1, 2. (a) Olketa wanem samting nao kasem Paul? (b) From Paul laekem King long Rome for judgem case bilong hem, wanem kwestin nao kamap?

 OLKETA soldia gaedem yet Paul long Caesarea. Taem Paul go bak long Judea tufala year bifor, thrifala taem olketa Jew trae for killim hem dae. (Acts 21:27-36; 23:10, 12-15, 27) Nomata olketa enemy no savve killim hem dae, olketa no givap. Paul luksavve Festus maet givim hem go long olketa Jew, so hem sei long Festus: “Mi laekem King long Rome nao for judgem case bilong mi!”—Acts 25:11.

² Waswe, Jehovah hapi long wanem Paul disaedem for King long Rome judgem case bilong hem? Hem important for iumi savve long ansa bikos iumi tu storyim gud Kingdom bilong God long pipol distaem. Paul “iusim law for defendim datfala gud nius and for kasem raet for preachim datwan.” Iumi need for savve sapos wanem Paul duim hem example for iumi followim.​—Phil. 1:7.

3, 4. (a) Why nao olketa Jew askem Festus for sendem Paul go bak long Jerusalem, bat wanem nao happen long plan bilong olketa? (b) Wanem nao Jehovah duim for strongim pipol bilong hem distaem olsem hem duim long Paul?

³ Thrifala day bihaen Festus kamap bigman bilong Judea, hem go long Jerusalem. a Long there hem herem samfala samting wea olketa hed priest and olketa bigman bilong olketa Jew talem againstim Paul. Olketa Jew savve olketa wea garem hae position winim Festus laekem hem for mas garem peace witim olketa and evri nara Jew. So olketa askem Festus for helpem olketa. Olketa laekem hem for sendem Paul go bak long Jerusalem and kotem hem long there. Batawea, olketa plan for weitim Paul long road from Caesarea wea go for Jerusalem for killim hem dae. Bat Festus sei long olketa:  “Sapos man hia hem duim eni samting wea no stret, olketa bigman bilong iufala savve go witim mi [long Caesarea] and accusim hem long there.” (Acts 25:5) So plan bilong olketa Jew for killim dae Paul hem fail moa.

⁴ Nomata Paul kasem staka hard taem, Jehovah iusim Lord Jesus Christ for strongim hem. Long wanfala vision, Jesus sei long Paul: “Iu no fraet!” (Acts 23:11) Pipol bilong God distaem tu kasem olketa hard taem and pipol talem toktok for mekem olketa fraet. Jehovah no protectim iumi from evri nogud samting, bat hem givim iumi wisdom and strong mekem iumi no givap. Iumi savve depend long strong wea God givim wea “winim strong bilong man.”​—2 Cor. 4:7.

5. Hao nao Festus deal witim Paul?

⁵ Samfala day bihaen, Festus “sidaon long ples for judgem man” long Caesarea. b Paul and olketa wea accusim hem standap front long Festus. Olketa Jew accusim Paul long staka nogud samting, bat Paul hem sei: “Mi no duim eni samting wea againstim Law bilong olketa Jew, or againstim temple, or againstim King long Rome.” Paul no duim eni rong samting and hem shud no stap long prison. Wanem nao Festus disaedem? Festus laekem olketa Jew for hapi long hem, so hem sei long Paul: “Hao, iu laek for go  long kot long Jerusalem? Mi bae stap long there taem olketa judgem iu long kot.” (Acts 25:6-9) Datwan hem krangge samting for duim! Sapos Paul agree for go bak long Jerusalem, olketa wea accusim hem nao bae judgem hem and killim hem dae. Festus talem datwan bikos hem laek for mekem olketa Jew hapi winim wei for duim stret samting. Pontius Pilate duim semkaen samting tu long Jesus. (John 19:12-16) Maet olketa judge distaem disaedem samting wea no stret for mekem nara pipol hapi long olketa. Iumi shud no sapraes sapos kot disaedem samting wea no stret taem olketa kotem pipol bilong God.

6, 7. Why nao Paul laekem King long Rome for judgem case bilong hem, and wanem example nao hem showimaot for olketa tru Christian distaem?

⁶ Sapos Festus followim wanem olketa Jew laekem, Paul bae dae nao. So Paul iusim raet bilong hem olsem citizen bilong Rome. Hem sei long Festus: “Disfala kot hem bilong King long Rome, and hem nao ples wea barava fitim for olketa judgem mi long hem. Iuseleva savve, mi no duim eni nogud samting againstim olketa Jew. . . . Mi laekem King long Rome nao for judgem case bilong mi!” Sapos eni citizen bilong Rome askem datwan, judge mas acceptim nao. Festus savve long datwan, so hem sei long Paul: “From iu laekem King long Rome for judgem case bilong iu, bae iu mas go long hem nao.” (Acts 25:10-12) From Paul laekem man wea garem hae position winim Festus for judgem case bilong hem, hem showimaot example for olketa tru Christian followim. Taem pipol “iusim law for mek trabol” long Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, olketa Witness iusim law for defendim gud nius. c​—Ps. 94:20.

