| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1“Brethren and fathers, hear my defense before you now.” | 1"Brothers and fathers, listen to my defense that I now make to you." |
| 2And when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent. Then he said: | 2(When they heard that he was addressing them in Aramaic, they became even quieter.) Then Paul 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. | 3"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated with strictness under Gamaliel according to the law of our ancestors, and was zealous for God just as all of you are today. |
| 4I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, | 4I persecuted this Way even to the point of death, tying up both men and women and putting them in prison, |
| 5as 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 in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished. | 5as both the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. From them I also received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way to make arrests there and bring the prisoners 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. | 6As I was en route and near Damascus, about noon a very bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around me. |
| 7And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ | 7Then I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' |
| 8So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ | 8I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' He said to me, 'I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.' |
| 9“And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me. | 9Those who were with me saw the light, but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me. |
| 10So 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.’ | 10So I asked, 'What should I do, Lord?' The Lord said to me, 'Get up and go to Damascus; there you will be told about everything that you have been designated to do.' |
| 11And 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. | 11Since I could not see because of the brilliance of that light, I came to Damascus led by the hand of those who were with me. |
| 12“Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there, | 12A man named Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who live there, |
| 13came to me; and he stood and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that same hour I looked up at him. | 13came to me and stood beside me and said to me, 'Brother Saul, regain your sight!' And at that very moment I looked up and saw him. |
| 14Then 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 of His mouth. | 14Then he said, 'The God of our ancestors has already chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear a command from his mouth, |
| 15For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. | 15because you will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard. |
| 16And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’ | 16And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on his name.' |
| 17“Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance | 17When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance |
| 18and saw Him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.’ | 18and saw the Lord saying to me, 'Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.' |
| 19So I said, ‘Lord, they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believe on You. | 19I replied, 'Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat those in the various synagogues who believed in you. |
| 20And 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.’ | 20And when the blood of your witness Stephen was shed, I myself was standing nearby, approving, and guarding the cloaks of those who were killing him.' |
| 21Then He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.’ ” | 21Then he said to me, 'Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'" |
| 22And 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!” | 22The crowd was listening to him until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, "Away with this man from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live!" |
| 23Then, as they cried out and tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air, | 23While they were screaming and throwing off their cloaks and tossing dust in the air, |
| 24the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and said that he should be examined under scourging, so that he might know why they shouted so against him. | 24the commanding officer ordered Paul to be brought back into the barracks. He told them to interrogate Paul by beating him with a lash so that he could find out the reason the crowd was shouting at Paul in this way. |
| 25And 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 uncondemned?” | 25When they had stretched him out for the lash, Paul said to the centurion standing nearby, "Is it legal for you to lash a man who is a Roman citizen without a proper trial?" |
| 26When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, “Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman.” | 26When the centurion heard this, he went to the commanding officer and reported it, saying, "What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen." |
| 27Then the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” He said, “Yes.” | 27So the commanding officer came and asked Paul, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" He replied, "Yes." |
| 28The commander answered, “With a large sum I obtained this citizenship.” And Paul said, “But I was born a citizen.” | 28The commanding officer answered, "I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money." "But I was even born a citizen," Paul replied. |
| 29Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him. | 29Then those who were about to interrogate him stayed away from him, and the commanding officer was frightened when he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had had him tied up. |
| 30The 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. | 30The next day, because the commanding officer wanted to know the true reason Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole council to assemble. He then brought Paul down and had him stand before them. |
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