MDO 9

Kuongoka kwa Sauli

1  t tLakini Sauli, akizidi kutisha na kuwaza kuwaua wanafunzi wa Bwana, akamwendea Kuhani Mkuu, 2 akataka ampe barua za kuenda Dameski zilizoandikwa kwa masinagogi, ili akiona watu wa Njia hii, waume kwa wake, awafunge na kuwaleta Yerusalemu. 3 tHata alipokuwa akisafiri, ikawa anakaribia Dameski; ghafula ikamwangaza kote kote nuru kutoka mbinguni. 4 Akaanguka chini, akasikia sauti ikimwambia, Sauli, Sauli, mbona waniudhi? 5 tAkasema, U nani wewe, Bwana? Naye akasema, Mimi ndimi Yesu unayeniudhi wewe. 6 Lakini simama, uingie mjini, nawe utaambiwa yakupasayo kutenda. 7 Na wale watu waliosafiri pamoja naye wakasimama kimya, wakiisikia sauti, wasione mtu. 8 Sauli akainuka katika nchi, na macho yake yalipofumbuka, hakuona kitu; wakamshika mkono wakamleta mpaka Dameski.

9 Akawa siku tatu haoni; hali, wala hanywi.
10  tBasi palikuwapo Dameski mwanafunzi jina lake Anania. Bwana akamwambia katika maono, Anania. Akasema, Mimi hapa, Bwana. 11 tBwana akamwambia, Simama, enenda zako katika njia iitwayo Nyofu, ukaulize katika nyumba ya Yuda mtu aitwaye Sauli, wa Tarso; maana, angalia, anaomba; 12 naye amemwona mtu, jina lake Anania, akiingia, na kumwekea mikono juu yake, apate kuona tena. 13 Lakini Anania akajibu, Bwana, nimesikia habari za mtu huyu kwa watu wengi, mabaya mengi aliyowatenda watakatifu wako Yerusalemu; 14 thata hapa ana amri itokayo kwa wakuu wa makuhani awafunge wote wakuitiao Jina lako. 15 tLakini Bwana akamwambia, Nenda tu; kwa maana huyu ni chombo kiteule kwangu, alichukue Jina langu mbele ya Mataifa, na wafalme, na wana wa Israeli.

16 tMaana nitamwonyesha yalivyo mengi yatakayompasa kuteswa kwa ajili ya Jina langu.
17 Anania akaenda zake, akaingia mle nyumbani; akamwekea mikono akisema, Ndugu Sauli, Bwana amenituma, Yesu, yeye aliyekutokea katika njia uliyoijia, upate kuona tena, ukajazwe Roho Mtakatifu. 18 Mara vikaanguka machoni pake vitu kama magamba, akapata kuona, akasimama, akabatizwa;

19 akala chakula, na kupata nguvu.

Sauli Ahubiri katika Dameski

Akawa huko siku kadha wa kadha pamoja na wanafunzi walioko Dameski. 20 Mara akamhubiri Yesu katika masinagogi, kwamba yeye ni Mwana wa Mungu. 21 tNa wote waliosikia wakashangaa, wakasema, Siye huyu aliyewaharibu walioliitia Jina hili huko Yerusalemu? Na hapa alikuwa amekuja kwa kusudi hilo, awafunge na kuwapeleka kwa wakuu wa makuhani?

22 tSauli akazidi kuwa hodari, akawatia fadhaa Wayahudi waliokaa Dameski, akithibitisha ya kuwa huyu ndiye Kristo.

Sauli Aokoka Kuuawa na Wayahudi

23  t tHata siku nyingi zilipopita, Wayahudi wakafanya shauri ili wamwue; 24 tlakini hila yao ikajulikana na Sauli. Wakamvizia malangoni mchana na usiku wapate kumwua.

