Atos 26
Almeida Revista e Corrigida 2009
26 Depois, Agripa disse a Paulo: Permite-se-te que te defendas. Então, Paulo, estendendo a mão em sua defesa, respondeu:
2 Tenho-me por venturoso, ó rei Agripa, de que perante ti me haja, hoje, de defender de todas as coisas de que sou acusado pelos judeus, 3 mormente sabendo eu que tens conhecimento de todos os costumes e questões que há entre os judeus; pelo que te rogo que me ouças com paciência. 4 A minha vida, pois, desde a mocidade, qual haja sido, desde o princípio, em Jerusalém, entre os da minha nação, todos os judeus a sabem. 5 Sabendo de mim, desde o princípio (se o quiserem testificar), que, conforme a mais severa seita da nossa religião, vivi fariseu. 6 E, agora, pela esperança da promessa que por Deus foi feita a nossos pais, estou aqui e sou julgado, 7 à qual as nossas doze tribos esperam chegar, servindo a Deus continuamente, noite e dia. Por esta esperança, ó rei Agripa, eu sou acusado pelos judeus. 8 Pois quê? Julga-se coisa incrível entre vós que Deus ressuscite os mortos? 9 Bem tinha eu imaginado que contra o nome de Jesus, o Nazareno, devia eu praticar muitos atos, 10 o que também fiz em Jerusalém. E, havendo recebido poder dos principais dos sacerdotes, encerrei muitos dos santos nas prisões; e, quando os matavam, eu dava o meu voto contra eles. 11 E, castigando-os muitas vezes por todas as sinagogas, os obriguei a blasfemar. E, enfurecido demasiadamente contra eles, até nas cidades estranhas os persegui.
12 Sobre o que, indo, então, a Damasco, com poder e comissão dos principais dos sacerdotes, 13 ao meio-dia, ó rei, vi no caminho uma luz do céu, que excedia o esplendor do sol, cuja claridade me envolveu a mim e aos que iam comigo. 14 E, caindo nós todos por terra, ouvi uma voz que me falava e, em língua hebraica, dizia: Saulo, Saulo, por que me persegues? Dura coisa te é recalcitrar contra os aguilhões. 15 E disse eu: Quem és, Senhor? E ele respondeu: Eu sou Jesus, a quem tu persegues. 16 Mas levanta-te e põe-te sobre teus pés, porque te apareci por isto, para te pôr por ministro e testemunha tanto das coisas que tens visto como daquelas pelas quais te aparecerei ainda, 17 livrando-te deste povo e dos gentios, a quem agora te envio, 18 para lhes abrires os olhos e das trevas os converteres à luz e do poder de Satanás a Deus, a fim de que recebam a remissão dos pecados e sorte entre os santificados pela fé em mim.
19 Pelo que, ó rei Agripa, não fui desobediente à visão celestial. 20 Antes, anunciei primeiramente aos que estão em Damasco e em Jerusalém, e por toda a terra da Judeia, e aos gentios, que se emendassem e se convertessem a Deus, fazendo obras dignas de arrependimento. 21 Por causa disto, os judeus lançaram mão de mim no templo e procuraram matar-me. 22 Mas, alcançando socorro de Deus, ainda até ao dia de hoje permaneço, dando testemunho, tanto a pequenos como a grandes, não dizendo nada mais do que o que os profetas e Moisés disseram que devia acontecer, 23 isto é, que o Cristo devia padecer e, sendo o primeiro da ressurreição dos mortos, devia anunciar a luz a este povo e aos gentios.
24 E, dizendo ele isto em sua defesa, disse Festo em alta voz: Estás louco, Paulo! As muitas letras te fazem delirar! 25 Mas ele disse: Não deliro, ó potentíssimo Festo! Antes, digo palavras de verdade e de um são juízo. 26 Porque o rei, diante de quem falo com ousadia, sabe estas coisas, pois não creio que nada disto lhe é oculto; porque isto não se fez em qualquer canto. 27 Crês tu nos profetas, ó rei Agripa? Bem sei que crês. 28 E disse Agripa a Paulo: Por pouco me queres persuadir a que me faça cristão! 29 E disse Paulo: Prouvera a Deus que, ou por pouco ou por muito, não somente tu, mas também todos quantos hoje me estão ouvindo se tornassem tais qual eu sou, exceto estas cadeias.
