Bilingual reading

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

“I think myself happy, King Agrippa, that I am to make my defense before you today concerning all the things the Jews accuse me of,

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

“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;

having known me from the first, if they are willing to testify, that after the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.’

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

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;

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

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.’

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

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.

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

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,

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.”

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

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

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.

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

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

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.”

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

When they had withdrawn, they spoke to one another, saying, “This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds.”

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

فقالَ أَغْريبَّا لِبُولس: «يُؤذَنُ لَكَ أَن تَتَكَلَّمَ في شأنِكَ». فبَسَطَ بولُسُ يَدَه وشَرَعَ في دِفاعِه قال

«أَراني سَعيدًا، أَيُّها المَلِكُ أَغْريبَّا، لِأَنِّي سأُدافِعُ اليَومَ عن نَفْسي، في حَضرَتِكَ، مِن كُلِّ ما يَتَّهِمُني بِه اليَهود

خُصوصًا إِنَّكَ تَعرِفُ كُلَّ ما لِليَهودِ مِن سُنَنٍ ومُجادَلات. فأَسأَلُكَ أَن تُصغِيَ إِلَيَّ بِطولِ أَناة

ما كانَت علَيه سيرتي مُنذُ صِبايَ الَّذي قَضَيتُه مِن أَوَّلِه في أُمَّتي وفي أُورَشَليم، ذٰلكَ أَمرٌ يعلَمُه جَميعُ اليَهود

فهُم يَعرِفوني مِن زَمَنٍ بَعيد، لَو شاؤُوا أن يَشهَدوا، يَعرِفونَ أَنِّي ٱتَّبَعتُ أَكثَرَ مَذاهِبِ دِيانتِنا تَشَدُّدًا، فَعِشتُ فِرِّيسِيًّا

وقد مَثَلتُ اليَومَ لِأُحاكَمَ مِن أَجْلِ رَجاءِ ما وَعَدَ اللهُ بِه آباءَنا

والَّذي يَرْجو أَسْباطُنا الِاثْنا عَشَرَ أَن يَبْلُغوا إِلَيه بالمُواظَبةِ على عِبادَةِ اللهِ لَيلَ نَهار. فبِهٰذا الرَّجاءِ، أَيُّها المَلِك، يَتَّهِمُني اليَهود

فلِماذا تَحسَبونَ أَمرًا لا يُصَدَّق أَن يُقيمَ اللهُ الأَموات؟

أَمَّا أَنا فكُنتُ أَرى واجِبًا علَيَّ أَن أُقاوِمَ ٱسمَ يسوعَ النَّاصِرِيِّ مُقاوَمَةً شَديدة

وهٰذا ما فَعلتُ في أُورَشَليم، إِذ تَلَقَّيتُ التَّفويضَ مِن عُظَماءِ الكَهَنَة، فحَبَستُ بِيَدي في السُّجونِ عَدَدًا كَثيرًا مِنَ القِدِّيسين، وكُنتُ مُوافِقًا لَمَّا ٱقتُرِعَ على قَتْلِهم

وكَثيرًا ما عَذَّبتُهم مُتَنَقِّلًا مِن مَجمَعٍ إِلى مَجمَعٍ لِأَحمِلَهم على التَّجْديف. وبَلَغَ مِنِّي السُّخْطُ كُلَّ مَبلَغ حتَّى أَخَذتُ أُطارِدُهم في المُدُنِ الغَريبة

فمَضَيتُ على هٰذه الحالِ إِلى دِمَشق، وليَ التَّفويضُ والتَّوكيلُ مِن عُظَماءِ الكَهَنَة

فرَأَيتُ أَيُّها المَلِكُ على الطَّريقِ عِندَ الظُّهرِ نورًا مِنَ السَّماءِ يَفوقُ الشَّمسَ بإِشعاعِه قد سَطَعَ حَولي وحَولَ رُفَقائي

فسَقَطْنا جَميعًا إِلى الأَرض، وسَمِعتُ صَوتًا يَقولُ لي بِالعِبرِيَّة: شاوُل، شاوُل، لِماذا تَضطَهِدُني؟ يَصعُبُ عَليكَ أَن تَرفِسَ المِهْماز