25 Wanafunzi wake wakamtwaa usiku wakamshusha ukutani, wakimtelemsha katika kapu.

Sauli akiwa Yerusalemu

26  tNa Sauli alipofika Yerusalemu, alijaribu kujiunga na wanafunzi, nao walikuwa wakimwogopa wote, wasisadiki ya kuwa yeye ni mwanafunzi. 27 tLakini Barnaba akamtwaa, akampeleka kwa mitume, akawaeleza jinsi alivyomwona Bwana njiani, na ya kwamba alisema naye, na jinsi alivyohubiri kwa ushujaa katika Dameski kwa jina la Yesu. 28 Naye akawa pamoja nao katika Yerusalemu akiingia na kutoka. 29 Akahubiri kwa jina la Bwana kwa ushujaa, akinena na kuhojiana na Wayahudi wa Kiyunani. Nao wakajaribu kumwua.

30 tLakini ndugu walipopata habari wakamchukua mpaka Kaisaria, wakampeleka aende Tarso.

31 Basi kanisa likapata raha katika Uyahudi wote na Galilaya na Samaria, likajengwa, likiendelea na kuongezeka katika kicho cha Bwana, na faraja ya Roho Mtakatifu.

Kuponywa kwa Ainea

32 Hata Petro alipokuwa akizunguka-zunguka pande zote akawatelemkia na watakatifu waliokaa Lida. 33 Akamwona mtu mmoja huko, jina lake Ainea, mtu huyo amelala kitandani miaka minane; maana alikuwa amepooza. 34 Petro akamwambia, Ainea, Yesu Kristo akuponya; ondoka, ujitandikie. Mara akaondoka.

35 Na watu wote waliokaa Lida na Sharoni wakamwona, wakamgeukia Bwana.

Petro akiwa Lida na Yafa

36 Na mwanafunzi mmoja alikuwako Yafa, jina lake Tabitha, tafsiri yake ni Dorkasi (yaani paa); mwanamke huyu alikuwa amejaa matendo mema na sadaka alizozitoa. 37 Ikawa siku zile akaugua, akafa; hata walipokwisha kumwosha, wakamweka orofani. 38 Na kwa kuwa mji wa Lida ulikuwa karibu na Yafa, nao wanafunzi wamesikia ya kwamba Petro yuko huko, wakatuma watu wawili kwake, kumsihi na kusema, Usikawie kuja kwetu. 39 Petro akaondoka akafuatana nao. Alipofika, wakampeleka juu orofani wajane wote wakasimama karibu naye, wakilia na kumwonyesha zile kanzu na nguo alizozishona Dorkasi wakati ule alipokuwa pamoja nao. 40 tPetro akawatoa nje wote, akapiga magoti, akaomba, kisha akaelekea yule maiti, akanena, Tabitha, ondoka. Naye akafumbua macho yake, na alipomwona Petro akajiinua, akaketi. 41 tAkampa mkono, akamwinua; hata akiisha kuwaita wale watakatifu na wajane akamweka mbele yao, hali yu hai. 42 Ikajulikana katika mji mzima wa Yafa; watu wengi wakamwamini Bwana. 43 tBasi Petro akakaa siku kadha wa kadha huko Yafa, nyumbani mwa mtu mmoja, jina lake Simoni, mtengenezaji wa ngozi.

ACTS 9

Saul Becomes a Follower //of the Lord

(Acts 22.6-16; 26.12-18)

1 Saul kept on threatening to kill the Lord's followers. He even went to the high priest 2 and asked for letters to the leaders of the synagogues in Damascus. He did this because he wanted to arrest and take to Jerusalem any man or woman who had accepted the Lord's Way.t 3 When Saul had almost reached Damascus, a bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around him.

4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, “Saul! Saul! Why are you so cruel to me?”

5 “Who are you?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus,” the Lord answered. “I am the one you are so cruel to.

6 Now get up and go into the city, where you will be told what to do.”
7  t The men with Saul stood there speechless. They had heard the voice, but they had not seen anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, and when he opened his eyes, he could not see a thing. Someone then led him by the hand to Damascus,

9 and for three days he was blind and did not eat or drink.

