1Men , brethren , and fathers , hear ye my defence which I make now unto you . 2( And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them , they kept the more silence : and he saith ,) 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 . 4And I persecuted this way unto the death , binding and delivering into prisons both men and women . 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 .
The Vision on the Road to Damascus
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 . 7And I fell unto the ground , and heard a voice saying unto me , Saul , Saul , why persecutest thou me ? 8And I answered , Who art thou , Lord ? And he said unto me , I am Jesus of Nazareth , whom thou persecutest . 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 . 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 . 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 .
Commission to the Gentiles
12And one Ananias , a devout man according to the law , having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there , 13Came unto me , and stood , and said unto me , Brother Saul , receive thy sight . And the same hour I looked up upon him . 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 . 15For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard . 16And now why tarriest thou ? arise , and be baptized , and wash away thy sins , calling on the name of the Lord . 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 him saying unto me , Make haste , and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem : for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me . 19And I said , Lord , they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee : 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 . 21And he said unto me , Depart : for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles .
The Reaction of the Crowd
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 . 23And as they cried out , and cast off their clothes , and threw dust into the air , 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 . 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 that , he went and told the chief captain , saying , Take heed what thou doest : for this man is a Roman . 27Then the chief captain came , and said unto him , Tell me , art thou a Roman ? He said , Yea . 28And the chief captain answered , With a great sum obtained I this freedom . And Paul said , But I was free born . 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 .
Paul's Roman Citizenship
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 .