1 “Zwikamu na botate, mundihwilile andizwimila ngwenu mbeli kwenyu!” 2 Bakati behwa elebeleka nabo nge Tjihebheru bakanyalala kwazo; ngono Paulo kadwilila kati:
3 “Imi ndi Njuta ndakazwaligwa mu Taso mu Silisiya, koga alegwa mu nzi iwowuno ndili pasi kwa Gamaliyele. Ndakaamutjila ndayo yakasima mu nlayo wa bobatategulu bedu ngono ndakabe ndakatukutilila Ndzimu samwi mose nasi. 4 Ndakadziyidza kunoti mu lufu, bathu bakabe betobela zila iyeyi. Ndakabhata balume ne bakadzi ha balashila mu ng'umba ye busungwa. 5 Ntungamili we bapirisiti ne Gulukota lose bangatendeka kuti ndoleba malebeswa. Ndakaamutjila mubali hwalo dzakwaligwa zwikamu mu Damasiko, ndizo ayenda ikoko kubhata bathu ibaba ne kubazhisa ngeno ku Jerusalema bakasungwa kuti balobgwe.
Paulo unolebeleka nge kushanduka kukwe
(Mishingo 9:1-19Mishingo 26:12-18)6 “Ndakati nditjayenda ndiabilila Damasiko, kungabe pakati kwe masikati tjinyolotjo tjedza tjikulu tjidwa kudzimu tjakandipoteleka. 7 Ndakawila pasi, ngono ahwa hwi liti kundili, ‘Saulo, Saulo! Apa unondidziyidzilani kene?’ 8 Adabila ndibhuzwa nditi, ‘Ndimwi ani She?’ Iye kadabila eti kundili, ‘Ndimi Jesu we Nazareta, iye waunodziyidza.’ 9 Balume bakabe banami bakabona tjedza, koga abazohwa hwi lakabe lilebeleka nami. 10 Abhuzwa ati, ‘Ndishingeni ngono She?’ Ngono She kati kundili, ‘Milika ungine mu Damasiko, ngono ikweno unowobudziwa tjimwe ne tjimwe tjawakashaluligwa kutjishinga!’ 11 Ndakabe bhofu ngekwe tjedza tjinopenya, ndizo bandakabe ndinabo bakandikweba nge luboko bakanditungamilila mu Damasiko.
12 “Mu nzi iwowuje kwakabe kuna nlume edang'wa kuyi Ananiyasi, nlume wakabe enamata kunoyendidzana ne nlayo, etetiwa kwazo nge Bajuta bose bakabe begala ikoko. 13 Kazha kundili, kama pandili, ngono kati, ‘Ikamu Saulo, pofunuka!’ Nge tjibaka itjetjo apofunuka, ngono ambona. 14 Kati, ‘Ndzimu wa bobatategulu bedu wakushalulila kuziba kuda kwawo, kubona Nlulwami ne kuhwa hwi linodwa mu nlomo uwe. 15 Ngobe unowobe ntendeki ku bathu bose ngekwe tjawakabona nenge tjawakahwa. 16 Ndizo ngwenu, utjigelileni? Milika, udubikiwe ungule jinyo lilo udana zina lile.’
Kudang'wa kwa Paulo kusumikila kuna Bezwitjaba
17 “Ndakazha ku Jerusalema, ngono ati nditjatembezela mu Ng'umba ye Ndzimu, abe ne mbono, 18 yandakabona She muili beti kundili, ‘Libilidza ubhude mu Jerusalema tjinyolotjo, ngobe bathu muno abatowoamutjila butendeki gugo nge kwangu.’ 19 Adabila nditi, ‘She, bathu banoziba zubuyanana kuti ndakayenda ku ng'umba dze mitembezelo kulonga mu ng'umba ye busungwa ne kuloba ibabo bakabe begalamoyo mu muli. 20 Kwakati lopa le ntendeki wenyu Sitifani litebugwa, imi ndakabe ndili ipapo ndidumana ne kubulawa kukwe ndakalinda zwiambalo zwe babulayi babe.’ 21 She bakati kundili, ‘Yenda, ngobe ndowokutuma kule kule kuna Bezwitjaba.’ ”
22 Bathu bakahwilila Paulo kudzina eleba ikoku, koga ipapo bakatangisa mimilila pezhugwi beti, “Dusani nthu wakajali mu shango! Mumbulaye! Aazofanilo tjila!” 23 Bakabe bemimila belashanya zwiambalo zwabo, bepukula hwuluba. 24 Nkulu we babhayani kalaya kuti Paulo ayisiwe mu ng'umba ye babhayani, kabadwa kati banlobe nge rwabha kuti babone kuti ini Bajuta bemmimila sa ikoku. 25 Koga bakati bansunga kuti banlobe Paulo kati ku nlauli we babhayani bali zana wakabe ali mile ipapo, “Apa ku mu nlayo kuti ulobe n'gali we Roma asatongo sumikilisigwa mmwe nlandu kene?”
