Paul Appeals to the Emperor
1 Three days after Festus arrived in the province, he went from Caesarea to Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders brought their charges against Paul. They begged Festus 3 to do them the favor of having Paul come to Jerusalem, for they had made a plot to kill him on the way. 4 Festus answered, “Paul is being kept a prisoner in Caesarea, and I myself will be going back there soon. 5 Let your leaders go to Caesarea with me and accuse the man if he has done anything wrong.”
6 Festus spent another eight or ten days with them and then went to Caesarea. On the next day he sat down in the judgment court and ordered Paul to be brought in. 7 When Paul arrived, the Jews who had come from Jerusalem stood around him and started making many serious charges against him, which they were not able to prove. 8 But Paul defended himself: “I have done nothing wrong against the Law of the Jews or against the Temple or against the Roman Emperor.”
9 But Festus wanted to gain favor with the Jews, so he asked Paul, “Would you be willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried on these charges before me there?”
10 Paul said, “I am standing before the Emperor's own judgment court, where I should be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you yourself well know. 11 If I have broken the law and done something for which I deserve the death penalty, I do not ask to escape it. But if there is no truth in the charges they bring against me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to the Emperor.”
12 Then Festus, after conferring with his advisers, answered, “You have appealed to the Emperor, so to the Emperor you will go.”
Paul before Agrippa and Bernice
13 Some time later King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to pay a visit of welcome to Festus. 14 After they had been there several days, Festus explained Paul's situation to the king: “There is a man here who was left a prisoner by Felix; 15 and when I went to Jerusalem, the Jewish chief priests and elders brought charges against him and asked me to condemn him. 16 But I told them that we Romans are not in the habit of handing over any who are accused of a crime before they have met their accusers face-to-face and have had the chance of defending themselves against the accusation. 17 When they came here, then, I lost no time, but on the very next day I sat in the judgment court and ordered the man to be brought in. 18 His opponents stood up, but they did not accuse him of any of the evil crimes that I thought they would. 19 All they had were some arguments with him about their own religion and about a man named Jesus, who has died; but Paul claims that he is alive. 20 I was undecided about how I could get information on these matters, so I asked Paul if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there on these charges. 21 But Paul appealed; he asked to be kept under guard and to let the Emperor decide his case. So I gave orders for him to be kept under guard until I could send him to the Emperor.”
22 Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.”
“You will hear him tomorrow,” Festus answered.
23 The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and ceremony and entered the audience hall with the military chiefs and the leading men of the city. Festus gave the order, and Paul was brought in. 24 Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are here with us: You see this man against whom all the Jewish people, both here and in Jerusalem, have brought complaints to me. They scream that he should not live any longer. 25 But I could not find that he had done anything for which he deserved the death sentence. And since he himself made an appeal to the Emperor, I have decided to send him. 26 But I have nothing definite about him to write to the Emperor. So I have brought him here before you—and especially before you, King Agrippa!—so that, after investigating his case, I may have something to write. 27 For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without clearly indicating the charges against him.”
Paulo le 'Bädri'ba Ondrene
1 U'du nätu Feseto kesabe wari ya vosi oko, nda oyite ni Kaisaria yasi Yerusalema ya. 2 Lau kohanii 'desi ndi dri'bai Yudai robe itiyitate Paulo lomvo. Ànya ejiyi Feseto te 3 takado oyene ànyari Paulo ezi si Yerusalema ya, tana ànya äyiyitate nda ufune liti ya. 4 Feseto zatadrite ekye: “A'ba Paulo te kamba ya Kaisaria ya ago andivo maro ma oye ogone lau ndriro. 5 Mì'ba dri'ba amiro koyiyi Kaisaria ya mabe ago kikicuyi mano ana ondro nda koye ŋga aza te koziro owo.”
6 Feseto go rite u'duna njidriena kode 'butealo ànya yibe ago 'dooko oyite Kaisaria ya. Kyenonosi oko nda rite vo vureopero ya ago ozotate Paulo ezine. 7 Ondro Paulo kesate oko, Yudai se kikyiyibe ni Yerusalema ya ana edreyite gbikyi nda lomvosi ago etoyi takozi amba itite nda lomvo, se taŋgye i'do kigye. 8 Oko Paulo ititate andivo ndaro ta ekye: “Maye ŋga koziro aza kote Ota Yudai ro lomvo, kode Yekalu lomvo kode 'Bädri'ba Roma'ba ro lomvo.”
