1 Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you. 2 (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,) 3 I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. 4 And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. 5 As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished. 6 And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. 7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. 9 And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. 10 And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do. 11 And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus. 12 And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, 13 Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him. 14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. 15 For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. 16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. 17 And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance; 18 And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me. 19 And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee: 20 And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. 21 And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. 22 And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live. 23 And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air, 24 The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him. 25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned? 26 When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman. 27 Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea. 28 And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born. 29 Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him. 30 On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and 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 gekom

18 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.