Ushuhuda Wa Paulo Kwa Wayahudi Wa Yerusalemu
122:1 Mdo 7:2“Ndugu zangu na baba zangu, sikilizeni utetezi wangu.”
222:2 Mdo 21:40Waliposikia akisema kwa lugha ya Kiebrania, wakanyamaza kimya kabisa.
Ndipo Paulo akasema, 322:3 Mdo 9:11; Lk 10:39; Mdo 5:34; 26:5; 21:20“Mimi ni Myahudi, niliyezaliwa Tarso huko Kilikia, lakini nimelelewa katika mji huu. Miguuni mwa Gamalieli, nilifundishwa kikamilifu katika sheria ya baba zetu, na nikawa mwenye juhudi kwa ajili ya Mungu kama kila mmoja wenu alivyo leo. 422:4 Mdo 8:3Niliwatesa watu wa Njia hii hadi kufa, nikiwakamata waume kwa wake na kuwatupa gerezani, 522:5 Lk 22:66; Rum 7:1; Mdo 9:2kama kuhani mkuu na baraza zima la wazee wanavyoweza kushuhudia kunihusu. Hata nilipokea barua kutoka kwao kwenda kwa ndugu wale wa Dameski, nami nikaenda huko ili kuwaleta watu hawa Yerusalemu kama wafungwa ili waadhibiwe.
Paulo Aeleza Juu Ya Kuokoka Kwake
(Matendo 9:1-19; 26:12-18)
622:6 Mdo 9:3“Nilipokuwa njiani kuelekea Dameski, yapata saa sita mchana, ghafula nuru kubwa kutoka mbinguni ikanimulika kotekote. 7Nikaanguka chini, nikasikia sauti ikiniambia, ‘Sauli, Sauli! Mbona unanitesa?’
822:8 Mk 1:24“Nikajibu, ‘Wewe ni nani Bwana?’
“Naye akaniambia, ‘Mimi ni Yesu wa Nazareti unayemtesa.’ 922:9 Mdo 26:13; 9:7Basi wale watu waliokuwa pamoja nami waliiona ile nuru, lakini hawakuisikia sauti ya yule aliyekuwa akisema nami.
1022:10 Mdo 16:30“Nikauliza, ‘Nifanye nini Bwana?’
“Naye Bwana akaniambia, ‘Inuka uingie Dameski, huko utaambiwa yote yakupasayo kufanya.’ 1122:11 Mdo 9:8Kwa kuwa nilikuwa siwezi kuona kwa ajili ya mngʼao wa ile nuru, wenzangu wakanishika mkono wakaniongoza kuingia Dameski.
1222:12 Mdo 9:17; 19:22“Mtu mmoja mcha Mungu, jina lake Anania, alikuja kuniona. Alizishika sana sheria zetu, na aliheshimiwa sana na Wayahudi waliokuwa wakiishi huko Dameski. 13Akasimama karibu nami, akasema, ‘Ndugu Sauli, pata kuona tena!’ Saa ile ile nikapata kuona tena, nami nikaweza kumwona.
1422:14 Mdo 3:13; 1Kor 9:1; 15:8; Mdo 7:52“Akasema, ‘Mungu wa baba zetu amekuchagua wewe ili ujue mapenzi yake, umwone yeye Aliye Mwenye Haki na upate kusikia maneno kutoka kinywani mwake. 1522:15 Mdo 23:11; 26:16Kwa kuwa utakuwa shahidi wake kwa watu kuhusu kile ulichokiona na kukisikia. 1622:16 Mdo 2:38; Za 51:2; Rum 10:13Sasa basi, mbona unakawia? Inuka, ukabatizwe na dhambi zako zikasafishwe, ukiliita Jina lake.’
Paulo Atumwa Kwa Watu Wa Mataifa
1722:17 Mdo 9:26; 10:10“Baada ya kurudi Yerusalemu, nilipokuwa ninaomba Hekaluni, nilipitiwa na usingizi wa ghafula 1822:18 Mdo 22:14; Mt 10:14nikamwona Bwana akiniambia, ‘Harakisha utoke Yerusalemu upesi, maana hawataukubali ushuhuda wako kunihusu mimi.’