26 Nlauli we babhayani kati ehwa ikoku, kayenda ku Nkulu we babhayani, ngono kambhuzwa kati, “Moshaka thamani kene? Nlume iwoyu Nroma!”
27 Ndizo Nkulu we babhayani kayenda kuna Paulo kambhuzwa eti, “Undibudze, apa un'gali we Roma kene?”
Paulo kadabila eti, “Ee.”
28 Nkulu we babhayani kati, “Ndakabe Nroma ngolipa themba hwulu ye mari.”
Paulo kashandula eti, “Koga imi ndakazwagwa ndili Nroma.”
29 Tjinyolotjo balume bakabe bewombhuzwa bakabuyila shule bedwa panli; Nkulu we babhayani kapalukamoyo asinoziba kuti Paulo Nroma nenge kuti wansunga nge dziketani.
Paulo mbeli kwe Gulukota
30 Nkulu we babhayani kada kuziba malebeswa kuti Bajuta bakabe bebona Paulo nlandu weni; ndizo tjimuka kasunungula Paulo kalaya bapirisiti bakulu ne Gulukota lose kushangana. Ipapo katola Paulo kammisa mbeli kwabo.
1 “My fellow Jews, listen to me as I make my defense before you!” 2 When they heard him speaking to them in Hebrew, they became even quieter; and Paul went on:
3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up here in Jerusalem as a student of Gamaliel. I received strict instruction in the Law of our ancestors and was just as dedicated to God as are all of you who are here today. 4 I persecuted to the death the people who followed this Way. I arrested men and women and threw them into prison. 5 The High Priest and the whole Council can prove that I am telling the truth. I received from them letters written to fellow Jews in Damascus, so I went there to arrest these people and bring them back in chains to Jerusalem to be punished.
Paul Tells of His Conversion
(Acts 9.1-19Acts 26.12-18)6 “As I was traveling and coming near Damascus, about midday a bright light from the sky flashed suddenly around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute me?’ 8 ‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute,’ he said to me. 9 The men with me saw the light, but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10 I asked, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ and the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything that God has determined for you to do.’ 11 I was blind because of the bright light, and so my companions took me by the hand and led me into Damascus.
12 “In that city was a man named Ananias, a religious man who obeyed our Law and was highly respected by all the Jews living there. 13 He came to me, stood by me, and said, ‘Brother Saul, see again!’ At that very moment I saw again and looked at him. 14 He said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see his righteous Servant, and to hear him speaking with his own voice. 15 For you will be a witness for him to tell everyone what you have seen and heard. 16 And now, why wait any longer? Get up and be baptized and have your sins washed away by praying to him.’
Paul's Call to Preach to the Gentiles
17 “I went back to Jerusalem, and while I was praying in the Temple, I had a vision, 18 in which I saw the Lord, as he said to me, ‘Hurry and leave Jerusalem quickly, because the people here will not accept your witness about me.’ 19 ‘Lord,’ I answered, ‘they know very well that I went to the synagogues and arrested and beat those who believe in you. 20 And when your witness Stephen was put to death, I myself was there, approving of his murder and taking care of the cloaks of his murderers.’ 21 ‘Go,’ the Lord said to me, ‘for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
22 The people listened to Paul until he said this; but then they started shouting at the top of their voices, “Away with him! Kill him! He's not fit to live!” 23 They were screaming, waving their clothes, and throwing dust up in the air. 24 The Roman commander ordered his men to take Paul into the fort, and he told them to whip him in order to find out why the Jews were screaming like this against him. 25 But when they had tied him up to be whipped, Paul said to the officer standing there, “Is it lawful for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn't even been tried for any crime?”
26 When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and asked him, “What are you doing? That man is a Roman citizen!”
27 So the commander went to Paul and asked him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”
“Yes,” answered Paul.
28 The commander said, “I became one by paying a large amount of money.”
“But I am one by birth,” Paul answered.
29 At once the men who were going to question Paul drew back from him; and the commander was frightened when he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had put him in chains.
Paul before the Council
30 The commander wanted to find out for sure what the Jews were accusing Paul of; so the next day he had Paul's chains taken off and ordered the chief priests and the whole Council to meet. Then he took Paul and made him stand before them.