10 A follower named Ananias lived in Damascus, and the Lord spoke to him in a vision. Ananias answered, “Lord, here I am.”
11 The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the house of Judas on Straight Street. When you get there, you will find a man named Saul from the city of Tarsus. Saul is praying,

12 and he has seen a vision. He saw a man named Ananias coming to him and putting his hands on him, so he could see again.”
13 Ananias replied, “Lord, a lot of people have told me about the terrible things this man has done to your followers in Jerusalem.

14 Now the chief priests have given him the power to come here and arrest anyone who worships in your name.”
15 The Lord said to Ananias, “Go! I have chosen him to tell foreigners, kings, and the people of Israel about me.

16 I will show him how much he must suffer for worshiping in my name.”

17 Ananias left and went into the house where Saul was staying. Ananias placed his hands on him and said, “Saul, the Lord Jesus has sent me. He is the same one who appeared to you along the road. He wants you to be able to see and to be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
18  t Suddenly something like fish scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see. He got up and was baptized.

19 Then he ate and felt much better.

Saul Preaches in Damascus

For several days Saul stayed with the Lord's followers in Damascus. 20 Soon he went to the synagogues and started telling people that Jesus is the Son of God.

21 Everyone who heard Saul was amazed and said, “Isn't this the man who caused so much trouble for those people in Jerusalem who worship in the name of Jesus? Didn't he come here to arrest them and take them to the chief priests?”

22 Saul preached with such power that he completely confused the Jewish people in Damascus, as he tried to show them that Jesus is the Messiah.
23  t Later some of them made plans to kill Saul, 24 but he found out about it. He learned that they were guarding the gates of the city day and night in order to kill him.

25 Then one night his followers let him down over the city wall in a large basket.

Saul in Jerusalem

26 When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the followers. But they were all afraid of him, because they did not believe he was a true follower.

27 Then Barnabas helped him by taking him to the apostles. He explained how Saul had seen the Lord and how the Lord had spoken to him. Barnabas also said when Saul was in Damascus, he had spoken bravely in the name of Jesus.
28 Saul moved about freely with the followers in Jerusalem and told everyone about the Lord. 29 He was always arguing with the Jews who spoke Greek, and so they tried to kill him.

30 But the followers found out about this and took Saul to Caesarea. From there they sent him to the city of Tarsus.

31 The church in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria now had a time of peace and kept on worshiping the Lord. The church became stronger, as the Holy Spirit encouraged it and helped it grow.

Peter Heals Aeneas

32 While Peter was traveling from place to place, he visited the Lord's followers who lived in the town of Lydda. 33 There he met a man named Aeneas, who for eight years had been sick in bed and could not move.

34 Peter said to Aeneas, “Jesus Christ has healed you! Get up and make up your bed.”t At once he stood up.

35 Many people in the towns of Lydda and Sharon saw Aeneas and became followers of the Lord.

Peter Brings Dorcas //Back to Life

36 In Joppa there was a follower named Tabitha. Her Greek name was Dorcas, which means “deer.” She was always doing good things for people and had given much to the poor. 37 But she got sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. 38 Joppa wasn't far from Lydda, and the followers heard that Peter was there. They sent two men to say to him, “Please come with us as quickly as you can!”

39 At once, Peter went with them.
The men took Peter upstairs into the room. Many widows were there crying. They showed him the coats and clothes that Dorcas had made while she was still alive.
40 After Peter had sent everyone out of the room, he knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to the body of Dorcas and said, “Tabitha, get up!” The woman opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.

41 He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet.
Peter called in the widows and the other followers and showed them that Dorcas had been raised from death. 42 Everyone in Joppa heard what had happened, and many of them put their faith in the Lord. 43 Peter stayed on for a while in Joppa in the house of a man named Simon, who made leather.