¹Agrippa said to Paul, “You may speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand, and made his defense.

¹Zvino Agripa akati kuna Pauro: Unotenderwa kuzvidavirira. Ipapo Pauro akatambanudza ruoko, akazvipindurira, achiti:

²“I think myself happy, King Agrippa, that I am to make my defense before you this day concerning all the things that I am accused by the Jews,

²Pane zvose zvandakamhan'arirwa nevaJudha, Mambo Agripa, ndinoona ndichifara kuti ndodozvidavirira pamberi penyu nhasi;

³especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.

³zvikuru imwi mune ruzivo rwetsika dzose nemakakava ari pakati pevaJudha; naizvozvo ndinokukumbirai kuti mundinzwe nemoyo murefu.

⁴“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;

⁴Mufambiro wangu kubva pauduku, waiva pakutanga pakati porudzi rwangu paJerusarema, vaJudha vose vanoziva,

⁵having known me from the first, if they are willing to testify, that after the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

⁵vaindiziva kubva pakutanga, kana vachida kupupura kuti nenzira chaiyo yeboka rechitendero chedu, ndairarama ndiri muFarisi.

⁶Now I stand here to be judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers,

⁶Nazvino ndimire ndichitongwa nekuda kwetariro yechivimbiso chakaitwa naMwari kumadzibaba edu,

⁷which our twelve tribes, earnestly serving night and day, hope to attain. Concerning this hope I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa!

⁷mairi marudzi edu gumi nemaviri anoramba achishumira siku nesikati vachitarisira kuti inouya. Nekuda kwetariro iyi mambo Agripa, ndinopiwa mhosva nevaJudha.

⁸Why is it judged incredible with you, if God does raise the dead?

⁸Zvinofungwa sei kuti zvinhu zvisingatendeseki kwamuri, kana Mwari achimutsa vakafa?

⁹“I myself most certainly thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

⁹Ini zvirokwazvo ndaifunga ndomene kuti ndinofanira kuita zvinhu zvizhinji zvinopesana nezita raJesu weNazareta.

¹⁰This I also did 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.

¹⁰Ndizvo zvandakaitawo paJerusarema, nevazhinji vevatsvene ndakapfigira mutirongo ndagamuchira simba kubva kuvapristi vakuru; uye nepavaiurawa neni ndaibvumira.

¹¹Punishing them often in all the synagogues, I tried to make them blaspheme. Being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

¹¹Uye ndaivaranga nguva zhinji musinagoge rimwe nerimwe, ndichivaroverera kuti vanyombe; zvino ndichinyanya kuvapengera, ndakavashusha kusvikira kumaguta evahedheni.

¹²“Whereupon as I traveled to Damascus with the authority and commission from the chief priests,

¹²Ndipo ndichienda Dhamasiko nesimba uye nekutumwa kubva kuvapristi vakuru,

¹³at 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.

¹³pamasikati makuru, mambo, ndakaona munzira chiedza chichibva kudenga, chaikunda kupenya kwezuva, chichipenyera chakandipoteredza nevaifamba neni.

¹⁴When 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.’

¹⁴Zvino takati tose tawira pasi, ndakanzwa izwi richitaura kwandiri richiti nerurimi rwechiHebheru: Sauro, Sauro, Unondishushirei? Zvinokuremera kukava zvibayo.

¹⁵“I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

¹⁵Zvino ndikati: Ndimwi ani, Ishe? Akati: Ndini Jesu waunotambudza.

¹⁶ 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;

¹⁶Asi simuka umire nemakumbo ako; nekuti ndazviratidza kwauri nechikonzero ichi, ndikuite mushumiri nechapupu chezvinhu zvose zvawakaona, nezvandichazviratidza nazvo kwauri;

¹⁷ delivering you from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you,

¹⁷ndichakurwira kuvanhu nevahedheni, vandinokutumira kwavari zvino,

¹⁸ 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.’

¹⁸usvinudze meso avo, kuvatendeusa kubva murima, vaende kuchiedza, nepasimba raSatani, vaende kuna Mwari; kuti vagamuchire kangamwiro yezvivi nenhaka pakati pevakaitwa vatsvene norutendo rwuri mandiri.

¹⁹“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

¹⁹Naizvozvo, mambo Agripa, handina kuramba kuteerera chiratidzo chekudenga;

²⁰but 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.

²⁰asi ndakaparidza kutanga kune veDhamasiko, nepaJerusarema, nekudunhu rose reJudhiya nekuvahedheni, kuti vanofanira kutendeuka vadzokere kuna Mwari, vaite mabasa akafanira kutendeuka.

²¹For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple, and tried to kill me.

²¹Nekuda kwezvinhu izvi vaJudha vakandibata mutembere, vakaidza kundiuraya.

²²Having 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,

²²Naizvozvo ndawana rubatsiro kubva kuna Mwari, ndakamira kusvikira zuva rino, ndichipupura kuvaduku nekuvakuru, ndisingarevi zvimwe zvinhu asi zvakataurwa nevaporofita naMozisi kuti zvichaitika;

²³how 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.”

²³zvekuti Kristu wakafanira kutambudzika, uye kuti ave wokutanga kumuka kuvakafa, aparidze chiedza kuvanhu nekuvahedheni.

²⁴As he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are crazy! Your great learning is driving you insane!”

²⁴Zvino wakati achizvidavirira saizvozvi Festo akati nenzwi guru: Pauro, unopenga; kudzidza kukuru kunokupenza.

²⁵But he said, “I am not crazy, most excellent Festus, but boldly declare words of truth and reasonableness.

²⁵Asi wakati: Handipengi, Festo makakurumbira; asi ndinotaura mashoko echokwadi akarurama.

²⁶For 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.

²⁶nekuti mambo vanoziva zvinhu izvi ivo vandinotaura pamberi pavo ndisingatyi; nekuti ndine chokwadi kuti hapana chimwe chezvinhu izvi chakavanzika kwaari, nekuti chinhu ichi hachina kuitwa pachikona*.

²⁷King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.”

²⁷Mambo Agripa, munotenda vaporofita here? Ndinoziva kuti munotenda.

²⁸Agrippa said to Paul, “With a little persuasion are you trying to make me a Christian?”

²⁸Ipapo Agripa akati kuna Pauro: Wasara padiki kundipwisa kuva muKristu.

²⁹Paul said, “I pray to God, that whether with little or with much, not only you, but also all that hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these bonds.”

²⁹Pauro akati: Ndinoshuva kuna Mwari kunyange neduku, kana nehuru, musava imwi moga, asi vose vanondinzwa nhasi, vave vose vakadai sezvandiri ini, asi kunze kwezvisungo izvi.

³⁰The king rose up with the governor, and Bernice, and those who sat with them.

³⁰Zvino wakati ataura saizvozvi, mambo akasimuka, nemutungamiriri naBhenike, nevakange vagere navo;

³¹When they had withdrawn, they spoke one to another, saying, “This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds.”

³¹vakati vabuda vakataurirana, vachiti: Munhu uyu haaiti chinhu chakafanira rufu kana kusungwa.

³²Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

³²Ipapo Agripa akati kuna Festo: Munhu uyu ungadai asunungurwa dai asina kuzvipfuuridza kuna Kesari.