V 001 Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now
unto you.
V 002 (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them,
they kept the more silence: and he saith,)
V 003 I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in
Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught
according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was
zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.
V 004 And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering
into prisons both men and women.
V 005 As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate
of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and
went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem,
for to be punished.
V 006 And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh
unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light
round about me.
V 007 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me,
Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
V 008 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am
Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.
V 009 And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid;
but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.
V 010 And I said, What shall I do, LORD? And the Lord said unto me,
Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all
things which are appointed for thee to do.
V 011 And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by
the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.
V 012 And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good
report of all the Jews which dwelt there,
V 013 Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive
thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.
V 014 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou
shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the
voice of his mouth.
V 015 For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen
and heard.
V 016 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away
thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
V 017 And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem,
even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;
V 018 And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out
of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.
V 019 And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every
synagogue them that believed on thee:
V 020 And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was
standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them
that slew him.
V 021 And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto
the Gentiles.
V 022 And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up
their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it
is not fit that he should live.
V 023 And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust
into the air,
V 024 The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and
bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know
wherefore they cried so against him.
V 025 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion
that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman,
and uncondemned?
V 026 When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain,
saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.
V 027 Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou
a Roman? He said, Yea.
V 028 And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this
freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.
V 029 Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined
him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a
Roman, and because he had bound him.
V 030 On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore
he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded
the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul
down, and set him before them. |
|
»-1يا
إخْوَتي وآبائي، اَسمَعوا ما أقولُ الآنَ في الدِّفاعِ عَنْ
نَفسي!
«
2-
فلمَّا سَمِعوهُ يُخاطِبُهُم بالعِبرِيَّةِ، عادوا أكثَرَ
هُدوءًا، فقالَ:
3- »أنا
رجُلٌ يَهودِيًّ وُلِدتُ في طَرْسوسَ مِنْ كِيليكِيَّةَ،
لكِنِّي نَشأتُ هُنا في هذِهِ المدينةِ وتَعَلَّمتُ عِندَ
قَدَمَي غَمالائيلَ شريعةَ آبائِنا تَعليمًا صَحيحًا، وكُنتُ
غيورًا على خِدْمَةِ الله مثلَكُم أنتُم جَميعًا في أيّامِنا
هذِهِ.
4- واَضطَهَدْتُ مَذهبَ يَسوعَ حتى الموتِ،
فاَعتَقَلْتُ الرِّجالَ والنِّساءَ وألقَيتُهُم في
السُّجونِ.
5- وبِهذا يَشهَدُ لي رَئيسُ الكَهنَةِ وشُيوخُ
الشَّعبِ كُلُّهُم. فَمِنهُم أخَذتُ رَسائِلَ إلى إخوتِنا
اليَهودِ في دِمشقَ، فذَهبتُ إلَيها لاَعتِقالِ مَنْ كانَ
فيها مُؤمنًا بِهذا المَذهَبِ، فأسوقُهُ إلى أُورُشليمَ
لمُعاقَبتِهِ.
6- وبَينَما أنا أقْتَرِبُ مِنْ دِمشقَ، سطَعَ فَجأةً حَولي
عِندَ الظُّهرِ نُورٌ باهِرٌ مِنَ السَّماءِ،
7- فوَقعتُ إلى
الأرضِ، وسَمِعتُ صَوتًا يَقولُ لي: شاوُلُ، شاوُلُ، لِماذا
تَضطهِدُني؟
8- فأجَبْتُ: مَنْ أنتَ يا ربُّ؟ قالَ: أنا يَسوعُ
النـاصِريُّ الذي تَضْطَهِدُهُ.
9- وكانَ الذينَ مَعي يَرونَ
النـورَ ولا يَسمَعونَ صَوتَ مَنْ يُخاطِبُني.
10- فَقلتُ:
ماذا أعمَلُ، يا ربُّ؟ فقالَ ليَ الرَّبُّ: قُمْ واَدخُلْ
إلى دِمشقَ، وهُناكَ يُقالُ لكَ ما يَجبُ علَيكَ أنْ
تَعمَلَ.
11- وكُنتُ فَقَدْتُ بَصري مِنْ شِدَّةِ ذلِكَ النورِ
الباهِرِ، فقادَني رِفاقي بِيَدي حتى دَخَلْتُ دِمشقَ.
12- وكانَ فيها رجُلٌ تَقِيًّ مُتمَسِّكٌ بالشَّريعةِ اَسمُهُ
حنانيَّا، يَشهَدُ لَه جميعُ اليَهودِ في دِمشقَ.
