1 ايها الرجال الاخوة والآباء اسمعوا احتجاجي الآن لديكم. | 1 'My brothers, my fathers, listen to what I have to say to you in my defence.' |
2 فلما سمعوا انه ينادي لهم باللغة العبرانية اعطوا سكوتا احرى. فقال | 2 When they realised he was speaking in Hebrew, the silence was even greater than before. |
3 انا رجل يهودي ولدت في طرسوس كيليكية ولكن ربيت في هذه المدينة مؤدبا عند رجلي غمالائيل على تحقيق الناموس الابوي وكنت غيورا للّه كما انتم جميعكم اليوم. | 3 'I am a Jew', Paul said, 'and was born at Tarsus in Cilicia. I was brought up here in this city. It wasunder Gamaliel that I studied and was taught the exact observance of the Law of our ancestors. In fact, I was asful of duty towards God as you al are today. |
4 واضطهدت هذا الطريق حتى الموت مقيدا ومسلما الى السجون رجالا ونساء. | 4 I even persecuted this Way to the death and sent women as wel as men to prison in chains |
5 كما يشهد لي ايضا رئيس الكهنة وجميع المشيخة الذين اذ اخذت ايضا منهم رسائل للاخوة الى دمشق ذهبت لآتي بالذين هناك الى اورشليم مقيدين لكي يعاقبوا. | 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify. I even received letters from them to thebrothers in Damascus, which I took with me when I set off to bring prisoners back from there to Jerusalem forpunishment. |
6 فحدث لي وانا ذاهب ومتقرّب الى دمشق انه نحو نصف النهار بغتة ابرق حولي من السماء نور عظيم. | 6 'It happened that I was on that journey and nearly at Damascus when in the middle of the day a brightlight from heaven suddenly shone round me. |
7 فسقطت على الارض وسمعت صوتا قائلا لي شاول شاول لماذا تضطهدني. | 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" |
8 فاجبت من انت يا سيد. فقال لي انا يسوع الناصري الذي انت تضطهده. | 8 I answered, "Who are you, Lord?" and he said to me, "I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you arepersecuting." |
9 والذين كانوا معي نظروا النور وارتعبوا ولكنهم لم يسمعوا صوت الذي كلمني. | 9 The people with me saw the light but did not hear the voice which spoke to me. |
10 فقلت ماذا افعل يا رب. فقال لي الرب قم واذهب الى دمشق وهناك يقال لك عن جميع ما ترتب لك ان تفعل. | 10 I said, "What am I to do, Lord?" The Lord answered, "Get up and go into Damascus, and there youwil be told what you have been appointed to do." |
11 واذ كنت لا ابصر من اجل بهاء ذلك النور اقتادني بيدي الذين كانوا معي فجئت الى دمشق | 11 Since the light had been so dazzling that I was blind, I got to Damascus only because my companionsled me by the hand. |
12 ثم ان حنانيا رجلا تقيا حسب الناموس ومشهودا له من جميع اليهود السكان | 12 'Someone called Ananias, a devout fol ower of the Law and highly thought of by al the Jews livingthere, |
13 أتى اليّ ووقف وقال لي ايها الاخ شاول ابصر. ففي تلك الساعة نظرت اليه | 13 came to see me; he stood beside me and said, "Brother Saul, receive your sight." Instantly my sightcame back and I was able to see him. |
14 فقال. اله آبائنا انتخبك لتعلم مشيئته وتبصر البار وتسمع صوتا من فمه. | 14 Then he said, "The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Upright One andhear his own voice speaking, |
15 لانك ستكون له شاهدا لجميع الناس بما رايت وسمعت. | 15 because you are to be his witness before all humanity, testifying to what you have seen and heard. |
16 والآن لماذا تتوانى. قم واعتمد واغسل خطاياك داعيا باسم الرب | 16 And now why delay? Hurry and be baptised and wash away your sins, cal ing on his name." |
17 وحدث لي بعدما رجعت الى اورشليم وكنت اصلّي في الهيكل اني حصلت في غيبة | 17 'It happened that, when I got back to Jerusalem, and was praying in the Temple, I fell into a trance |
18 فرأيته قائلا لي اسرع واخرج عاجلا من اورشليم لانهم لا يقبلون شهادتك عني. | 18 and then I saw him. "Hurry," he said, "leave Jerusalem at once; they wil not accept the testimony you are giving about me." |
19 فقلت يا رب هم يعلمون اني كنت احبس واضرب في كل مجمع الذين يؤمنون بك. | 19 "Lord," I answered, "they know that I used to go from synagogue to synagogue, imprisoning andflogging those who believed in you; |
20 وحين سفك دم استفانوس شهيدك كنت انا واقفا وراضيا بقتله وحافظا ثياب الذين قتلوه. | 20 and that when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I, too, was standing by, in fullagreement with his murderers, and in charge of their clothes." |
21 فقال لي اذهب فاني سارسلك الى الامم بعيدا | 21 Then he said to me, "Go! I am sending you out to the gentiles far away." ' |
22 فسمعوا له حتى هذه الكلمة ثم رفعوا اصواتهم قائلين خذ مثل هذا من الارض لانه كان لا يجوز ان يعيش. | 22 So far they had listened to him, but at these words they began to shout, 'Rid the earth of the man! Heis not fit to live!' |
23 واذ كانوا يصيحون ويطرحون ثيابهم ويرمون غبارا الى الجو | 23 They were yel ing, waving their cloaks and throwing dust into the air, |
24 أمر الامير ان يذهب به الى المعسكر قائلا ان يفحص بضربات ليعلم لاي سبب كانوا يصرخون عليه هكذا | 24 and so the tribune had him brought into the fortress and ordered him to be examined under the lash,to find out the reason for the outcry against him. |
25 فلما مدوه للسياط قال بولس لقائد المئة الواقف أيجوز لكم ان تجلدوا انسانا رومانيا غير مقضي عليه. | 25 But when they had strapped him down Paul said to the centurion on duty, 'Is it legal for you to flog aman who is a Roman citizen and has not been brought to trial?' |
26 فاذ سمع قائد المئة ذهب الى الامير واخبره قائلا انظر ماذا انت مزمع ان تفعل. لان هذا الرجل روماني. | 26 When he heard this the centurion went and told the tribune; 'Do you realise what you are doing?' hesaid. 'This man is a Roman citizen.' |
27 فجاء الامير وقال له قل لي. انت روماني. فقال نعم. | 27 So the tribune came and asked him, 'Tel me, are you a Roman citizen?' Paul answered 'Yes'. |
28 فاجاب الامير اما انا فبمبلغ كبير اقتنيت هذه الرعوية. فقال بولس اما انا فقد ولدت فيها. | 28 To this the tribune replied, 'It cost me a large sum to acquire this citizenship.' 'But I was born to it,'said Paul. |
29 وللوقت تنحى عنه الذين كانوا مزمعين ان يفحصوه واختشى الامير لما علم انه روماني ولانه قد قيده | 29 Then those who were about to examine him hurriedly withdrew, and the tribune himself was alarmedwhen he realised that he had put a Roman citizen in chains. |
30 وفي الغد اذ كان يريد ان يعلم اليقين لماذا يشتكي اليهود عليه حله من الرباط وامر ان يحضر رؤساء الكهنة وكل مجمعهم فاحدر بولس واقامه لديهم | 30 The next day, since he wanted to know for sure what charge the Jews were bringing, he freed Pauland gave orders for a meeting of the chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin; then he brought Paul down and sethim in front of them. |