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 "各位父老弟兄， 请听听我现在对你们的申辩。"
2 他们听见保罗用希伯来语说话， 就更加安静了。保罗说：
3 "我是犹太人， 生在基利家的大数， 在城里长大， 按照我们祖宗律法的严格要求， 在迦玛列门下受教， 我为 神热心， 好像你们大家今天一样。
4 我曾经迫害信奉这道的人直至死地， 把男男女女都捆绑起来， 送进监狱，
5 这是大祭司和全公议会都可以给我作证的。我也从他们那里得到了写给众弟兄的信， 就去大马士革， 要把那里的人捆绑起来， 带到耶路撒冷接受惩罚。
6 "约在正午， 当我走近大马士革的时候， 忽然有大光从天上向我四面照射，
7 我仆倒在地上， 听见有声音对我说： ‘扫罗， 扫罗， 你为什么迫害我？’
8 我回答： ‘主啊， 你是谁？’他说： ‘我就是你所迫害的拿撒勒人耶稣。’
9 跟我在一起的人， 只看见那光， 却听不清楚那位对我说话的声音。
10 我说： ‘主啊， 我应当作什么呢？’主说： ‘起来， 进大马士革去， 在那里有人会把指定给你作的一切事告诉你。’
11 因为那光太强烈， 我的眼睛就瞎了， 跟我在一起的人就牵着我的手， 进了大马士革。
12 "有一个人名叫亚拿尼亚的， 他是一个虔诚而遵守律法的人， 当地所有的犹太人都称赞他。
13 他来见我， 站在我旁边， 对我说： ‘扫罗弟兄， 你现在可以看见了。’我立刻往上一看， 看见了他。
14 他又说： ‘我们祖先的 神选派了你， 让你明白他的旨意， 看见那义者， 听见他口中的声音。
15 因为你要把所看见所听见的， 向万人为他作见证。
16 现在你为什么还耽搁呢？起来受洗， 求告他的名， 洗净你的罪吧。’
17 "后来， 我回到耶路撒冷， 在殿里祷告的时候， 魂游象外，
18 看见主对我说： ‘你要快快离开耶路撒冷， 因为你为我作的见证， 他们是不会接受的。’
19 我说： ‘主啊， 他们知道我曾把信你的人监禁起来， 又在各会堂拷打他们，
20 并且你的见证人司提反受害流血的时候， 我也亲自在场， 表示同意， 并且为杀他的人看守衣服。’
21 他对我说： ‘你走吧， 我要派你到远方的外族人那里去。’"
22 众人听见他说到这句话， 就高声说： "这样的人应该从地上除掉， 不应该活着！ "
23 大家正在喊叫着， 拋掷衣服， 向空中扬灰撒土的时候，
24 千夫长下令把保罗带到营楼去， 吩咐人用鞭子拷问他， 要知道群众为什么这样向他喊叫。
25 士兵正用皮带绑他的时候， 保罗对站在旁边的百夫长说： "你们鞭打一个还没有定罪的罗马公民， 是合法的吗？"
26 百夫长听了， 就去报告千夫长， 说： "这个人是罗马公民， 你要怎么办呢？"
27 千夫长就来问保罗： "告诉我， 你是罗马公民吗？"他说： "是的。"
28 千夫长说： "我花了一大笔钱， 才取得罗马籍。"保罗说： "我生下来就是罗马公民。"
29 于是那些要拷问他的人， 立刻离开他走了。千夫长既知道他是罗马公民， 又因捆绑过他， 就害怕起来。
30 第二天， 千夫长为要知道犹太人控告保罗的真相， 就解开他， 召集了祭司长和公议会全体在一起， 把保罗带下来， 叫他站在他们面前。