1 Men, brothers and fathers, hear my present defense before you.
2 And hearing that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they kept the greater silence.
3 And he said, I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, instructed at the feet of Gamaliel in the accurate interpretation of the law of our fathers, and am a zealous worshipper of God as you all are to-day;
4 and I persecuted this way to death, binding and committing to prison both men and women,
5 as the chief priest also bears me witness, and all the eldership, from whom also receiving letters to the brothers I went to Damascus, to bring those who were there bound to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 And when I was on the way and had come nigh to Damascus, about noon suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me,
7 and I fell on the earth, and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?
8 And I answered, Who are you, Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus the Nazoraean, whom you persecute.
9 And those that were with me saw the light, but they heard not the voice of him that spoke to me.
10 And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me, Arise, and go to Damascus, and there it shall be told you of all things which are appointed for you to do.
11 And when I could not see from the brightness of that light, being led by the hand by those with me, I came to Damascus.
12 And a certain Ananias, a man [living] according to the law, approved by all the Jews living [there],
13 coming and standing by, said to me, Brother Saul, Receive your sight. And in that hour I looked upon him.
14 And he said, The God of our fathers chose you to know his will, and to see the Righteous One, and hear the voice of his mouth,
15 for you shall be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and heard.
16 And now, why do you delay? Arising, baptize and wash away your sins, calling on his name.
17 And when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I was in a trance,
18 and saw him [Christ], saying to me, Hasten and depart immediately from Jerusalem, for they will not receive your testimony of me.
19 And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in the synagogues those who believed on you;
20 and when the blood of your martyr Stephen was poured out, I also stood by and consented, and kept the clothes of those that killed him.
22 And they heard him to this word, and lifted up their voice saying, Take away such a man from the earth; it is not fit that he should live.
23 And as they cried and rent their clothes and cast dust in the air,
24 the chiliarch commanded him to be brought into the fortress, ordering that he should be examined with scourges, that he might know for what reason they cried so against him.
25 But when they extended him with cords, he said to the centurion standing by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man, a Roman, and uncondemned?
26 And the centurion hearing this, went and told the chiliarch, saying, What are you about to do? for this man is a Roman.
28 And the chiliarch answered, I acquired this citizenship for a great price. But Paul said, I am indeed, and was also born [one].
29 Then those about to examine him immediately withdrew from him; and the chiliarch was afraid, knowing that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.