ƐYI 25

“N Le Apíili Yá Ga Ɛgiyí Usísa!”

GBƆƆ

Upɔlu lɛ ocabɔ olɔhi taajɛ ipu ō cɛpɔ ku ɔkoolɔhi a

Ŋma Ɔkpá Ku Úklɔ́ Kú Ācotɛ̄hɔ̄ 25:1–26:32

1, 2. (a) Āhɔ̄ nyá nɛ Upɔlu má iyi nu ipu nu a? (b) Ɔka nyá nɛ alɔ lɔfu da lɛyikwu apiili nɛ Upɔlu ya gā ɛgiyi Usisa a?

Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

² Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

“N Háyi Únɛ́pɔ̄ Kú Ɔcɛ́ Nɛ̄hi Kú Uróm” (Úklɔ́ kú Ācotɛ̄hɔ̄ 25:1-12)

3, 4. (a) Ɔdiya nɛ ācɛ Ujiyu a dɔka kéē kwu Upɔlu i bi wa Ujerusalɛm a, ɛgɛnyá nɛ ó kē hɛta ŋma ikwū a? (b) Ɛgɛnyá nɛ Ujehofa gē ta ācɛ ɔlɛ nu abɔ icɛ ɛgɛ nɛ ó ya lɛ Upɔlu a?

³ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

⁴ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

5. Ɔdi nɛ Ufɛsitɔsi ya eko aflɛyi nɛ ó kɛla mla Upɔlu a?

⁵ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

6, 7. Ɔdiya nɛ Upɔlu ya apiili gā ɛgiyi Usisa a, ocabɔ nyá nɛ ó kē le taajɛ lɛ Ācɛ O Yɛce Ukraist icɛ a?

⁶ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

⁷ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

We appeal unfavorable legal decisions

“Ń Yá Īkpɛ̄yí Olɔfú . . . Ŋ́” (Úklɔ́ kú Ācotɛ̄hɔ̄ 25:13–26:23)

8, 9. Ɔdiya ɛɛ nɛ Ɔcɛ́ Agripa nyɔ gā Usisariya a?

⁸ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

APPEALING ON BEHALF OF TRUE WORSHIP IN MODERN TIMES

Jehovah’s Witnesses have at times appealed to high courts in hopes of removing obstacles to the preaching of the good news of God’s Kingdom. Here are two examples.

On March 28, 1938, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned state court decisions and exonerated a group of Witnesses who had been arrested for distributing Bible literature in Griffin, Georgia, U.S.A. This was the first of many appeals made to that high court regarding the right of the Witnesses to preach the good news. a

Another case involved a Witness in Greece named Minos Kokkinakis. Over a period of 48 years, he was arrested more than 60 times for “proselytism.” On 18 occasions, he faced prosecution in court. He spent years in prison and in exile on remote islands in the Aegean Sea. After his last conviction in 1986, Brother Kokkinakis lost his appeals to the higher courts of Greece. He then sought relief through the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). On May 25, 1993, that Court ruled that Greece had violated Brother Kokkinakis’ freedom of religion.

Jehovah’s Witnesses have appealed to the ECHR for relief in dozens of cases, prevailing in most of them. No other organization, religious or otherwise, has had such success in defending basic human rights before the ECHR.

Do others benefit from the legal victories of Jehovah’s Witnesses? Scholar Charles C. Haynes wrote: “We all owe the Jehovah’s Witnesses a debt of gratitude. No matter how many times they’re insulted, run out of town or even physically attacked, they keep on fighting for their (and thus our) freedom of religion. And when they win, we all win.”

a See the account of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision regarding free speech, which was published in Awake! January 8, 2003, pages 3-11.

⁹ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

10, 11. Ɛgɛnyá nɛ Upɔlu lɛ ojilima ce Agripa a, ɔdi nɛ Upɔlu kē da ɔcɛ́ a lɛyikwu ɛdɔ oyeeyi nɛ ó lā gbɔbu a?

¹⁰ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

¹¹ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

12, 13. (a) Ɛgɛnyá nɛ Upɔlu kɛla lɛyikwu ɛgɛ nɛ ó je piya Ɔcɛ O Yɛce Ukraist a? (b) Ɛgɛnyá nɛ Upɔlu humayi ta iyi nu owe a?

