Paulo unozwimimila kuna Mambo we Roma
1 Kukati shule kwe mazhuba matatu Fesito aswika mu ntuthu uwe, katathila ku Jerusalema edwa ku Sizariya. 2 Bapirisiti bakulu ne batungamili be Bajuta bakambudza milandu yabanotilika Paulo. 3 Tjinyolotjo bakakumbila Fesito, kuti ababhatshe koga, kuti athame kuti Paulo ayisiwe ku Jerusalema, ngobe bakabe belulwamisila kuti alaligwe abulawe mu zila. 4 Fesito kadabila eti, “Paulo umu ng'umba ye busungwa ku Sizariya, ngono imi nge kwangu ndowoyendako tjinyolotjo. 5 Bamwe batungamili benyu ngabayende nami, ha kuli kuti kuna tjimwe tjibi nge kukwe, baswike bampe nlandu.”
6 Kukati agala mazhuba ali zhanakadzi kene gumi nabo kadelukila ku Sizariya, ngono tjimuka kadana lubazhe kalaya kuti Paulo azhisiwe mbeli kukwe. 7 Paulo kati ezha, Bajuta bakabe badeluka badwa ku Jerusalema bakama kumpoteleka beleba milandu yakabangalala nge kukwe, koga basingatubule kuitjenesa nge buzhalo. 8 Ipapo Paulo kazwilebelekegwa eti, “Andizothama tjimwe tjakabipa ku nlayo we Bajuta kene Ng'umba ye Ndzimu kene kuna Kaisara.”
9 Fesito kayemula kushathisa Bajuta kati kuna Paulo, “Unoshaka kuyenda ku Jerusalema kunosumikilisigwa milandu iyeyi mbeli kwangu kene?”
10 Paulo kadabila eti, “Ndimile mbeli kwe lubazhe gwa Kaisara, pandakafanila kusumikilisiwapo. Akuna tjandakatjinya ku Bajuta, sekwa munoziba zubuyanana. 11 Koga ha ili kuti ndi nlandu we kuthama tjimwe tjandakafanilo fila, anditolambo fa, ngono ha ili kuti milandu yandinobong'wa ne Bajuta ate ili malebeswa, akuna una simba le kundiyisa ku bali. Ndozwimimila kuna Kaisara!”
12 Kukati Fesito alebeleka ne Gulukota lile kati, “Iwe wazwimimila kuna Kaisara, yenda kuna Kaisara!”
Paulo mbeli kwa Agiripa na Bherinisi
13 Shule kwe mazhuba mashomanana mambo Agiripa na Bherinisi bakaswika ku Sizariya kuamutjila Fesito. 14 Se bakagala mazhuba manjinji ikoko, Fesito kalebeleka ndebo ya Paulo na mambo. Kati, “Kuna nlume ipapa wakasiyiwa ndi Felikisi ali nsungwa. 15 Ndakati ndili ku Jerusalema, bapirisiti bakulu ne bakulu be Bajuta bakazhisa milandu nge kukwe ngono bakakumbila kuti abong'we nlandu. 16 Ndakababudza kuti ate kuli mpanga we Tjiroma kusunga nthu kene ali ani asathu kalingisana ne banombona nlandu ngono kawana tjibaka tje kuzwilebelekegwa ngekwe milandu yabanompa. 17 Bakati bezha ngeno nami, andizotongo nonoka ngekwe ndebo koga ndakadana lubazhe tjimuka, alaya kuti nlume iwoyu azhisiwe. 18 Batjeti babe bakati bemilika kulebeleka, bakasintjete nge kutjinya kwandakabe ndakakumbula. 19 Koga, bakabe bana zwabasingadumane naye muzwili ngekwe kunamata kwabo, kakale ngekwe nlume wakafa unoyi Jesu wakabe Paulo esimisa eti unotjila. 20 Ndakabe ndakadzimila ndisingazibe kuti ndingashakisisa tjini zwithu zwakajali; ndizo ndakambhuzwa kuti kene ungada kuyenda ku Jerusalema kunosumikilisigwa milandu iyeyi ikoko. 21 Kukati Paulo ekumbila kuti atjengetegwe kuhwiwa ndi mambo, alaya kuti atjengetiwe kudzina ndintumila kuna Kaisara.”
22 Ipapo Agiripa kati kuna Fesito, “Ndoshaka kuzwihwigwa nlume iwoyu imi.”
Kadabila eti, “Unowonhwa mangwana.”