9 Oko Feseto le Yudai i'dwene, ago nda eji Paulo te ekye: “Milena gi'da oyine Yerusalema ya vure miro ape robe makandra lau ya?”
10 Paulo atate ekye: “Ma edrevoya yau vo vure opero 'Bädri'ba ro modona kandra, se beṛo vure maro opene kigye owo. Maye ŋgakozi aza kote Yudai ri, ago mi andivo minite kado. 11 Ondro mepere Ota te ago maye ŋga azaka te se egyena odra ndi mädri, märi taejine i'do voopaza ni kigyesi. Oko ondro taŋgye ka'dote i'do tase itibe malomvo ono ya, 'diaza unina ko ma ozone ànyari. Moyina ndi 'Bädri'ba re.”
12 'Dooko Feseto käyitate taäyi'bai ndaro be oko, zatadrite ekye: “Milebete 'Bädri'ba ondrene nyoyina ndi 'Bädri'ba re.”
Paulo Aguripa Kandra ndi Berenisa be
13 Tu aza si oko 'Bädri'ba Aguripa ndi Berenisa be ikyiyite Kaisaria ya mede oyene Feseto ri. 14 Ori ànyaro lau u'duna amba vosi oko, Feseto iti ta Paulo rote 'bädri'ba ri ekye: “Mano aza orivoya noŋwa se Felikisi e'bete kamba'ba ro, 15 ago ondro moyite Yerusalema ya oko, kohanii 'desi Yudai ro ndi 'di'desii be itiyitate nda lomvo ago ejiyi ma te nda ezane. 16 Oko mititate ànyari makye a'do ama Roma'bai ro ko mano se ikicube taenji aza ro ozone teinye ndäri ta ata ako miya miya nda kicu'bai be ago ta andivo ndaro ro ata ako ŋgakicu ono lomvo. 17 Ondro ànya kesayite noŋwa oko, meleye ṛo ko, kyenono si marite vo vureopero ya ago mozotate mano ana locine. 18 Kyila'baazii ndaro edreyite kuru, oko ànya kicuyi nda kote takozi aza se taenjiro musu tana be rota. 19 Ànya cini a'dote kaladiṛivoya nda be ta mätu modo ànyaro rota ago ta mano se äzibe Yesu ono rota, se drate, oko Paulo ka ata ekye nda orivoya lidriidriro. 20 Musu ta aza kote atane ta nonye ono ta, ago meji Paulo te kode nda a'dona ndi olebe oyine Yerusalema ya ago vure tase kwoi ro ape robe lau. 21 Oko Paulo ejitate vure ndaro ugune vure 'desi ya, nda ejitate nda gagane ago 'Bädri'ba ri ni vure ndaro opene. Ago mozotate ndäri a'done vookwa'ba zele madale mazona nda gwo 'Bädri'ba re.” 22 Aguripa atate Feseto ri ekye: “Andivo maro male ta mano ono ro erine.”
Feseto zatadrite ekye: “Nyerina ta ndaro 'da ondo.”
23 Tu kinjo si oko Aguripa ndi Berenisa be ikyiyite taoro amba be ago ciyite ya zo kalakoto roya ndi kyila'bai se 'desii ro iyi yibe ndi lidri dri'bai 'bakici ro yibe, Feseto ozotate, ago oloci Paulo te. 24 Feseto atate ekye: “'Bädri'ba Aguripa ndi 'dicini se orivoya ama be noŋwa ono be: Mindre mano gi ono se lidri cini Yudai ro a'dote kyilaro sina, kpa noŋwa ago kpa Yerusalema ya. Ànya itiyi tate märi nda lomvo, ànya treyite ekye beṛo ndäri odrane. 25 Oko musu ta aza ko se nda koyebe koziro nda o'baza odrane. Ago nda andivo ejitate 'Bädri'ba ondrene, maratate nda ozone. 26 Oko ma ta gya aza ako egyine 'Bädri'ba ri. Ago mezi nda te ami kandra, ago ndrana ro mikandra 'Bädri'ba Aguripa! Tana vure ndaro ondrena vosi, ma'do robe ta aza be egyine. 27 Tana landre ko kadoro märi kamba'ba aza ozone teinye tase itibe nda lomvo tana ka'da ako ŋgye.”