International Standard Version

King James Bible

1"Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense that I am now making before you."

1Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.

2When they heard him speaking to them in Hebrew, they became even more quiet, and he continued:

2(And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)

3"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia but raised in this city and educated at the feet of Gamaliel in the strict ways of our ancestral Law. I am as zealous for God as all of you are today.

3I 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.

4I persecuted this Way, even executing people, and kept tying up both men and women and putting them in prison,

4And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.

5as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. I also received letters from them to the brothers in Damascus, and I was going there to tie up those who were there and bring them back to Jerusalem to be punished.

5As 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.

6"But while I was on my way and approaching Damascus about noon, a bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around me.

6And 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.

7I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?'

7And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

8"I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' "He told me, 'I'm Jesus from Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.'

8And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

9The men who were with me saw the light but didn't understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me.

9And 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"Then I asked, 'What am I to do, Lord?' "The Lord told me, 'Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything you are destined to do.'

10And 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.

11Since I could not see because of the brightness of the light, the men who were with me took me by the hand and led me into Damascus.

11And 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"A certain Ananias, who was a devout man with respect to the Law and who was highly regarded by all the Jews living there,

12And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,

13came to me. He stood beside me and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' At that moment I could see him.

13Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.

14"Then he said, 'The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear his own voice,

14And 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.

15because you will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard.

15For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.

16So now, what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away as you call on his name.'

16And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

17"Then I returned to Jerusalem. While I was praying in the Temple, I fell into a trance

17And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;

18and saw the Lord saying to me, 'Hurry up and get out of Jerusalem at once, because the people won't accept your testimony about me.'

18And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.

19"I said, 'Lord, they themselves know that in every synagogue I kept imprisoning and beating those who believe in you.

19And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:

20Even when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I was standing there, approving it and guarding the coats of those who were killing him.'

20And 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"Then he told me, 'Go, because I'll send you far away to the gentiles.'"

21And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.

22Up to this point they listened to him, but then they began to shout, "Away with such a fellow from the earth! He's not fit to go on living!"

22And 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.

23While they were yelling, tossing their coats around, and throwing dirt into the air,

23And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air,

24the tribune ordered Paul to be taken into the barracks and told the soldiers to beat and question him in order to find out why the people were yelling at him like this.

24The 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.

25But when they had tied him up with the straps, Paul asked the centurion who was standing there, "Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn't been condemned?"

25And 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?

26When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and told him, "What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!"

26When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.

27So the tribune went and asked Paul, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes," he said.

27Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.

28Then the tribune replied, "I paid a lot of money for this citizenship of mine." Paul said, "But I was born a citizen."

28And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.

29Immediately those who were about to examine him stepped back, and the tribune was afraid when he found out that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had tied him up.

29Then 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.

30The next day, since the tribune wanted to find out exactly what Paul was being accused of by the Jews, he released him and ordered the high priests and the entire Council to meet. Then he brought Paul down and had him stand before them.

30On 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.

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.