فقُلتُ: مَن أَنتَ يا رَبّ؟ قال الرَّبّ: أَنا يسوعُ الَّذي أَنتَ تَضطَهِدُه

فٱنهَضْ وقُمْ على قَدَمَيكَ فإِنَّما ظَهَرتُ لَكَ لِأَجعَلَ مِنكَ خادِمًا وشاهِدًا لِهٰذهِ الرُّؤْيا الَّتي رَأَيتَني فيها، ولِغَيرِها مِنَ الرُّؤَى الَّتي سأَظهَرُ لكَ فيها

سأُنقِذُكَ مِنَ الشَّعبِ ومِنَ الوَثَنِيِّينَ الَّذينَ أُرسِلُكَ إِلَيهم

لِتَفتَحَ عُيونَهم فيَرجِعوا مِنَ الظَّلامِ إِلى النُّور، ومِن سُلطانِ الشَّيطانِ إِلى الله، ويَنالوا بِالإِيمانِ بي غُفْرانَ الخَطايا ونَصيبَهم مِنَ الميراثِ في عِدادِ المُقَدَّسين

ومِن ذاك الحين لم أَعْصِ الرُّؤيا السَّماوِيَّة، أَيُّها المَلِكُ أَغْريبَّا

بل أَعلَنتُ لِلَّذينَ في دِمَشقَ أَوَّلًا، ثُمَّ لِأَهلِ أُورَشَليمَ وبِلادِ اليَهودِيَّةِ كُلِّها، ثُمَّ لِلوَثَنِيِّين، أَن يَتوبوا ويَرجِعوا إِلى الله، بالقِيامِ بِأَعمالٍ تَدُلُّ على التَّوبَة

فلِذٰلكَ قَبَضَ عليَّ اليَهودُ في الهَيكَل، وحاوَلوا قَتْلي

وأَنا بِعَونِ اللهِ قد مَثَلتُ إِلى اليَومِ شاهِدًا لِلصَّغيرِ والكَبير، ولا أَقولُ إِلَّا ما أَنبأَ الأَنبِياءُ وموسى بِحُدوثِه

مِن أَنَّ المسيحَ سيَتأَلَّمُ وأَنَّه، وهو أَوَّلُ القائمينَ مِن بَينِ الأَموات، سيُبَشِّرُ الشَّعْبَ والوَثَنِيِّينَ بِالنُّور»

وبَينَما هو يُدافِعُ عن نَفسِه بِهٰذا الكَلامِ، قالَ فَسطُس بِأَعلى صَوتِه: «جُنِنْتَ يا بولُس، فَإِنَّ تَبَحُّرَكَ في العِلمِ يَنتَهي بِكَ إِلى الجُنون»

فقالَ بولُس: «لَستُ بِمَجنونٍ يا فَسطُسُ المُكَرَّم، ولٰكِنِّي أَتكَلَّمُ كَلامَ الحَقِّ والعَقْل

فالمَلِكُ الَّذي أُوَجِّهُ إِلَيه هٰذا الخِطابَ مُطمَئِنًّا يَعرِفُ تِلكَ الأُمور ويَقيني أَنَّه لا تَخْفى علَيه خافِيَةٌ مِنها، ذٰلِك بِأَنَّها لم تَحْدُثْ في بُقْعَةٍ مُنزَوِيَة

أُتُؤمِنُ بِالأَنبِياءِ أَيُّها المَلِكُ أَغْريبَّا؟ أَنا أَعلَمُ أَنَّكَ تُؤمِنُ بِهم»

فقالَ أَغْريبَّا لِبُولس: «تُريدُ أَن تُقنِعَني بأَنَّكَ بِوَقتٍ قليلٍ جَعَلتَني مَسيحِيًّا»

قالَ بولُس: «إِنِّي أَرْجو مِنَ الله، لَيسَ لَكَ وَحدَكَ، بل لِجَميعِ الَّذينَ يَسمَعوني اليَوم، أَن يَصيروا، بالقَليلِ أَو بِالكَثير، إِلى ما أَنا علَيه، ما عَدا هٰذهِ القُيود»

فقامَ المَلِكُ والحاكِمُ وبَرنيقَة والجالِسونَ معَهم

فقالَ بَعضُهم لِبَعضٍ وهُم مُنصَرِفون: «إِنَّ هٰذا الرَّجُلَ لا يَفعَلُ شَيئًا يَستَوجِبُ بِه المَوتَ أَوِ الِٱعتِقال»

وقالَ أَغْريبَّا لِفَسطُس: «لو لم يَرْفَعْ هٰذا الرَّجُلُ دَعْواه إِلى قَيصَر لأَمكَنَ إِخلاءُ سَبيلِه»