Men,
brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I
make now unto you.
02 (And when they heard that he spake in the
Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more
silence: and he saith,)
03 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.
04 And I persecuted this way unto the death,
binding and delivering into prisons both men and
women.
05 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.
06 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.
07 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice
saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why
persecutest thou me?
08 And I answered, Who art thou,
Lord? And he said unto me, I am
Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.
09 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.
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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.
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