Travay 22
1 Frèm yo, grandèt mwen yo, koute sa m' pral di nou koulye a pou defann tèt mwen.
‘Brothers and fathers, listen to the defence which I am about to make.’
2 Lè yo tande l' ap pale ebre, yo rete byen dousman. Epi Pòl di yo:
When they heard that he was speaking to them in Hebrew, they were still more quiet; and Paul went on:
3 Se jwif mwen ye. Mwen fèt lavil Tas nan peyi Silisi. Men, se isit lavil Jerizalèm mwen grandi. Se Gamalyèl ki te pwofesè mwen. Se li menm ki te moutre m' tout ti detay nan Lalwa zansèt nou yo. Mwen menm tou, yon lè mwen te gen zèl nou gen koulye a pou Bondye.
‘I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, but I was brought up in this city under the teaching of Gamaliel, and educated in accordance with the strict system of our ancestral Law. I was as zealous in God’s service as any of you who are here today.
4 Mwen te pèsekite moun ki t'ap swiv chemen Bondye a jouk pou m' te touye yo. Fanm kou gason, mwen te arete tout moun mete nan prizon.
In my persecution of this Way I did not stop even at the taking of life. I put in chains, and imprisoned, men and women alike –
5 Granprèt la ak chèf fanmi yo ki reyini la a, yo ka sètifye sa m'ap di la a se vre. Se yo menm menm ki te ban m' lèt otorizasyon pou frè jwif lavil Damas yo. Mwen tapral arete mezi disip ki te la, mennen yo Jerizalèm pou fè regle yo.
And to that the high priest himself and all the council of elders can testify. For I had letters of introduction from them to our fellow Jews at Damascus, and I was on my way to that place, to bring those whom I might find there prisoners to Jerusalem for punishment.
6 Mwen te sou wout la toupre Damas, lè m' rete konsa yon gwo limyè soti nan syèl la, li klere tout kote m' te ye a. Lè sa a, li te bò midi konsa.
While I was still on my way, just as I was getting close to Damascus, about midday, suddenly there flashed from the heavens a great light all round me.
7 Mwen tonbe atè, epi m' tande yon vwa ki di m': Sòl, Sòl, poukisa w'ap pèsekite mwen konsa?
I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
8 Mwen mande: Ki moun ou ye, Seyè? Epi li di mwen: Mwen se Jezi, moun Nazarèt, w'ap pèsekite a.
“Who are you, Lord?” I replied. Then the voice said “I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.”
9 Moun ki te la avè m' yo te wè limyè a tou, men yo pa t' tande vwa ki t'ap pale avè m' lan.
The men with me saw the light, but did not hear the speaker’s voice.
10 Lè sa a, mwen mande: Kisa pou m' fè, Seyè? Seyè a di mwen: Leve, ale lavil Damas. Se la y'a di ou tou sa Bondye va ba ou lòd fè.
Then I said “What am I to do, Lord?” “Get up and go into Damascus,” The Lord said to me, “and there you will be told all that you have been appointed to do.”
11 Limyè a te tèlman klere, mwen te vin avèg. Se kanmarad mwen yo ki pran men m' ki mennen m' Damas.
In consequence of that dazzling light I could not see, but my companions held me by the hand, until I reached Damascus.
12 Nan Damas te gen yon nonm yo rele Ananyas. Se te yon moun ki t'ap sèvi Bondye jan Lalwa nou an mande l' la. Tout jwif Damas yo te konsidere l' anpil.
There a man named Ananias, a strict observer of our Law, well spoken of by all the Jewish inhabitants, came to see me.
13 Li vin jwenn mwen, li kanpe toupre m', epi li di mwen: Sòl, frè mwen, se pou ou wè nan je ou ankò. Menm lè a, mwen wè ankò, epi mwen gade li.
Standing close to me, he said “Saul, my brother, recover your sight.” And then and there I recovered my sight and looked up at him.
14 Li di m' konsa: Bondye zansèt nou yo te chwazi ou davans pou ou te ka konn volonte l', pou ou te ka wè sèl moun ki dwat devan li a, pou ou te ka tande l' pale ak bouch li.
Then he said “The God of our ancestors has appointed you to learn his will, and to see the righteous one, and to hear words from his lips;
15 Ou pral sèvi l' temwen, ou pral fè tout moun konnen sa ou te wè ak sa ou te tande.
for you will be a witness for him to all the world of what you have just seen and heard.
