New International Version NIV
Hebrew Names Version HNV
1 “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.”
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"Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense which I now make to you."
2 When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Then Paul said:
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When they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they were even more quiet. He said,
3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.
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"I am indeed a Yehudi, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamli'el, instructed according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you all are this day.
4 I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,
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I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.
5 as the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.
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As also the Kohen Gadol and all the council of the Zakenim testify, from whom also I received letters to the brothers, and journeyed to Dammesek to bring them also who were there to Yerushalayim in bonds to be punished.
6 “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.
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It happened that, as I made my journey, and came close to Dammesek, about noon, suddenly there shone from the sky a great light around me.
7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’
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I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, 'Sha'ul, Sha'ul, why do you persecute me?'
8 “ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. “ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied.
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I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' He said to me, 'I am Yeshua of Natzeret, whom you persecute.'
9 My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.
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"Those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they didn't understand the voice of him who spoke to me.
10 “ ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. “ ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’
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I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' The Lord said to me, 'Arise, and go into Dammesek. There you will be told about all things which are appointed for you to do.'
11 My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.
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When I couldn't see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Dammesek.
12 “A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.
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One Hananyah, a devout man according to the law, well reported of by all the Yehudim who lived there,
13 He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him.
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came to me, and standing by me said to me, 'Brother Sha'ul, receive your sight!' In that very hour I looked up at him.
14 “Then he said: ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth.
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He said, 'The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from his mouth.
15 You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard.
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For you will be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and heard.
16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’
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Now why do you wait? Arise, be immersed, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.'
17 “When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance
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"It happened that, when I had returned to Yerushalayim, and while I prayed in the temple, I fell into a trance,
18 and saw the Lord speaking to me. ‘Quick!’ he said. ‘Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me.’
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and saw him saying to me, 'Hurry and get out of Yerushalayim quickly, because they will not receive testimony concerning me from you.'
19 “ ‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you.
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I said, 'Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue those who believed in you.
20 And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’
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When the blood of Stephen, your witness, was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting to his death, and guarding the cloaks of those who killed him.'
21 “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”
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"He said to me, 'Depart, for I will send you out far from here to the Goyim.'"
22 The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!”
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They listened to him until he said that, then they lifted up their voice, and said, "Rid the eretz of this fellow, for he isn't fit to live!"
23 As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air,
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As they cried out, and threw off their cloaks, and threw dust into the air,
24 the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this.
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the commanding officer commanded him to be brought into the barracks, ordering him to be examined by scourging, that he might know for what crime they shouted against him like that.
25 As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?”
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When they had tied him up with thongs, Sha'ul asked the centurion who stood by, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and not found guilty?"
26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.”
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When the centurion heard it, he went to the commanding officer and told him, "Watch what you are about to do, for this man is a Roman!"
27 The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes, I am,” he answered.
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The commanding officer came and asked him, "Tell me, are you a Roman?" He said, "Yes."
28 Then the commander said, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.” “But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied.
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The commanding officer answered, "I bought my citizenship for a great price." Sha'ul said, "But I was born a Roman."
29 Those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.
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Immediately those who were about to examine him departed from him, and the commanding officer also was afraid when he realized that he was a Roman, because he had bound him.
30 The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews. So the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.
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But on the next day, desiring to know the truth about why he was accused by the Yehudim, he freed him from the bonds, and commanded the chief Kohanim and all the council to come together, and brought Sha'ul down and set him before them.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Hebrew Names Version is in the public domain.