Actuum Apostolorum 26

1 Agrippa vero ad Paulum ait: Permittitur tibi loqui pro temetipso. Tunc Paulus extenta manu coepit rationem reddere.

Agrippa said to Paul, “You may speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand, and made his defence.

2 De omnibus, quibus accusor a Iudaeis, rex Agrippa, aestimo me beatum apud te, cum sim defensurus me hodie,

“I think myself happy, King Agrippa, that I am to make my defence before you today concerning all the things that I am accused by the Jews,

3 maxime te sciente omnia, et quae apud Iudaeos sunt consuetudines, et quaestiones: propter quod obsecro patienter me audias.

especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which are amongst the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.

4 Et quidem vitam meam a iuventute, quae ab initio fuit in gente mea in Ierosolymis, noverunt omnes Iudaei:

“Indeed, all the Jews know my way of life from my youth up, which was from the beginning amongst my own nation and at Jerusalem;

5 praescientes me ab initio (si velint testimonium perhibere) quoniam secundum certissimam sectam nostrae religionis vixi Pharisaeus.

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 Et nunc in spe, quae ad patres nostros repromissionis facta est a Deo, sto iudicio subiectus:

Now I stand here to be judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers,

7 in quam duodecim tribus nostrae nocte ac die deservientes, sperant devenire. De qua spe accusor a Iudaeis, rex.

which our twelve tribes, earnestly serving night and day, hope to attain. Concerning this hope I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa!

8 Quid incredibile iudicatur apud vos, si Deus mortuos suscitat?

Why is it judged incredible with you if God does raise the dead?

9 Et ego quidem existimaveram, me adversus nomen Iesu Nazareni debere multa contraria agere.

“I myself most certainly thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

10 quod et feci Ierosolymis, et multos sanctorum ego in carceribus inclusi, a principibus sacerdotum potestate accepta: et cum occiderentur, detuli sententiam.

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 Et per omnes synagogas frequenter puniens eos, compellebam blasphemare: et amplius insaniens in eos, persequebar usque in exteras civitates.

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 In quibus dum irem Damascum cum potestate, et permissu principum sacerdotum,

“Whereupon as I travelled to Damascus with the authority and commission from the chief priests,

13 die media in via, vidi, rex, de caelo supra splendorem solis circumfulsisse me lumen, et eos, qui mecum simul erant.

at noon, O king, I saw on the way a light from the sky, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who travelled with me.

14 Omnesque nos cum decidissemus in terram, audivi vocem loquentem mihi Hebraica lingua: Saule, Saule, quid me persequeris? durum est tibi contra stimulum calcitrare.

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 Ego autem dixi: Quis es Domine? Dominus autem dixit: Ego sum Iesus, quem tu persequeris.

“I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

16 Sed exurge, et sta super pedes tuos: ad hoc enim apparui tibi, ut constituam te ministrum, et testem eorum, quae vidisti, et eorum, quibus apparebo tibi,

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 eripiens te de populis, et gentibus, in quas nunc ego mitto te,

delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you,

18 aperire oculos eorum, ut convertantur a tenebris ad lucem, et de potestate satanae ad Deum, ut accipiant remissionem peccatorum, et sortem inter sanctos per fidem, quae est in me.

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 amongst those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

19 Unde rex Agrippa, non fui incredulus caelesti visioni:

“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

20 sed his, qui sunt Damasci primum, et Ierosolymis, et in omnem regionem Iudaeae, et Gentibus annunciabam, ut poenitentiam agerent, et converterentur ad Deum, digna poenitentiae opera facientes.

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 Hac ex causa me Iudaei, cum essem in templo, comprehensum tentabant interficere.

For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.

22 Auxilio autem adiutus Dei usque in hodiernum diem sto, testificans minori, atque maiori, nihil extra dicens quam ea, quae Prophetae locuti sunt futura esse, et Moyses,

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 si passibilis Christus, si primus ex resurrectione mortuorum, lumen annunciaturus est populo, et Gentibus.

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 Haec loquente eo, et rationem reddente, Festus magna voce dixit: Insanis Paule: multae te litterae ad insaniam convertunt.

As he thus made his defence, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are crazy! Your great learning is driving you insane!”

25 Et Paulus: Non insanio (inquit) optime Feste, sed veritatis, et sobrietatis verba loquor.

But he said, “I am not crazy, most excellent Festus, but boldly declare words of truth and reasonableness.

26 Scit enim de his rex, ad quem et constanter loquor: latere enim eum nihil horum arbitror. Neque enim in angulo quidquam horum gestum est.

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 Credis rex Agrippa prophetis? Scio quia credis.

King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.”

28 Agrippa autem ad Paulum: In modico suades me Christianum fieri.

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

29 Et Paulus: Opto apud Deum, et in modico, et in magno, non tantum te, sed etiam omnes, qui audiunt, hodie fieri tales, qualis et ego sum, exceptis vinculis his.

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 Et exurrexit rex, et praeses, et Bernice, et qui assidebant eis.

The king rose up with the governor and Bernice, and those who sat with them.

31 Et cum secessissent, loquebantur ad invicem, dicentes: Quia nihil morte, aut vinculis dignum quid fecit homo iste.

When they had withdrawn, they spoke to one another, saying, “This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds.”

32 Agrippa autem Festo dixit: Dimitti poterat homo hic, si non appellasset Caesarem.

Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”