1
Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defense
which I make now unto you.
2
(And when they heard that he spoke in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence, and he said,)
3
I am indeed 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 truth of the law of the fathers, zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.
4
And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.
5
As also the prince of the priests bears me witness, and all the estate of the elders, from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring those who were bound there unto Jerusalem to be punished.
6
And it came to pass that, as I made my journey and was come near unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.
7
And I fell unto the ground and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why dost thou persecute me?
8
And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I Am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou dost persecute.
9
And those that were with me saw indeed the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of him that spoke to me.