⁷ So bihaen tufala year wea Paul stap long prison, Festus letem hem for go long Rome for king nao judgem case bilong hem. Bat bifor hem go, wanfala bigman wea rul laek for lukim hem.

8, 9. Why nao King Agrippa visitim Caesarea?

⁸ Tu-thri day bihaen Paul story long Festus, King Agrippa witim sista bilong hem Bernice “visitim Festus.” d Hem wei bilong olketa bigman bilong Rome for visitim man wea just start for rul. Agrippa praisem Festus for position wea hem kasem bikos hem laekem tufala for fren gud and for Festus helpem hem enitaem long future.​—Acts 25:13.

⁹ Festus storyim case bilong Paul long Agrippa, and Agrippa laekem tumas for herem wanem Paul bae talem. Long next day, tufala sidaon tugeta for herem case bilong Paul. Bat nomata tufala staelem tumas kakam bilong tufala for mekem pipol mekhae long paoa bilong tufala, samting wea Paul talem bae winim datwan.​—Acts 25:22-27.

10, 11. Hao nao Paul showimaot hem respectim Agrippa, and wanem nao hem talem long king abaotem laef bilong hem bifor?

 ¹⁰ Paul showimaot hem respectim King Agrippa and thankiu long hem for herem case bilong hem. Hem talem king hem hapi bikos king savve tumas long kastom bilong olketa Jew and samting wea olketa raoa abaotem. Then Paul storyim laef bilong hem bifor. Hem sei: “Mi wanfala Pharisee bifor. Olketa Pharisee strict tumas winim olketa nara Jew long hao olketa worship.” (Acts 26:5) Taem Paul hem Pharisee yet hem bilivim Messiah wea God promisim bae kam. Then taem hem kamap Christian, hem no fraet for talem pipol Jesus Christ nao Messiah wea evriwan weitim. So reason why olketa kotem Paul hem bikos hem bilivim sem promis wea God talem long olketa grani bilong olketa abaotem Messiah wea God promis for sendem kam. Agrippa interest tumas for herem wanem Paul bae storyim. e

¹¹ Paul storyim nogud samting wea hem duim long olketa Christian bifor. Hem sei: “Long bifor, mi tingse hem stret nomoa for duim enikaen samting againstim Jesus bilong Nazareth . . . From mi barava kros long olketa [wea followim Christ], mi lukaotem olketa long olketa nara taon tu for mi spoelem olketa.” (Acts 26:9-11) Paul talem tru samting. Staka pipol savve long nogud samting wea hem duim long olketa Christian. (Gal. 1:13, 23) Maet Agrippa ting olsem: ‘Wanem nao mekem Paul for changem wei bilong hem?’

12, 13. (a) Wanem nao Paul storyim wea mekem hem for change? (b) Wanem nao Paul duim bifor wea showimaot hem spoelem hemseleva nomoa?

 ¹² Paul talem Agrippa why nao hem change. Hem sei: “Mi gogo long Damascus bikos olketa hed priest markem mi for duim sem samting long there tu. Long midolday, taem mi gogo followim road, mi lukim wanfala laet from skae wea braet winim sun hem barava shaen raonem mi and raonem olketa wea gogo witim mi. Mifala evriwan foldaon long graon and mi herem wanfala toktok long Hebrew languis, wea sei: ‘Saul, Saul, why nao iu againstim mi? Iu againstim waka bilong God and diswan spoelem iuseleva nomoa.’ Bat mi sei, ‘Hu nao iu?’ Lord hem sei long mi, ‘Mi Jesus. Mi nao man wea iu againstim mi.’” f​—Acts 26:12-15.

¹³ Bifor Paul lukim datfala vision, hem tingse hem duim samting wea God laekem. Bat Paul duim samting wea “againstim waka bilong God” and datwan spoelem wei wea hem fren witim Hem. Taem hem gogo for Damascus, hem lukim Jesus long vision and Jesus helpem hem for changem tingting bilong hem.​—John 16:1, 2.

14, 15. Wanem nao Paul talem abaotem wei wea hem change?

