1 Brethren and fathers, hear my defence which I now make to you.2 And hearing that he addressed them in the Hebrew tongue, they kept the more quiet; and he says,3 *I* am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel, educated according to {the} exactness of the law of {our} fathers, being zealous for God, as *ye* are all this day;4 who have persecuted this way unto death, binding and delivering up to prisons both men and women;5 as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the elderhood: from whom also, having received letters to the brethren, I went to Damascus to bring those also who were there, bound, to Jerusalem, to be punished.6 And it came to pass, as I was journeying and drawing near to Damascus, that, about mid-day, there suddenly shone out of heaven a great light round about me.7 And I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?8 And *I* answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said to me, *I* am Jesus the Nazaraean, whom *thou* persecutest.9 But they that were with me beheld the light, {and were filled with fear}, but heard not the voice of him that was speaking to me.10 And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me, Rise up, and go to Damascus, and there it shall be told thee of all things which it is appointed thee to do.11 And as I could not see, through the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came to Damascus.12 And a certain Ananias, a pious man according to the law, borne witness to by all the Jews who dwelt {there},13 coming to me and standing by me, said to me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And *I*, in the same hour, received my sight and saw him.14 And he said, The God of our fathers has chosen thee beforehand to know his will, and to see the just one, and to hear a voice out of his mouth;15 for thou shalt be a witness for him to all men of what thou hast seen and heard.16 And now why lingerest thou? Arise and get baptised, and have thy sins washed away, calling on his name.17 And it came to pass when I had returned to Jerusalem, and as I was praying in the temple, that I became in ecstasy,18 and saw him saying to me, Make haste and go quickly out of Jerusalem, for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.19 And *I* said, Lord, they themselves know that *I* was imprisoning and beating in every synagogue those that believe on thee;20 and when the blood of thy witness Stephen was shed, I also myself was standing by and consenting, and kept the clothes of them who killed him.21 And he said to me, Go, for *I* will send thee to the nations afar off.22 And they heard him until this word, and lifted up their voice, saying, Away with such a one as that from the earth, for it was not fit he should live.23 And as they were crying, and throwing away their clothes, and casting dust into the air,24 the chiliarch commanded him to be brought into the fortress, saying that he should be examined by scourging, that he might ascertain for what cause they cried thus against him.25 But as they stretched him forward with the thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood {by}, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man {who is} a Roman and uncondemned?26 And the centurion, having heard it, went and reported it to the chiliarch, saying, What art thou going to do? for this man is a Roman.27 And the chiliarch coming up said to him, Tell me, Art *thou* a Roman? And he said, Yes.28 And the chiliarch answered, *I*, for a great sum, bought this citizenship. And Paul said, But *I* was also {free} born.29 Immediately therefore those who were going to examine him left him, and the chiliarch also was afraid when he ascertained that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.30 And on the morrow, desirous to know the certainty {of the matter} why he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him, and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and having brought Paul down set him before them.

