Āmaal 26

paulus ka agrippa kay saamnay difaa

¹agrippa nay paulus say kaha, “aap ko apnay difa men bolnay kee ijaazat hai.” paulus nay haath say ishaara karkay apnay difa men bolnay ka aaghaaz kiya,

²“agrippa baadshaah, main apnay aap ko khushnaseeb samajhta hoon ki aaj aap hee mera yah difaaee bayaan sun rahay hain jo mujhay yahoodiyon kay tamaam ilzaamaat kay javaab men dena pad raha hai. ³khaaskar is liyay ki aap yahoodiyon kay rasm-o-rivaaj aur tanaazuon say vaaqif hain. meree arz hai ki aap sabr say meree baat sunen.

⁴tamaam yahoodee jaantay hain ki main nay javaanee say lay kar ab tak apnee qaum balki yarooshalam men kis tarah zindagee guzaaree. ⁵vah mujhay badee der say jaantay hain aur agar chaahen to is kee gavaahee bhee day saktay hain ki main fareesee kee zindagee guzaarta tha, hamaaray mazhab kay usee firqay kee jo sab say kattar hai. ⁶aur aaj meree adaalat is vajah say kee ja rahee hai ki main us vaaday par ummeed rakhta hoon jo allaah nay hamaaray baapdaada say kiya. ⁷haqeeqat men yah vahee ummeed hai jis kee vajah say hamaaray baarah qabeelay din raat aur badee lagan say allaah kee ibaadat kartay rahetay hain aur jis kee takmeel kay liyay vah tadaptay hain. to bhee ai baadshaah, yah log mujh par yah ummeed rakhnay ka ilzaam laga rahay hain. ⁸lekin aap sab ko yah khayaal kyoon naaqaabil-ay-yaqeen lagta hai ki allaah murdon ko zinda kar deta hai?

⁹pahelay main bhee samajhta tha ki har mumkin tareeqay say eesa naasree kee mukhaalafat karna mera farz hai. ¹⁰aur yah main nay yarooshalam men kiya bhee. raahanuma imaamon say ikhtiyaar lay kar main nay vahaan kay bahut say muqaddason ko jel men dalva diya. aur jab kabhee unhen saza-ay-maut denay ka faisla karna tha to main nay bhee is haq men vot diya. ¹¹main tamaam ibaadatkhaanon men gaya aur bahut dafa unhen saza dila kar eesa kay baaray men kufr baknay par majboor karnay kee koshish karta raha. main itnay taish men a gaya tha ki un kee eezaarasaanee kee gharaz say bairoon-ay-mulk bhee gaya.

paulus apnee tabdeelee ka zikr karta hai

¹²ek din main raahanuma imaamon say ikhtiyaar aur ijaazatanaama lay kar damishq ja raha tha. ¹³dopaher taqreeban baarah bajay main sadak par chal raha tha ki ek raushnee dekhee jo sooraj say ziyaada tez thee. vah aasmaan say a kar meray aur meray hamsafron kay girdaagird chamkee. ¹⁴ham sab zameen par gir gaay aur main nay araamee zabaan men ek aavaaz sunee, ‘saaool, saaool, too mujhay kyoon sataata hai? yoon meray aankus kay khilaaf paaon maarna teray liyay hee dushvaaree ka baais hai.’ ¹⁵main nay poochha, ‘khudaavand, aap kaun hain?’ khudaavand nay javaab diya, ‘main eesa hoon, vahee jisay too sataata hai. ¹⁶lekin ab uth kar khada ho ja, kyoonki main tujhay apna khaadim aur gavaah muqarrar karnay kay liyay tujh par zaahir hua hoon. jo kuchh too nay dekha hai us kee tujhay gavaahee denee hai aur us kee bhee jo main aainda tujh par zaahir karoonga. ¹⁷main tujhay teree apnee qaum say bachaaay rakhoonga aur un ghairyahoodee qaumon say bhee jin kay paas tujhay bhejoonga. ¹⁸too un kee aankhon ko khol dega taaki vah taareekee aur iblees kay ikhtiyaar say noor aur allaah kee taraf rujoo karen. phir un kay gunaahon ko muaaf kar diya jaaega aur vah un kay saath aasmaanee meeraas men shareek hongay jo mujh par eemaan laanay say muqaddas kiay gaay hain.’

paulus apnee khidmat ka bayaan karta hai

¹⁹ai agrippa baadshaah, jab main nay yah suna to main nay is aasmaanee roya kee naafarmaanee na kee ²⁰balki is baat kee munaadee kee ki log tauba karkay allaah kee taraf rujoo karen aur apnay amal say apnee tabdeelee ka izhaar bhee karen. main nay is kee tableegh pahelay damishq men kee, phir yarooshalam aur pooray yahoodiya men aur is kay baad ghairyahoodee qaumon men bhee. ²¹isee vajah say yahoodiyon nay mujhay bait-ul-muqaddas men pakad kar qatl karnay kee koshish kee. ²²lekin allaah nay aaj tak meree madad kee hai, is liyay main yahaan khada ho kar chhoton aur badon ko apnee gavaahee day sakta hoon. jo kuchh main sunaata hoon vah vahee kuchh hai jo moosa aur nabiyon nay kaha hai, ²³ki maseeh dukh utha kar pahela shakhs hoga jo murdon men say jee uthega aur ki vah yoon apnee qaum aur ghairyahoodiyon kay saamnay allaah kay noor ka parchaar karega.”

²⁴achaanak festus paulus kee baat kaat kar chilla utha, “paulus, hosh men aao! ilm kee ziyaadtee nay tumhen deevaana kar diya hai.”

²⁵paulus nay javaab diya, “muazzaz festus, main deevaana naheen hoon. meree yah baaten haqeeqee aur maaqool hain. ²⁶baadshaah salaamat in say vaaqif hain, is liyay main un say khul kar baat kar sakta hoon. mujhay yaqeen hai ki yah sab kuchh un say chhupa naheen raha, kyoonki yah posheedgee men ya kisee konay men naheen hua. ²⁷ai agrippa baadshaah, kya aap nabiyon par eemaan rakhtay hain? balki main jaanta hoon ki aap un par eemaan rakhtay hain.”

²⁸agrippa nay kaha, “aap to badee jaldee say mujhay qaail karkay maseehee banaana chaahatay hain.”

²⁹paulus nay javaab diya, “jald ya bader main allaah say dua karta hoon ki na sirf aap balki tamaam haazireen meree maanind ban jaaen, siva-ay-meree zanjeeron kay.”

³⁰phir baadshaah, gavarnar, birneekay aur baaqee sab uth kar chalay gaay. ³¹vahaan say nikal kar vah ek doosray say baat karnay lagay. sab is par muttafiq thay ki “is aadmee nay kuchh naheen kiya jo saza-ay-maut ya qaid kay laaiq ho.” ³²aur agrippa nay festus say kaha, “agar is nay shahenshaah say apeel na kee hotee to isay riha kiya ja sakta tha.”