30 Dizendo ele isto, se levantou o rei, e o governador, e Berenice, e os que com eles estavam assentados. 31 E, apartando-se dali, falavam uns com os outros, dizendo: Este homem nada fez digno de morte ou de prisões. 32 E Agripa disse a Festo: Bem podia soltar-se este homem, se não houvera apelado para César.
Acts 26
Easy-to-Read Version
Paul Before King Agrippa
26 Agrippa said to Paul, “You may now speak to defend yourself.” Paul raised his hand to get their attention and began to speak. 2 He said, “King Agrippa, I feel fortunate that I can stand here before you today and answer all the charges these Jews have made against me. 3 I am very happy to talk to you, because you know so much about all the Jewish customs and the things the Jews argue about. Please listen to me patiently.
4 “All the Jews know about my whole life. They know the way I lived from the beginning in my own country and later in Jerusalem. 5 These Jews have known me for a long time. If they want to, they can tell you that I was a good Pharisee. And the Pharisees obey the laws of the Jewish religion more carefully than any other group. 6 Now I am on trial because I hope for the promise that God made to our fathers. 7 This is the promise that all the twelve tribes of our people hope to receive. For this hope the Jews serve God day and night. My king, the Jews have accused me because I hope for this same promise. 8 Why do you people think it is impossible for God to raise people from death?
9 “I used to think that I should do everything I could against Jesus from Nazareth. 10 And that’s what I did, beginning in Jerusalem. The leading priests gave me the authority to put many of God’s people in jail. And when they were being killed, I agreed that it was a good thing. 11 I visited all the synagogues and punished them, trying to make them curse[a] Jesus. My anger against these people was so strong that I went to other cities to find them and punish them.
Paul Tells About Seeing Jesus
12 “One time the leading priests gave me permission and the authority to go to the city of Damascus. 13 On the way there, at noon, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun. It shined all around me and those traveling with me. 14 We all fell to the ground. Then I heard a voice talking to me in Aramaic. The voice said, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? You are only hurting yourself by fighting me.’
15 “I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’
“The Lord said, ‘I am Jesus. I am the one you are persecuting. 16 Stand up! I have chosen you to be my servant. You will tell people about me—what you have seen today and what I will show you. This is why I have come to you. 17 I will keep you safe from your own people and from the non-Jewish people, the ones I am sending you to. 18 You will make them able to understand the truth. They will turn away from darkness to the light. They will turn away from the power of Satan, and they will turn to God. Then their sins can be forgiven, and they can be given a place among God’s people—those who have been made holy by believing in me.’”
Paul Tells About His Work
19 Paul continued speaking: “King Agrippa, after I had this vision from heaven, I obeyed it. 20 I began telling people to change their hearts and lives and turn back to God. And I told them to do what would show that they had really changed. I went first to people in Damascus. Then I went to Jerusalem and to every part of Judea and told the people there. I also went to the non-Jewish people.
21 “This is why the Jews grabbed me and were trying to kill me at the Temple. 22 But God helped me, and he is still helping me today. With God’s help I am standing here today and telling all people what I have seen. But I am saying nothing new. I am saying only what Moses and the prophets said would happen. 23 They said that the Messiah would die and be the first to rise from death. They said that he would bring the light of God’s saving truth[b] to the Jewish people and to the non-Jewish people.”
Paul Tries to Persuade Agrippa
24 While Paul was still defending himself, Festus shouted, “Paul, you are out of your mind! Too much study has made you crazy.”
25 Paul said, “Most Honorable Festus, I am not crazy. What I am saying is true. It all makes perfect sense. 26 King Agrippa knows about all this, and I can speak freely to him. I know that he has heard about these things, because they happened where everyone could see them. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe what the prophets wrote? I know you believe!”
28 King Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think you can persuade me to become a ‘Christ-follower’ so easily?”
29 Paul said, “It is not important if it is easy or if it is hard. I pray to God that not only you but that everyone listening to me today could be saved and be just like me—except for these chains I have!”
30 King Agrippa, Governor Festus, Bernice, and all the people sitting with them stood up 31 and left the room. They were talking to each other. They said, “This man has done nothing worthy of being put to death or even put in jail.” 32 And Agrippa said to Festus, “We could let him go free, but he has asked to see Caesar.”
Footnotes
- Acts 26:11 curse Literally, “blaspheme,” the same as saying they did not believe in Jesus.
- Acts 26:23 bring … truth Literally, “proclaim light.”
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