1 "Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense which I now make to you."

2 When they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they were even more quiet.

He said, 3 "I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict tradition of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you all are today. 4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, 5 as also the high priest and all the council of the elders testify, from whom also I received letters to the brothers, and traveled to Damascus to bring them also who were there to Jerusalem in bonds to be punished.

6 "As I made my journey and came close to Damascus, about noon suddenly a great light shone around me from the sky. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute.’

9 "Those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they didn’t understand the voice of him who spoke to me. 10 I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Arise, and go into Damascus. There you will be told about all things which are appointed for you to do.’ 11 When I couldn’t see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.

12 "One Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well reported of by all the Jews who lived in Damascus, 13 came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ In that very hour I looked up at him. 14 He said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from his mouth. 15 For you will be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and heard. 16 Now why do you wait? Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’

17 "When I had returned to Jerusalem and while I prayed in the temple, I fell into a trance 18 and saw him saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not receive testimony concerning me from you.’ 19 I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue those who believed in you. 20 When the blood of Stephen, your witness, was shed, I also was standing by, consenting to his death, and guarding the cloaks of those who killed him.’

21 "He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you out far from here to the Gentiles.’"

22 They listened to him until he said that; then they lifted up their voice and said, "Rid the earth of this fellow, for he isn’t fit to live!"

23 As they cried out, threw off their cloaks, and threw dust into the air, 24 the commanding officer commanded him to be brought into the barracks, ordering him to be examined by scourging, that he might know for what crime they shouted against him like that. 25 When they had tied him up with thongs, Paul asked the centurion who stood by, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and not found guilty?"

26 When the centurion heard it, he went to the commanding officer and told him, "Watch what you are about to do, for this man is a Roman!"

27 The commanding officer came and asked him, "Tell me, are you a Roman?"

He said, "Yes."

28 The commanding officer answered, "I bought my citizenship for a great price."

Paul said, "But I was born a Roman."

29 Immediately those who were about to examine him departed from him, and the commanding officer also was afraid when he realized that he was a Roman, because he had bound him. 30 But on the next day, desiring to know the truth about why he was accused by the Jews, he freed him from the bonds and commanded the chief priests and all the council to come together, 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.