1 Brethren and fathers, hear my defense before you now.

2 And when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect, they kept all the more silent. Then he said:

3 I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ Law, and was zealous toward God 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 bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring even those who were there, bound, to Jerusalem to be punished.

6 Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from Heaven shone around me.

7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?

8 So I answered, Who are You, Sir? And He said to me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute.

9 And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the words uttered by Him who spoke to me.

10 So I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me, Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.

11 And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.

12 Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the Law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there,

13 came to me; and he stood and said to me, Brother Saul, receive your sight. And at that same instant I looked up at him.

14 Then he said, The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice out of His mouth.

15 For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.

16 And now why are you waiting? Arise and be immersed, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

17 And it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance

18 and saw Him saying to me, Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.

19 So I said, Lord, they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those believing on You.

20 And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, consenting to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.

21 Then He said to me, Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.

22 And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!

23 Then, as they cried out and tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air,

24 the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and said that he should be examined by scourging, so that he might know for what reason they shouted so against him.

25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and not condemned by trial?

26 When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, Take heed what you are about to do, for this man is a Roman.

27 Then the commander came and said to him, Tell me, are you a Roman? He said, Yes.

28 And the commander answered, With a large sum I obtained this citizenship. And Paul said, But I was free born.

29 Then immediately those who were about to examine him stood away from him; and the commander was also afraid after he fully knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.

30 The next day, because he wanted to know for certain why he was accused by the Jews, he released him from his bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down and set him before them.

1 VARÕES irmãos e pais, ouvi agora a minha defesa perante vós. 2 (E, quando ouviram falar-lhes em língua hebraica, maior silêncio guardaram.) E disse: 3 Quanto a mim, sou varão judeu, nascido em Tarso da Cilícia, e nesta cidade criado aos pés de Gamaliel, instruído conforme a verdade da lei de nossos pais, zelador de Deus, como todos vós hoje sois. 4 E persegui este caminho até à morte, prendendo, e metendo em prisões, tanto varões como mulheres, 5 Como também o sumo sacerdote me é testemunha, e todo o conselho dos anciãos: e, recebendo destes cartas para os irmãos, fui a Damasco, para trazer maniatados para Jerusalém aqueles que ali estivessem, a fim de que fossem castigados. 6 Ora aconteceu que, indo eu já de caminho, e chegando perto de Damasco, quase ao meio-dia, de repente me rodeou uma grande luz do céu. 7 E caí por terra, e ouvi uma voz que me dizia: Saulo, Saulo, por que me persegues? 8 E eu respondi: Quem és, Senhor? E disse-me: Eu sou Jesus nazareno, a quem tu persegues. 9 E os que estavam comigo viram, em verdade, a luz, e se atemorizaram muito; mas não ouviram a voz daquele que falava comigo. 10 Então disse eu: Senhor que farei? E o Senhor disse-me: Levanta-te, e vai a Damasco, e ali se te dirá tudo o que te é ordenado fazer. 11 E, como eu não via, por causa do esplendor daquela luz, fui levado pela mão dos que estavam comigo, e cheguei a Damasco. 12 E um certo Ananias, varão piedoso conforme a lei, que tinha bom testemunho de todos os judeus que ali moravam, 13 Vindo ter comigo, e apresentando-se, disse-me: Saulo, irmão, recobra a vista. E naquela mesma hora o vi. 14 E ele disse: O Deus de nossos pais de antemão te designou para que conheças a sua vontade, e vejas aquele Justo, e ouças a voz da sua boca. 15 Porque hás de ser sua testemunha para com todos os homens do que tens visto e ouvido. 16 E agora por que te deténs? Levanta-te, e batiza-te, e lava os teus pecados, invocando o nome do Senhor. 17 E aconteceu que, tornando eu para Jerusalém, quando orava no templo, fui arrebatado para fora de mim. 18 E vi aquele que me dizia: Dá-te pressa, e sai apressadamente de Jerusalém; porque não receberão o teu testemunho acerca de mim. 19 E eu disse: Senhor, eles bem sabem que eu lançava na prisão e açoitava nas sinagogas os que criam em ti. 20 E quando o sangue de Estêvão, tua testemunha, se derramava, também eu estava presente, e consentia na sua morte, e guardava os vestidos dos que o matavam. 21 E disse-me: Vai, porque hei de enviar-te aos gentios de longe. 22 E ouviram-no até esta palavra, e levantaram a voz, dizendo: Tira da terra um tal homem, porque não convém que viva. 23 E, clamando eles, e arrojando de si os vestidos, e lançando pó para o ar, 24 O tribuno mandou que o levassem para a fortaleza, dizendo que o examinassem com açoites, para saber por que causa assim clamavam contra ele. 25 E, quando o estavam atando com correias, disse Paulo ao centurião que ali estava: É-vos lícito açoitar um romano, sem ser condenado? 26 E, ouvindo isto, o centurião foi, e anunciou ao tribuno, dizendo: Vê o que vais fazer, porque este homem é romano. 27 E, vindo o tribuno, disse-lhe: Dize-me, és tu romano? E ele disse: Sim. 28 E respondeu o tribuno: Eu com grande soma de dinheiro alcancei este direito de cidadão. Paulo disse: Mas eu sou-o de nascimento. 29 E logo dele se apartaram os que o haviam de examinar; e até o tribuno teve temor, quando soube que era romano, visto que o tinha ligado.

30 E no dia seguinte, querendo saber ao certo a causa por que era acusado pelos judeus, soltou-o das prisões, e mandou vir os principais dos sacerdotes, e todo o seu conselho; e, trazendo Paulo, o apresentou diante deles.