¹² Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

¹³ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

14, 15. Ɔdi nɛ Upɔlu ka lɛyikwu opiyabɔ ɛyɛɛyɛyi nɛ ó ya ipu oyeeyi ku nu a?

¹⁴ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

¹⁵ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

16. Ɛgɛnyá nɛ alɔ lɔfu gbla ocabɔ ku Upɔlu ya eko nɛ alɔ yɔ i kɛla lɛ acohɛpɔ mla aɔcɛ́ lɛyikwu ɔdā nɛ alɔ kpɔtuce a?

¹⁶ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

“A Dɔɔ̄kā Ká Ā Je Um Pīya Ɔ̄cɔ̄lohɔ́nyɛtá Nɛɛ?” (Úklɔ́ kú Ācotɛ̄hɔ̄ 26:24-32)

17. Ɔdi nɛ Ufɛsitɔsi ka eko nɛ Upɔlu yɔ i kɔkɔ ku iyi nu a, ɛgɛnyá nɛ ācɛ alɛwa icɛ kē i mafu uce ō ya bɛɛka Ufɛsitɔsi a?

¹⁷ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

18. Ɛgɛnyá nɛ Upɔlu ta Ufɛsitɔsi ohi a, ɔdi nɛ Agripa kē gbɛla lɛyikwu ohi nɛ Upɔlu ta a?

¹⁸ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

19. Ɔdi nɛ Ufɛsitɔsi mla Agripa miya lɛyikwu Upɔlu a?

¹⁹ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

20. Ɔdiya ɛɛ nōó wɛ ɔdā olɔhi ka Upɔlu kɔkɔ ku iyi nu iyɔbu aɔcɛ́ ɛpa nyā?

²⁰ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

21. Ɔdaŋ ku alɔ gɔbu yɔ i tɔɔna naana nɛ alɔ yɔ i má unwalu ɛyɛɛyɛyi a, ɔdā olɔhi nyá lɔfu bɛɛcɛ ŋma anu a?

²¹ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

ROMAN PROCURATOR PORCIUS FESTUS

Our only firsthand information about Porcius Festus comes from Acts of Apostles and the writings of Flavius Josephus. Festus succeeded Felix as procurator of Judea in about 58 C.E. and evidently died in office after governing for just two or three years.

For the most part, Festus appears to have been a prudent and capable procurator, in contrast with his predecessor, Felix, and his successor, Albinus. At the beginning of Festus’ time in office, Judea was plagued by bandits. According to Josephus, “Festus . . . made it his business to correct those that made disturbances in the country. So he caught the greatest part of the robbers, and destroyed a great many of them.” During his tenure, the Jews built a wall to prevent King Agrippa from observing what took place in the temple area. Festus initially ordered them to dismantle it. At the Jews’ request, however, he later allowed them to present the matter to the Roman Emperor Nero.

Festus appears to have taken a firm stand against criminals and insurgents. But in his desire to maintain good relations with the Jews, he was willing to set aside justice—at least in his dealings with the apostle Paul.

KING HEROD AGRIPPA II

The Agrippa referred to in Acts chapter 25 was King Herod Agrippa II, great-grandson of Herod the Great and son of the Herod who had attacked the Jerusalem congregation 14 years earlier. (Acts 12:1) Agrippa was the last of the Herodian princes.

At the death of his father in 44 C.E., 17-year-old Agrippa was in Rome, where he was being educated at the court of Roman Emperor Claudius. The emperor’s advisers considered Agrippa too young to inherit his father’s domain; thus, a Roman governor was appointed instead. Even so, according to Flavius Josephus, while Agrippa was still in Rome, he intervened for the Jews and represented their interests.

In about 50 C.E., Claudius assigned Agrippa kingship over Chalcis and in 53 C.E., over Ituraea, Trachonitis, and Abilene. Agrippa was also given oversight of Jerusalem’s temple, with authority to appoint the Jewish high priests. Claudius’ successor Nero extended Agrippa’s realm to include parts of Galilee and Perea. At the time of his meeting Paul, Agrippa was in Caesarea with his sister Bernice, who had left her husband, the king of Cilicia.—Acts 25:13.

In 66 C.E., when Agrippa’s efforts failed to calm the Jewish rebellion against Rome, he himself became a target of the rebels, and he was left no choice but to join the Romans. After the Jewish revolt was crushed, a new emperor, Vespasian, gave Agrippa further territories as a reward.

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