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¹ Men: brothers and fathers, hear the defense which I now make to you.² And when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they were the more quiet: and he says,

³ I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, instructed at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God even as you all are this day:⁴ and 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 estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters to the brothers, and journeyed to Damascus to bring them also that were there to Jerusalem in bonds to be punished.⁶ And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and drew near to Damascus, about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.⁷ And I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?⁸ And I answered, Who are you, Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute.⁹ And those that were with me indeed saw the light, but they didn't hear the voice of him that spoke to me.¹⁰ And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told you of all things which are appointed for you to do.¹¹ And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those that were with me I came into Damascus.¹² And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well reported of by all the Jews that dwelt there,¹³ came to me, and standing by me said to me, Brother Saul, receive your sight. And in that very hour I looked up on him.¹⁴ And 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 shall be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and heard.¹⁶ And now why do you tarry? arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.¹⁷ And it came to pass, that, 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 quickly out of Jerusalem; because they will not receive of you testimony concerning me.¹⁹ And I said, Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue those that believed on you:²⁰ and when the blood of Stephen your witness was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting, and keeping the garments of those that slew him.²¹ And he said to me, Depart: for I will send you forth far from here to the Gentiles.

²² And they gave him audience to this word; and they lifted up their voice, 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 threw off their garments, and cast dust into the air,²⁴ the colonel commanded him to be brought into the castle, bidding that he should be examined by scourging, that he might know for what cause they so shouted against him.²⁵ And when they had tied him up with the thongs, Paul said to the captain that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?²⁶ And when the captain heard it, he went to the colonel and told him, saying, What are you about to do? for this man is a Roman.²⁷ And the colonel came and said to him, Tell me, are you a Roman? And he said, Yes.²⁸ And the colonel answered, With a great sum I obtained this citizenship. And Paul said, But I am [a Roman] born.²⁹ They then that were about to examine him immediately departed from him: and the colonel also was afraid when he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.³⁰ But on the next day, desiring to know the certainty why he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him, and commanded the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to come together, and brought Paul down and set him before them.