1 Broeders en vaders, luister nou na my verdediging teenoor julle!2 En toe hulle hoor dat hy hulle in die Hebreeuse taal toespreek, was hulle nog stiller. En hy sê:3 Ek is 'n Jood, gebore in Tarsus in Cil¡cië, maar opgevoed in hierdie stad aan die voete van Gam liël, streng ooreenkomstig die voorvaderlike wet, 'n yweraar vir God soos julle almal vandag is.4 Hierdie Weg het ek vervolg tot die dood toe, en manne en ook vroue geboei en in gevangenisse oorgegee,5 soos ook die hoëpriester en die hele raad van ouderlinge my getuies is. Van hulle het ek ook briewe ontvang en na die broeders in Damaskus gegaan om ook die wat daar was, geboeid na Jerusalem te bring, sodat hulle gestraf kon word.6 Maar terwyl ek op reis was en naby Damaskus kom, het daar op die middag skielik 'n groot lig uit die hemel my omstraal,7 en ek het op die grond geval en 'n stem vir my hoor sê: Saul, Saul, waarom vervolg jy My?8 En ek het geantwoord: Wie is U, Here? En Hy het vir my gesê: Ek is Jesus, die Nasar,ner, wat jy vervolg.9 En die wat saam met my was, het wel die lig gesien en bang geword, maar die stem van Hom wat met my gespreek het, nie gehoor nie.10 En ek het gesê: Wat moet ek doen, Here? En die Here het vir my gesê: Staan op en gaan na Damaskus, en daar sal jou vertel word alles wat aan jou opgedra is om te doen.11 Toe ek dan weens die glans van daardie lig nie kon sien nie, is ek deur my metgeselle by die hand gelei en het in Damaskus gekom.12 En 'n sekere Anan¡as, 'n vroom man volgens die wet, wat 'n goeie naam gehad het by al die Jode wat daar woon,13 het na my gekom en by my gaan staan en vir my gesê: Saul, broeder, word siende! En op dieselfde oomblik het ek hom aangekyk.14 En hy het gesê: Die God van ons vaders het jou voorbeskik om sy wil te ken en die Regverdige te sien en die stem uit sy mond te hoor;15 want jy sal vir Hom by al die mense 'n getuie wees van wat jy gesien en gehoor het.16 En nou, waarom versuim jy? Staan op, laat jou doop en jou sondes afwas, terwyl jy die Naam van die Here aanroep.17 En toe ek in Jerusalem teruggekom het en besig was om in die tempel te bid, het ek in 'n verrukking van sinne gekom18 en Hom gesien, en Hy het vir my gesê: Maak gou en gaan haastig uit Jerusalem uit, want hulle sal jou getuienis aangaande My nie aanneem nie.19 En ek het gesê: Here, hulle weet self dat ek besig was om die wat in U glo, in die gevangenis te werp en in die sinagoges te slaan;20 en toe die bloed van St,fanus, u getuie, vergiet is, het ek ook self daarby gestaan en sy vermoording goedgekeur en die klere opgepas van die wat hom doodgemaak het.21 En Hy het vir my gesê: Gaan heen, want Ek sal jou ver wegstuur na die gewone heidene.22 Tot by hierdie woord het hulle na hom geluister; toe verhef hulle hul stem en sê: Weg van die aarde met so 'n mens, want hy behoort nie te lewe nie!23 En terwyl hulle so skreeu en hulle klere afgooi en stof in die lug werp,24 het die owerste oor duisend bevel gegee dat hy in die kamp gebring moes word, en gesê dat hulle hom met g,selslae moes ondersoek, sodat hy kon weet om watter rede hulle so teen hom uitroep.25 En onderwyl hulle hom met die rieme uitrek, sê Paulus vir die hoofman oor honderd wat daar staan: Is dit u geoorloof om 'n Romeinse burger, en dit onveroordeeld, te g,sel?26 Toe die hoofman oor honderd dit hoor, gaan hy dit aan die owerste oor duisend vertel en sê: Pas op wat u gaan doen, want hierdie man is 'n Romein.27 En die owerste oor duisend het gekom en hom gevra: Sê vir my of jy 'n Romein is? En hy antwoord: Ja.28 Toe sê die owerste oor duisend: Ek het hierdie burgerreg vir 'n groot som verkry! En Paulus sê vir hom: Maar ek het dit deur geboorte.29 Daarop het die wat hom sou ondersoek, hom dadelik laat staan; en die owerste oor duisend het ook gevrees, omdat hy nou wis dat hy 'n Romein was en hy hom geboei het.30 En die volgende dag wou hy met sekerheid weet waarvan hy deur die Jode beskuldig was; en hy het hom van sy boeie losgemaak en bevel gegee dat die owerpriesters en hulle hele Raad moes vergader; en hy het Paulus afgebring en voor hulle laat staan.