1 Men brethren and fathers, hear you of me the to you now apology.
2 Hearing and that in the Hebrew dialect he was speaking to them, more they kept silence. And he said:
3 I indeed am a man a Jew, having been born in Tarsus of the Cilicia, having been brought up and in the city this, at the feet of Gamaliel having been taught with accuracy the ancestral law, a zealot being of the God, even as all you are today;
4 who this the way I persecuted till death, binding and delivering into prisons men both and women,
5 as also the highpriest testifies to me, and all the eldership; from whom also letters having received to the brethren, to Damascus I went, going to lead and those there being; having been bound into Jerusalem, that they might be punished.
6 It happened and to me traveling and drawing near to the Damascus, about noon suddenly out of the heaven to shine round a light great about me;
7 fell and on the ground, and heard a voice saying to me: Saul, Saul, why me persecutest thou?
8 I and answered: Who art thou, O sir? He said and to me: I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom thou persecutest.
9 Those and with me being the indeed light saw, and terrified they were, the but voice not they heard of the speaking to me.
10 I said and : What shall I do, O Lord? The and Lord said to me: Having arisen go thou into Damascus; and there to thee it shall be told concerning all things, which have been appointed for thee to do.
11 As and not I saw from the glory of the light of that, being led by the hand by those being with me, I came into Damascus.
12 Ananias and one, a man pious according to the law, being testified to by all the residing Jews,
13 having come to me and having stood said to me: Saul O brother, look up. And I in this the hour looked on him.
14 He and said: The God of the fathers of us destined thee to know the will of himself, and to see the righteous one, and to hear a voice out of the mouth of him;
15 because thou shalt be a witness for him to all men of what thou hast seen and thou hast heard.
16 And now why dost thou delay? having arisen be thou dipped, and wash thyself from the sins of thee, having invoked the name of him.
17 It happened and to me having returned to Jerusalem, and praying of me in the temple, to have been me in an ecstacy,
18 and to see him saying to me: Do thou hasten, and come out with speed from Jerusalem; because not they will receive of thee the testimony concerning me.
19 And I said: O Lord, they know, that I was imprisoning and beating in the synagogues those believing on thee;
20 and when was poured out the blood of Stephen the martyr of thee, and myself was having been standing, and approving, and keeping the mantles of those killing him.
21 And he said to me: Go thou; for I to nations at distance will send thee.
22 They heard and him till this the word, and they raised the voice of them, saying: Lift up from the earth the such a person; not for it is fit him to live.
23 Crying out and of them and tossing up the mantles, and dust throwing into the air,
24 ordered the commander to lead him into the castle, saying with scourges to examine him; that he might know, on account of what cause thus they were crying against him.
25 As and they stretched out him with the thongs, said to the standing by centurion the Paul: If a man a Roman and uncondemned it is lawful for you to scourge?
26 Having heard and the centurion, having gone to the commander reported, saying: what are thou about to do? the for man this a Roman is.
27 Having come to and the commander said to him: Tell me, thou a Roman art? He and said: Yes.
28 Answered and the commander: I of a great sum of money the citizenship this purchased. The and Paul said: I but even have been born.
29 Immediately then went away from him those being about him to examine. And the commander also was afraid, having ascertained that a Roman he is, and that he was him having been bound.
30 On the and morrow wishing to know the certainty, that was he was accused of by the Jews, he loosed him, and ordered to come together the highpriests and all the sanhedrim; and having led down the Paul, he stood among them.
1 »Men, brothers and fathers, hear my defense to you now.«
2 They heard him speak in the Hebrew tongue and became quiet.
3 »I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up here in Jerusalem as a student of Gamaliel. I received instruction in the Law of our ancestors and was just as zealous for God as are all of you.
4 »I persecuted the people who followed this Way to the point of death. I arrested men and women and threw them into prison.
5 »The High Priest and the whole Council can prove that I am telling the truth. I received letters from them written to fellow Jews in Damascus, so I went there to arrest these people and bring them back in chains to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 »While I was traveling I came near Damascus about midday. Suddenly a bright light from the sky flashed around me.
7 »I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me: Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute me?
8 »Who are you, Lord?« I asked. »I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute,« he said to me.
9 »Everyone with me saw the light. They did not hear the voice of the one speaking to me.
10 »I asked: What shall I do, Lord? He said: Go to Damascus. There you will be told what God wants you to do.
11 »I was blind because of the bright light. So my companions took me by the hand and led me to Damascus.
12 »A man named Ananias was in that city. He is a religious man who obeyed our Law and was highly respected by all the Jews living there.
13 »He came and stood by me, and said: Brother Saul, see again! At that very moment I saw again and looked at him.
14 »He said: The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will. You are to see his righteous servant, and to hear him speak with his own voice.
15 You will be a witness for him to tell everyone what you have seen and heard.
16 Wait no longer! Get up and be baptized and have your sins washed away by praying to him.
17 »I went back to Jerusalem. Then I have a vision while I prayed in the temple.
18 »I saw the Lord. He said to me: Hurry and leave Jerusalem because the people here will not accept your witness about me.
19 »I answered, Lord they know very well that I went to the synagogues and arrested and beat those who believe in you.
20 »When your witness Stephen was put to death, I was there, approving of his murder and taking care of the coats of his murderers.«
21 »The Lord said: Go! I will send you far away to the people of the nations.
22 The people listened to Paul until he said this. Then they shouted at the top of their voices: »Away with him! Kill him! He is not fit to live!«
23 They were screaming, throwing off their clothes, and throwing dust up in the air.
24 The Roman commander ordered his men to take Paul into the barracks. He told them to whip him in order to find out why the Jews were screaming like this against him.
25 When they tied him up to be whipped Paul said to the officer standing there, »Is it lawful for you to whip a Roman citizen who has not been tried for a crime?«
26 When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and asked him: »What are you doing? That man is a Roman citizen!«
27 The commander went to Paul and asked him: »Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?« »Yes,« answered Paul.
28 The commander said: »I became one by paying a large amount of money.« »I am one by birth,« Paul answered.
29 At once the men who were going to question Paul drew back from him. The commander was frightened when he found out that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had put him in chains.
30 The commander wanted to find out for sure what the Jews were accusing Paul of. The next day he had Pauls chains taken off and ordered the chief priests and the whole Council to meet. Then he took Paul and made him stand before them.