| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1"Brothers and fathers, listen to my defense that I now make to you." | 1“Brothers and esteemed fathers,” Paul said, “listen to me as I offer my defense.” |
| 2(When they heard that he was addressing them in Aramaic, they became even quieter.) Then Paul said, | 2When they heard him speaking in their own language, the silence was even greater. |
| 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. | 3Then Paul said, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. As his student, I was carefully trained in our Jewish laws and customs. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just like all of you today. |
| 4I persecuted this Way even to the point of death, tying up both men and women and putting them in prison, | 4And I persecuted the followers of the Way, hounding some to death, arresting both men and women and throwing them in prison. |
| 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. | 5The high priest and the whole council of elders can testify that this is so. For I received letters from them to our Jewish brothers in Damascus, authorizing me to bring the followers of the Way from there to Jerusalem, in chains, to be punished. |
| 6As I was en route and near Damascus, about noon a very bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around me. | 6“As I was on the road, approaching Damascus about noon, a very bright light from heaven suddenly shone down around me. |
| 7Then I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' | 7I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ |
| 8I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' He said to me, 'I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.' | 8“‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked. “And the voice replied, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, the one you are persecuting.’ |
| 9Those who were with me saw the light, but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me. | 9The people with me saw the light but didn’t understand the voice speaking to me. |
| 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.' | 10“I asked, ‘What should I do, Lord?’ “And the Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything you are to do.’ |
| 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. | 11“I was blinded by the intense light and had to be led by the hand to Damascus by my companions. |
| 12A man named Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who live there, | 12A man named Ananias lived there. He was a godly man, deeply devoted to the law, and well regarded by all the Jews of Damascus. |
| 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. | 13He came and stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ And that very moment I could see him! |
| 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, | 14“Then he told me, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and hear him speak. |
| 15because you will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard. | 15For you are to be his witness, telling everyone what you have seen and heard. |
| 16And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on his name.' | 16What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.’ |
| 17When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance | 17“After I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the Temple and fell into a trance. |
| 18and saw the Lord saying to me, 'Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.' | 18I saw a vision of Jesus saying to me, ‘Hurry! Leave Jerusalem, for the people here won’t accept your testimony about me.’ |
| 19I replied, 'Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat those in the various synagogues who believed in you. | 19“‘But Lord,’ I argued, ‘they certainly know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. |
| 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.' | 20And I was in complete agreement when your witness Stephen was killed. I stood by and kept the coats they took off when they stoned him.’ |
| 21Then he said to me, 'Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'" | 21“But the Lord said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!’ ” |
| 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!" | 22The crowd listened until Paul said that word. Then they all began to shout, “Away with such a fellow! He isn’t fit to live!” |
| 23While they were screaming and throwing off their cloaks and tossing dust in the air, | 23They yelled, threw off their coats, and tossed handfuls of dust into the air. Paul Reveals His Roman Citizenship |
| 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. | 24The commander brought Paul inside and ordered him lashed with whips to make him confess his crime. He wanted to find out why the crowd had become so furious. |
| 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?" | 25When they tied Paul down to lash him, Paul said to the officer standing there, “Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been tried?” |
| 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." | 26When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and asked, “What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!” |
| 27So the commanding officer came and asked Paul, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" He replied, "Yes." | 27So the commander went over and asked Paul, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes, I certainly am,” Paul replied. |
| 28The commanding officer answered, "I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money." "But I was even born a citizen," Paul replied. | 28“I am, too,” the commander muttered, “and it cost me plenty!” Paul answered, “But I am a citizen by birth!” |
| 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. | 29The soldiers who were about to interrogate Paul quickly withdrew when they heard he was a Roman citizen, and the commander was frightened because he had ordered him bound and whipped. Paul before the High Council |
| 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. | 30The next day the commander ordered the leading priests into session with the Jewish high council. He wanted to find out what the trouble was all about, so he released Paul to have him stand before them. |
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