¹⁴ Paul barava changem wei bilong hem. Hem sei long Agrippa: “Mi duim samting wea Jesus talem mi for duim insaed long datfala vision. Firstaem mi go long pipol long Damascus and then long Jerusalem. Then mi go long evri ples long Judea and tu long olketa wea no Jew. Mi talemaot message for olketa mas repent and worshipim God and for duim samting wea showimaot olketa repent.” (Acts 26:19, 20) For staka year finis, Paul duim nao waka wea Jesus  Christ givim long hem. Wanem gud samting nao happen? Olketa wea acceptim gud nius wea Paul preachim repent and worshipim God. Olketa lusim wei for no honest and no durong. Olketa kamap gudfala citizen and followim olketa law bilong kantri.

¹⁵ Bat olketa Jew wea againstim Paul nating tingim datwan. Paul sei: “Dastawe olketa Jew holem mi long temple and trae for killim mi dae. Bat from God helpem mi, mi gohed talemaot datfala gud nius kam kasem distaem long olketa man nating and long olketa bigman.”​—Acts 26:21, 22.

16. Hao nao iumi savve followim example bilong Paul taem iumi storyim biliv bilong iumi long olketa judge and olketa wea rul?

¹⁶ Iumi olketa tru Christian mas “redi evritaem for ansarem eniwan wea askem kwestin” abaotem biliv bilong iumi. (1 Pet. 3:15) Taem iumi storyim biliv bilong iumi long olketa judge and olketa wea rul, iumi savve story long wei wea showimaot respect olsem Paul story long Agrippa and Festus. Taem iumi storyim hao tru samting long Bible barava helpem iumi and olketa wea lisin long message, maet olketa bigman changem tingting bilong olketa.

17. Wanem nao tingting bilong Festus abaotem wanem Paul talem, and wanem kaen tingting nao staka pipol garem distaem?

¹⁷ Taem Festus and Agrippa lisin long Paul, tufala no garem sem tingting abaotem wanem hem talem. Tingim samting wea happen: “Taem Paul hem gohed for ansarem toktok bilong olketa, Festus hem tok big and sei: ‘Paul, iu studyim tumas olketa buk gogo iu krangge nao!’” (Acts 26:24) Samting wea Festus talem maet showimaot hem garem sem tingting olsem pipol distaem. Long tingting bilong staka pipol, olketa wea teachim tru samting long Bible ova tumas long religion. Samfala savveman long world hard tumas for acceptim tru teaching long Bible hao pipol bae laef bak.

18. Wanem nao Paul talem long Festus, and datwan mekem Agrippa talem wanem?

¹⁸ Bat Paul sei: “Sir Festus, mi no krangge ia. Samting wea mi talem hem tru and hem no toktok bilong man wea krangge. King Agrippa hem savve gud long olketa samting hia dastawe mi savve story olsem long hem. . . . Waswe King Agrippa, iu bilivim samting wea olketa profet talem? Mi savve iu bilivim nomoa ia.” Agrippa sei: “Story bilong iu hem gud tumas Paul. Betawei iu no gohed long story bilong iu bikos ating no longtaem nomoa bae mi Christian nao.” (Acts 26:25-28) Sapos Agrippa tok tru or nomoa, samting wea Paul talem hem barava affectim hem.

19. Wanem nao tingting bilong Festus and Agrippa abaotem Paul?

¹⁹ Then Agrippa and Festus standap for mekem evriwan savve olketa finis story nao. “Taem olketa go aot olketa story tugeta olsem: ‘Disfala man hem no duim eni samting wea fitim for olketa putim hem long prison or for olketa killim hem dae.’ And tu, Agrippa sei long Festus: ‘Sapos disfala man hem no ask for King long Rome judgem case bilong hem, fitim for hem savve go free nomoa ia.’” (Acts 26:31, 32) Tufala savve Paul no duim eni rong samting. Maet tufala garem gudfala tingting nao abaotem olketa Christian.

20. From Paul story long olketa bigman, wanem gud samting nao happen?

²⁰ Luk olsem tufala no acceptim gud nius abaotem Kingdom. So waswe, hem wise for aposol Paul story long tufala? Ia. From Paul standap front “long olketa king and bigman,” datwan givim chance for olketa bigman bilong Rome for herem gud nius. (Luke 21:12, 13) And samting wea kasem Paul and wei wea hem gohed faithful strongim olketa brata and sista.​—Phil. 1:12-14.

21. Taem iumi gohed strong for preach, wanem gud samting nao savve happen?

²¹ Hem semsem tu distaem. Taem iumi gohed strong for preach nomata iumi kasem hard taem and pipol againstim iumi, gud samting savve happen. Maet iumi garem chance for preach long olketa bigman wea hard for iumi kasem olketa. From iumi faithful and no givap, datwan savve encouragem olketa brata and sista for gohed strong for storyim Kingdom bilong God long pipol.