23 Tjimuka Agiripa na Bherinisi bakazha nge mazwikudzo ngono bakangina mu ng'umba ye bushanganilo bana bakulu be babhayani ne batungamili be nzi. Ndizo nge kulaya kwa Fesito Paulo kazhisiwa. 24 Fesito kati, “Mambo Agiripa na bose banaswi, mobona nlume iwoyu! Itjaba tjose tje Bajuta tjakandikumbila nge kukwe mu Jerusalema na muno mu Sizariya bemimila beti aazotjafanilo tjila. 25 Ndakawana kuli kuti aazotjinya tjimwe tjakalizana lufu, ngobe wakazwimimila kuna Kaisara, ndakabona kuti ndintumile ku Roma. 26 Koga akuna itjo tje malebeswa tjandingakwalila she wangu nge kukwe. Ndizo ndanzhisa mbeli kwenyu mose, kwazo kwazo mbeli kwenyu, imwi Mambo Agiripa, nditi pamwe shule kwe kumbhuzwisisa ndingawana tjandingakwala. 27 Ngobe ndobona kusakafanila kupitshila nsungwa mbeli kusingatjenesiwe milandu iye.”
Paul Asks To Be Tried by the Roman Emperor
1 Three days after Festus had become governor, he went from Caesarea to Jerusalem. 2 There the chief priests and some Jewish leaders told him about their charges against Paul. They also asked Festus 3 if he would be willing to bring Paul to Jerusalem. They begged him to do this because they were planning to attack and kill Paul on the way. 4 But Festus told them, “Paul will be kept in Caesarea, and I am soon going there myself. 5 If he has done anything wrong, let your leaders go with me and bring charges against him there.”
6 Festus stayed in Jerusalem for eight or ten more days before going to Caesarea. Then the next day he took his place as judge and had Paul brought into court. 7 As soon as Paul came in, the leaders from Jerusalem crowded around him and said he was guilty of many serious crimes. But they could not prove anything. 8 Then Paul spoke in his own defense, “I have not broken the Law of my people. And I have not done anything against either the temple or the Emperor.”
9 Festus wanted to please the leaders. So he asked Paul, “Are you willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried by me on these charges?”
10 Paul replied, “I am on trial in the Emperor's court, and that's where I should be tried. You know very well I have not done anything to harm the Jewish nation. 11 If I had done something deserving death, I would not ask to escape the death penalty. But I am not guilty of any of these crimes, and no one has the right to hand me over to these people. I now ask to be tried by the Emperor himself.”
12 After Festus had talked this over with members of his council, he told Paul, “You have asked to be tried by the Emperor, and to the Emperor you will go!”
Paul Speaks to Agrippa and Bernice
13 A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to visit Festus. 14 They had been there for several days, when Festus told the king about the charges against Paul. He said:
Felix left a man here in jail, 15 and when I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and the Jewish leaders came and asked me to find him guilty. 16 I told them it isn't the Roman custom to hand a man over to people who are bringing charges against him. He must first have the chance to meet them face to face and to defend himself against their charges.
17 So when they came here with me, I wasted no time. On the very next day I took my place on the judge's bench and ordered him to be brought in. 18 But when the men stood up to make their charges against him, they did not accuse him of any of the crimes that I thought they would. 19 Instead, they argued with him about some of their beliefs and about a dead man named Jesus, who Paul said was alive.
20 Since I did not know how to find out the truth about all this, I asked Paul if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and be put on trial there. 21 But Paul asked to be kept in jail until the Emperor could decide his case. So I ordered him to be kept here until I could send him to the Emperor.
22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would also like to hear what this man has to say.”
Festus answered, “You can hear him tomorrow.”
23 The next day Agrippa and Bernice made a big show as they came into the meeting room. High ranking army officers and leading citizens of the town were also there. Festus then ordered Paul to be brought in 24 and said:
King Agrippa and other guests, look at this man! Every Jew from Jerusalem and Caesarea has come to me, demanding for him to be put to death. 25 I have not found him guilty of any crime deserving death. But because he has asked to be judged by the Emperor, I have decided to send him to Rome.
26 I have to write some facts about this man to the Emperor. So I have brought him before all of you, but especially before you, King Agrippa. After we have talked about his case, I will then have something to write. 27 It makes no sense to send a prisoner to the Emperor without stating the charges against him.