WeBible

1 - "Brethren and fathers," he said, "listen to my defence which I now make before you."

2 - And on hearing him address them in Hebrew, they kept all the more quiet; and he said,

3 - "I am a Jew, born at Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I was carefully trained at the feet of Gamaliel in the Law of our forefathers, and, like all of you to-day, was zealous for God.

4 - I persecuted to death this new faith, continually binding both men and women and throwing them into prison;

5 - as the High Priest also and all the Elders can bear me witness. It was, too, from them that I received letters to the brethren in Damascus, and I was already on my way to Damascus, intending to bring those also who had fled there, in chains to Jerusalem, to be punished.

6 - "But on my way, when I was now not far from Damascus, about noon a sudden blaze of light from Heaven shone round me.

7 - I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, "`Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?'

8 - "`Who art thou, Lord?' I asked. "`I am Jesus, the Nazarene,' He replied, `whom you are persecuting.'

9 - "Now the men who were with me, though they saw the light, did not hear the words of Him who spoke to me.

10 - And I asked, "`What am I to do, Lord?' "And the Lord said to me, "`Rise, and go into Damascus. There you shall be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.'

11 - "And as I could not see because the light had been so dazzling, those who were with me had to lead me by the arm, and so I came to Damascus.

12 - "And a certain Ananias, a pious man who obeyed the Law and bore a good character with all the Jews of the city,

13 - came to me and standing at my side said, "`Brother Saul, recover your sight.' "I instantly regained my sight and looked up at him.

14 - Then he said, `The God of our forefathers has appointed you to know His will, and to see the righteous One and hear Him speak.

15 - For you shall be a witness for Him, to all men, of what you have seen and heard.

16 - And now why delay? Rise, get yourself baptized, and wash off your sins, calling upon His name.'

17 - "After my return to Jerusalem, and while praying in the Temple, I fell into a trance.

18 - I saw Jesus, and He said to me, "`Make haste and leave Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.'

19 - "`Lord,' I replied, `they themselves well know how active I was in imprisoning, and in flogging in synagogue after synagogue those who believe in Thee;

20 - and when they were shedding the blood of Stephen, Thy witness, I was standing by, fully approving of it, and I held the clothes of those who were killing him.'

21 - "`Go,' He replied; `I will send you as an Apostle to nations far away.'"

22 - Until they heard this last statement the people listened to Paul, but now with a roar of disapproval they cried out, "Away with such a fellow from the earth! He ought not to be allowed to live."

23 - And when they continued their furious shouts, throwing their clothes into the air and flinging dust about,

24 - the Tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and be examined by flogging, in order to ascertain the reason why they thus cried out against him.

25 - But, when they had tied him up with the straps, Paul said to the Captain who stood by, "Does the Law permit you to flog a Roman citizen--and one too who is uncondemned?"

26 - On hearing this question, the Captain went to report the matter to the Tribune. "What are you intending to do?" he said. "This man is a Roman citizen."

27 - So the Tribune came to Paul and asked him, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes," he said.

28 - "I paid a large sum for my citizenship," said the Tribune. "But I was born free," said Paul.

29 - So the men who had been on the point of putting him under torture immediately left him. And the Tribune, too, was frightened when he learnt that Paul was a Roman citizen, for he had had him bound.

30 - The next day, wishing to know exactly what charge was being brought against him by the Jews, the Tribune ordered his chains to be removed; and, having sent word to the High Priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble, he brought Paul down and made him stand before them.