13- فجاءَني
وقالَ لي: يا أخي شاوُلُ، أبصِرْ. فَأبصَرْتُهُ في الحالِ.
14- فقالَ: إلهُ آبائِنا اَختارَكَ لتَعرِفَ مَشيئتَهُ
وتُشاهِدَ فتاهُ البارَ وتَسمَعَهُ يُكلِّمُكَ.
15- فأنتَ
سَتكونُ شاهِدًا لَه عِندَ جميعِ الناسِ بِما رأيتَ
وسَمِعْتَ.
16- والآنَ، ما لكَ تُبطِئْ؟ قُمْ تَعمَّدْ
وتَطَهَّرْ مِنْ خَطاياكَ داعيًا بِاَسمِهِ.
17- ثُمَ رَجَعْتُ إلى أُورُشليمَ. وبَينَما أنا أُصلي في
الهَيكَلِ، وقَعتُ في غَيبوبَةٍ،
18- فرَأيتُ الرَّبَ
يَقولُ لي:
أسرِعْ في الخُروجِ مِنْ أُورُشليمَ، لأنَّ الشَّعبَ
هُنا لا يَقبَلونَ شَهادَتَكَ لي.
19-
فقُلتُ: هُم
يَعرِفونَ جيِّدًا يا ربُّ، أنِّي كُنتُ أدخُلُ
المَجامِـعَ وأعتَقِلُ المُؤمنينَ بِكَ وأجلُدُهُم،
20-
وأنِّي كُنتُ حاضِرًا عِندَما سفَكَ الشَّعبُ دمَ
إستِفانوسَ شَهيدِكَ وكُنتُ راضِيًا بِقَتلِهِ،
مُحافِظًا على ثيابِ الذينَ قَتَلوهُ.
21-
فقالَ ليَ
الرَّبُّ: هيّا، سأُرسِلُكَ إلى مكانٍ بَعيدٍ، إلى
غَيرِ اليَهودِ مِنَ الشعوبِ«.
22- وكانوا يُصغونَ إلى بولُسَ حتى قالَ هذِهِ
الكَلماتِ، فصاحوا بأعلى أصواتِهِم: «أزيلوا هذا
الرَّجُلَ عَنْ وَجهِ الأرضِ! هوَ لا يَستحِقُّ
الحياةَ«.
23- وأخَذوا يَصيحونَ، ويَطرَحونَ ثيابَهُم، ويَرمونَ
التُّرابَ في الهواءِ.
24- فأمَرَ قائِدُ الحامِيَةِ
رجالَهُ بأنْ يُدخلوا بولُسَ إلى القَلعةِ ويسألوهُ
تَحتَ الضَّربِ، ليَعرِفَ لِماذا يَصيحُ علَيهِ
اليَهودُ كُلَ هذا الصِّياحِ.
25- فلمَّا مَدَّدوهُ
ورَبَطوهُ ليَجلِدوهُ، قالَ لِلضابِطِ الواقفِ
بِجانِبِه: «أيَحِقُّ لكُم أنْ تَجلِدوا مُواطنًا
رومانِـيُا مِنْ غَيرِ أنْ تُحاكِموهُ؟«
26-
فلمَّا سَمِعَ الضابِطُ هذا الكلامَ، أسرَعَ إلى
القائِدِ وقالَ لَه: «ماذا تَفعَلُ؟ هذا الرَّجُلُ رومانيُّ!
«
27- فجاءَ القائِدُ إلى بولُسَ وقالَ لَه: «قُلْ لي:
هَلْ أنتَ رومانيُّ؟«
قالَ: «نعَم«.
28- فقالَ القائِدُ: «أنا دَفَعتُ مالاً كثيرًا حتى
حَصَلتُ على هذِهِ الجِنسيَّةِ«.
فقالَ بولُسُ: «أمّا أنا فمولودٌ فيها«.
29- فتَراجَعَ عَنهُ في الحالِ مَنْ كانوا يُريدونَ
أنْ يَستَجوِبوهُ. وخافَ القائِدُ لمَّا عرَفَ
أنَّهُ رومانيًّ وأنَّهُ كَبَّلَهُ بِالقيودِ.
بولس في مجلس اليهود
30-
وأرادَ القائِدُ في الغَدِ أنْ يَعرِفَ حَقيقةَ ما
يَتَّهِمُ اليَهودُ بِه بولُسَ، فحلَ قُيودَهُ،
وأمَرَ رُؤساءَ الكَهنَةِ وجميعَ أعضاءِ مَجلِسِ
اليَهودِ أنْ يَجتَمعوا، ثُمَ أنزَلَ بولُسَ
وأحضَرَهُ مَجلِسَهُم. |