1 „Vennad ja isad, kuulake nüüd, mida ma teile enese kaitseks räägin!"

2 Kui nad kuulsid teda heebrea keeles rääkimas, jäid nad väga vaikseks.

Ja Paulus ütles: 3 „Mina olen juut, sündinud Tarsoses Kiliikiamaal ja üles kasvanud siin selles linnas. Ma õppisin Gamalieli käe all ja sain põhjaliku väljaõppe meie esivanemate Seadusest. Ma olin pühendunud Jumalale nagu igaüks teist on täna. 4 Ja sellisena ma kiusasin taga usutee järgijaid kuni nende surmani, pannes ahelaisse ja heites vanglasse nii mehi kui naisi, 5 nagu ülempreester ja kogu nõukogu võivad teile tunnistada. Nende käest ma sain isegi kirju nende kaaslaste jaoks Damaskuses, ja ma läksin sinna kavatsusega tuua ka need inimesed vangidena Jeruusalemma, et neid karistataks.

6 Lõuna paiku Damaskuse lähedale jõudes välgatas äkitselt mu ümber ere valgus taevast. 7 Ma kukkusin maha ja kuulsin üht häält mulle ütlemas: „Saul! Saul! Miks sa mind taga kiusad?"

8 „Kes sa oled, Issand?" küsisin ma. „Mina olen Naatsareti Jeesus, keda sa taga kiusad!" vastas ta. 9 Minu kaaslased nägid küll valgust, aga nad ei kuulnud tema häält, kes minuga rääkis.

10 „Mida pean ma tegema, Issand?" küsisin ma.

„Tõuse üles," ütles Issand, „ja mine Damaskusesse. Seal öeldakse sulle, mis sul on määratud teha." 11 Kuna ma selle ereda valguse pärast ei näinud, juhtisid mu kaaslased mind kättpidi Damaskusesse.

12 Minu juurde tuli mees nimega Ananias. Ta oli pühendunud Seaduse järgija ja kõrgelt austatud kõigi seal elavate juutide poolt. 13 Ta seisatas minu kõrval ja ütles: „Vend Saul, näe jälle!" Ja selsamal hetkel ma nägin teda.

14 Siis ta ütles: „Meie esivanemate Jumal on sind valinud tundma tema tahet ja nägema seda Õiget ning kuulma sõnu tema suust. 15 Sina oled tema tunnistaja kõikidele inimestele selles, mida sa oled näinud ja kuulnud. 16 Ja mida sa nüüd ootad? Tõuse üles, lase ennast ristida ja oma patud ära pesta, appi hüüdes tema nime!"

17 Aga kui ma tagasi pöördusin Jeruusalemma ja templis palvetasin, olin ma nagu enesest ära 18 ja nägin Issandat minuga rääkimas: „Ruttu!" ütles ta, „Lahku kohe Jeruusalemmast, sest siinsed inimesed ei võta vastu sinu tunnistust minu kohta."

19 „Issand," vastasin mina, „nad ju teavad, et ma viisin vangi ja peksin sünagoogides neid, kes sinusse usuvad. 20 Ja kui sinu märtri Stefanose verd valati, olin ma seal juures ja kiitsin selle heaks ning valvasin nende rõivaid, kes teda tapsid."

21 Ja Issand ütles mulle: „Mine, ma läkitan su kaugele võõraste rahvaste sekka!" "

22 Kuni selle sõnani rahvas kuulas teda. Siis aga tõstsid nad häält ja karjusid: „Hukka niisugune ära maa pealt, tema ei tohi ellu jääda!"

23 Ja kui nad karjusid ja viskasid maha oma kuued, tolmu üles pildudes, 24 käskis ülempealik Pauluse viia kindlusse. Ta käskis teda peksta ja välja uurida, miks inimesed tema peale sellisel kombel karjusid. 25 Aga kui nad ta peksmiseks pikali tõmbasid, ütles Paulus tema juures seisvale sadakonna ülemale: „Kas see on seaduslik, et te peksate Rooma kodanikku, keda pole süüdi mõistetud?"

26 Kui sadakonna ülem seda kuulis, läks ta ja kandis ülempealikule ette. „Mida sa kavatsed teha?" küsis ta, „See mees on Rooma kodanik!"

27 Ülempealik tuli Pauluse juurde ja küsis: „Ütle mulle, kas sa oled Rooma kodanik?"

„Jah, olen!" vastas Paulus.

28 Ülempealik vastas: „Mina olen endale kodakondsuse hankinud suure raha eest."

„Aga mina olen sellesse sündinud," vastas Paulus.

29 Sedamaid lahkusid need, kes olid teda üle kuulanud. Ülempealik lõi ise aga kartma, kui ta sai teada, et ta oli pannud Pauluse, Rooma kodaniku, ahelaisse.

30 Aga järgmisel päeval, tahtes teada saada, milles täpselt juudid Paulust süüdistavad, vabastas ta tema ahelatest ja käskis ülempreestritel ja kõigil Suurkohtu liikmetel kokku tulla. Ja ta viis Pauluse nende ette.

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.