1922:19 Mdo 8:3; Mt 10:17“Nami nikasema, ‘Bwana, wao wenyewe wanajua jinsi nilivyokwenda kwenye kila sinagogi ili kuwatupa gerezani na kuwapiga wale waliokuamini. 2022:20 Mdo 7:57-60; 8:1Wakati damu ya shahidi wako Stefano ilipomwagwa, mimi mwenyewe nilikuwa nimesimama kando, nikikubaliana na kitendo hicho na kutunza mavazi ya wale waliomuua.’
2122:21 Mdo 9:15; 13:46“Ndipo Bwana akaniambia, ‘Nenda, kwa maana nitakutuma mbali, kwa watu wa Mataifa.’ ”
Paulo Na Jemadari Wa Kirumi
2222:22 Mdo 21:36Ule umati wa watu wakamsikiliza Paulo mpaka aliposema neno hilo, ndipo wakapaza sauti zao na kupiga kelele wakisema, “Mwondoeni duniani, hafai kuishi!”
2322:23 Mdo 7:58; 2Sam 16:13Walipokuwa wakipiga kelele na kutoa mavazi yao huku wakirusha mavumbi juu hewani, 2422:24 Mdo 21:34yule jemadari akaamuru Paulo aingizwe kwenye ngome. Akaelekeza kwamba achapwe viboko na aulizwe ili kujua kwa nini watu walikuwa wanampigia kelele namna hiyo. 2522:25 Mdo 16:37Lakini walipokwisha kumfunga kwa kamba za ngozi ili wamchape viboko, Paulo akamwambia kiongozi wa askari aliyekuwa amesimama pale karibu naye, “Je, ni halali kwenu kwa mujibu wa sheria kumchapa mtu ambaye ni raiya wa Rumi hata kabla hajapatikana na hatia?”
26Yule kiongozi aliposikia maneno haya, alimwendea yule jemadari na kumwambia, “Unataka kufanya nini? Kwa maana huyu mtu ni raiya wa Rumi.”
27Yule jemadari akaja akamuuliza Paulo, “Niambie, wewe ni raiya wa Rumi?”
Paulo akajibu, “Naam, hakika ndiyo.”
28Ndipo yule jemadari akasema, “Mimi ilinigharimu kiasi kikubwa cha fedha kupata uraia wangu.”
Paulo akasema “Lakini mimi ni raiya wa Rumi kwa kuzaliwa.”
2922:29 Mdo 16:38Mara wale waliokuwa wanataka kumhoji wakajiondoa haraka, naye yule jemadari akaingiwa na hofu alipotambua ya kuwa amemfunga Paulo, ambaye ni raia wa Rumi, kwa minyororo.
Paulo Apelekwa Mbele Ya Baraza
3022:30 Mdo 23:28; 21:33; Mt 5:22Kesho yake, kwa kuwa yule jemadari alitaka kujua hakika kwa nini Paulo alikuwa anashutumiwa na Wayahudi, alimfungua, na akawaagiza viongozi wa makuhani na baraza lote likutane. Kisha akamleta Paulo, akamsimamisha mbele yao.
1“Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.”
2When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet.
Then Paul said: 3“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. 4I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, 5as the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.
6“About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. 7I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’
8“ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.
“ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. 9My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.
10“ ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked.
“ ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’ 11My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.
12“A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. 13He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him.
14“Then he said: ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. 15You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard. 16And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’
17“When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance 18and saw the Lord speaking to me. ‘Quick!’ he said. ‘Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me.’
19“ ‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. 20And when the blood of your martyr22:20 Or witness Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’
21“Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”
Paul the Roman Citizen
22The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!”
23As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, 24the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. 25As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?”
26When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.”
27The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”
“Yes, I am,” he answered.
28Then the commander said, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.”
“But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied.
29Those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.
Paul Before the Sanhedrin
30The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews. So the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.
