¹Men, brothers and fathers, hear now my defense to you.

²When they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he says:

³I myself indeed am a Jewish man, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the exactness of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God even as all you yourselves are this day,

⁴who persecuted this Way as far as death, binding and delivering to prisons both men and women,

⁵as also the high priest bears witness to me, and all the elderhood, from whom also I received letters to the brothers, and was on my way going to Damascus to bring those also who were there bound to Jerusalem, in order that they might be punished.

⁶However it happened to me, as I was journeying and drawing near to Damascus about noon, that suddenly out of the heaven a great light shone around me;

⁷then I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me: Saul, why do you persecute Me?

⁸Then I myself answered: Who are You, Lord? Then He said to me: I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you yourself are persecuting.

⁹Then those with me indeed beheld the light and were terrified, but they did not hear the voice of the One speaking to me.

¹⁰Then I said: What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me: When you have risen up, go to Damascus, and there it will be told you concerning all things that it has been appointed you to do.

¹¹Now while I was not seeing because of the brightness of that light, being led by the hand by those who were with me, I came to Damascus.

¹²Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, borne witness to by all the Jews dwelling there,

¹³when he had come to me and had stood by me, said to me: Saul, brother, receive sight. And I myself, on the same hour, looked up at him.

¹⁴And he said: The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear the voice out of his mouth;

¹⁵for you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard.

¹⁶And now why do you delay? Having arisen, be immersed and wash away your sins, calling on his name.

¹⁷Then it happened to me, having returned to Jerusalem and praying in the temple, that I fell into a trance,

¹⁸and saw Him saying to me: Make haste and go away with speed out of Jerusalem, because they will not receive your testimony about Me.

¹⁹And I myself said: Lord, they themselves know that I was imprisoning and beating in each of the synagogues those trusting on You;

²⁰and when the blood of Stephen your witness was poured out, I myself also was already standing by and consenting to his killing, and watching over the garments of those killing him.

²¹And He said to me: Go, for I myself will send you far away to the nations.

²²Now they were listening to him until this word, and they lifted up their voice saying: Away with such a one from the land; for it was not proper for him to live!

²³Then while they were shouting out and casting off the garments and throwing dust into the air,

²⁴the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, having directed him to be examined by flogging, so that he might know for what cause they were crying out against him like this.

²⁵However, as they stretched him forward with the straps, Paul said to the centurion standing by: If a man is a Roman and uncondemned, is it lawful to you to flog?

²⁶Then when the centurion had heard, he had gone to the commander and reported it, saying: What are you going to do? For this man is a Roman.

²⁷Then the commander, having come near, said to him: Tell me, if you yourself are a Roman? And he was saying: Yes.

²⁸Then the commander answered: I myself bought this citizenship with a great sum. But Paul was saying: However, I myself even have been born so.

²⁹Therefore immediately those who were about to examine him departed from him; and the commander also was afraid when he had ascertained that he is a Roman, and because he had him bound.

³⁰Now on the next day, desiring to know for certain why he is accused by the Jews, he unbound him from the chains, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to assemble; and when he had brought Paul down, he set him among them.