā tikanga nā ngā tohunga nui ki ahau; ā, i te whakamatenga i a rātou, i whakaae ahau kia pērātia rātou. 11 He maha anō āku whiunga i a rātou i roto i ngā whare karakia katoa, i meinga anō rātou e ahau kia kohukohu; heoi, haurangi noa iho ahau ki a rātou, whāia ana e ahau, ā taea noatia ngā pā o tawhiti."

Ka Kōrero a Pāora mō tōna Huringa ki te Whakapono

12 "Nāwai ā, i ahau e haere ana ki Ramahiku, me ngā tikanga, me te kupu whakaae a ngā tohunga nui, 13 i te poutūmārōtanga, e te kīngi, ka kitea e ahau i te ara he mārama i te rangi e tīaho ana ki ahau, ki ōku hoa haere anō, tērā atu i te mārama o te rā. 14 Heoi, hinga ana mātou katoa ki te whenua, ka rongo ahau i te reo e kōrero ana ki ahau, nō ngā Hiperu anō hoki te reo, e mea ana, ‘E Haora, e Haora, he aha tāu e whakatoi nei i ahau? Ehara tāu te whana ki ngā koikoi.’ 15 Anō rā ko ahau, ‘Ko wai koe, e te Ariki?’ Ka mea ia, ‘Ko Īhu ahau e whakatoia nei e koe. 16 Otirā, whakatika, e tū ōu waewae ki runga. Ko te mea tēnei i puta ai ahau ki a koe, kia meinga koe hei kaimahi, hei kaiwhakaatu mō ngā mea i kite nei koe, mō ngā mea anō e kitea ai ahau e koe. 17 Ka whakaorangia koe i te iwi, i ngā tauiwi, ka tonoa nei koe e ahau ki a rātou, 18 hei whakatitiro i ō rātou kanohi, hei whakatahuri i a rātou i te pōuri ki te mārama, i te kaha o Hātana ki te Atua, kia whiwhi ai rātou ki te murunga hara, ki tētahi wāhi anō i roto i te hunga ka oti te whakatapu i runga i te whakapono ki ahau.’ "

Ka Kōrero a Pāora mō āna Mahi

19 "Nō reira, kīhai ahau i whakatuturi, e Kīngi Akaripa, ki tō te rangi kitenga. 20 Heoi, i kōrero ahau ki te hunga i Ramahiku i te tuatahi, ā, i Hiruhārama, ki te whenua katoa anō o Hūria, ki ngā tauiwi hoki, kia rīpenetā, kia tahuri ki te Atua, me te mahi anō i ngā mahi tika o te rīpenetā. 21 Nō reira ngā Hūrai i hopu ai i ahau i te temepara, i whai ai ki te whakamate i ahau. 22 Heoi, ka āwhinatia mai ahau e te Atua, ka tū tonu nei ahau, ā, mohoa noa nei, me te kōrero ki te iti, ki te rahi, kāhore āku kupu kē ake i tā ngā poropiti rātou ko Mohi i mea ai meāke puta: 23 arā ko te Karaiti kia mate, ko ia te mātāmua o te aranga o te hunga mate, māna anō e whakapuaki te mārama ki te iwi, ki ngā tauiwi."

24 I a ia e kōrero ana i ēnei mea, nui atu te reo o Petuha ki te karanga, "E Pāora, he haurangi koe; nā te nui o tāu kōrero pukapuka i haurangi ai koe!"

25 Anō rā ko ia, "Kāhore ōku haurangi, e Petuha, e te tangata pai rawa; engari he pono, he whai whakaaro, āku kupu e whakapuaki nei. 26 E mātau ana hoki te kīngi ki ēnei mea, i māia ai ahau ki te kōrero ki a ia. E mea ana hoki ahau, kāhore tētahi o ēnei mea i ngaro i a ia; kīhai hoki tēnei mea i mahia i te kokonga. 27 E whakapono ana rānei koe ki ngā poropiti, e Kīngi Akaripa? E mea ana ahau, tēnei koe te whakapono nei."

28 Anō rā ko Akaripa ki a Pāora, "Wāhi iti kua riro atu ahau ki tāu, ki tā te Karaiti tikanga."

29 Nā, ko te meatanga a Pāora, "Pai tonu kia īnoi ahau ki te Atua kia kaua e iti, engari kia tino nui, kia kaua anō e waiho i tōu kotahi, engari, kia tino rite ki ahau te hunga katoa e whakarongo nei ki ahau ināianei; ko ēnei mekameka ia kia kore."

30 Nā, ka whakatika te kīngi, me te kāwana, me Pereniki, me te hunga i noho tahi rātou. 31 Nā, i a rātou ka wehe kē, ka kōrerorero ki a rātou anō, ka mea, "Kāhore he hanga a tēnei tangata e tika ai te mate, te here rānei."

32 Kātahi, ka mea a Akaripa ki a Petuha, "Ka tukua tēnei tangata kia haere, me i kaua ia te karanga ki a Hīhā."