16 Koulye a, kisa w'ap tann ankò? Leve non, rele Bondye, resevwa batèm pou tout peche ou yo ka lave.
And now why wait any longer, Be baptized at once, wash away your sins, and invoke his name.”
17 Apre sa, mwen tounen lavil Jerizalèm. Antan m' te nan tanp lan ap lapriyè, mwen fè yon vizyon.
After my return to Jerusalem, while I was praying one day in the Temple, I fell into a trance,
18 Mwen wè Seyè a ki di mwen: Fè vit, kite Jerizalèm, paske moun Jerizalèm yo p'ap asepte tou sa w'ap di sou mwen an.
and saw Jesus saying to me “Make haste and leave Jerusalem at once, because they will not accept your testimony about me.”
19 Mwen reponn: Seyè, yo konnen byen pwòp mwen te konn al nan sinagòg yo, mwen te konn mete tout moun ki te kwè nan ou nan prizon, fè bat yo byen bat.
“Lord,” I answered, “these people know that I used to imprison and scourge, in synagogue after synagogue, those who believed in you;
20 Menm lè yo t'ap touye Etyèn, moun ki te kanpe pou ou a, mwen te la tou. Mwen te dakò ak moun ki t'ap touye l' yo. Se mwen menm ki te veye rad yo.
and, when the blood of your martyr, Stephen, was being shed, I was myself standing by, approving of his death, and took charge of the clothes of those who were murdering him.”
21 Lè sa a, Seyè a di mwen: Ale, m'ap voye ou byen lwen, bò kote moun ki pa jwif yo.
But Jesus said to me “Go; for I will send you to the Gentiles far away”.’
22 Foul moun yo t'ap koute Pòl byen pwòp. Men, lè yo tande pawòl sa a, yo tout pran rele: Wete nonm sa a sou latè! Touye li! Li pa merite viv ankò!
Up to this point the people had been listening to Paul, but at these words they called out, ‘Kill him! A fellow like this ought not to have been allowed to live!’
23 Yo t'ap rele pi rèd, yo t'ap souke rad yo, yo t'ap voye pousyè tè anlè.
As they were shouting, tearing off their clothes, and throwing dust in the air,
24 Kòmandan women an bay lòd fè Pòl antre nan kazèn lan. Li mande pou yo bat li pou fè l' pale. Li te vle konnen poukisa foul moun yo t'ap rele dèyè l' konsa.
the commanding officer ordered Paul to be taken into the Fort, and directed that he should be examined under the lash so that he might find out the reason for their outcry against him.
25 Lè yo fin mare l' pou bat li, Pòl di ofisye ki te la a: Eske nou gen dwa bat yon sitwayen women ki pa menm pase devan yon tribinal?
But just as they had tied him up to be scourged, Paul said to the centurion standing near, ‘Is it legal for you to scourge a Roman citizen, unconvicted?’
26 Lè l' tande sa, ofisye a al avèti kòmandan an, li di li: Fè atansyon sa ou pral fè la a, tande! Nonm lan, se sitwayen women li ye wi.
On hearing this, the centurion went and reported it to the commanding officer. ‘Do you know what you are doing?’ he said. ‘This man is a Roman citizen.’
27 Kòmandan an vin jwenn Pòl, li mande li: Di mwen, èske se sitwayen women ou ye? Pòl reponn li: Wi.
So the commanding officer went up to Paul and said, ‘Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?’ ‘Yes,’ replied Paul.
28 Kòmandan an di l' konsa: Mwen menm, mwen te peye gwo lajan pou m' te ka sitwayen women. Pòl reponn li: Mwen menm, mwen fèt sitwayen women.
‘I had to pay a heavy price for my position as citizen,’ said the officer. ‘I am one by birth,’ rejoined Paul.
29 Lamenm, moun ki tapral bat li pou te fè l' pale yo renka kò yo dèyè. Ata kòmandan an te pè lè l' vin rann li kont li te fè mare Pòl ki te yon sitwayen women avèk chenn.
The men who were to have examined Paul immediately drew back, and the officer, finding that Paul was a Roman citizen, was alarmed at having put him in chains.
30 Kòmandan an te vle konnen egzakteman kisa jwif yo t'ap akize Pòl fè. Se konsa, nan denmen li fè lage chenn yo, epi li voye lòd bay chèf prèt yo pou yo reyini ansanm ak Gran Konsèy la. Li mennen Pòl, li mete l' devan yo.
On the next day the commanding officer, wishing to find out the real reason why Paul was denounced by the Jewish leaders, had his chains taken off, and directed the chief priests and the whole of the High Council to assemble, and then took Paul down and brought him before them.
