1 “My fellow Jews, listen to me as I make my defense before you!” 2 When they heard him speaking to them in Hebrew, they became even quieter; and Paul went on:
3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up here in Jerusalem as a student of Gamaliel. I received strict instruction in the Law of our ancestors and was just as dedicated to God as are all of you who are here today. 4 I persecuted to the death the people who followed this Way. I arrested men and women and threw them into prison. 5 The High Priest and the whole Council can prove that I am telling the truth. I received from them letters written to fellow Jews in Damascus, so I went there to arrest these people and bring them back in chains to Jerusalem to be punished.
Paul Tells of His Conversion
(Acts 9.1-19Acts 26.12-18)6 “As I was traveling and coming near Damascus, about midday a bright light from the sky flashed suddenly around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute me?’ 8 ‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute,’ he said to me. 9 The men with me saw the light, but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10 I asked, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ and the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything that God has determined for you to do.’ 11 I was blind because of the bright light, and so my companions took me by the hand and led me into Damascus.
12 “In that city was a man named Ananias, a religious man who obeyed our Law and was highly respected by all the Jews living there. 13 He came to me, stood by me, and said, ‘Brother Saul, see again!’ At that very moment I saw again and looked at him. 14 He said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see his righteous Servant, and to hear him speaking with his own voice. 15 For you will be a witness for him to tell everyone what you have seen and heard. 16 And now, why wait any longer? Get up and be baptized and have your sins washed away by praying to him.’
Paul's Call to Preach to the Gentiles
17 “I went back to Jerusalem, and while I was praying in the Temple, I had a vision, 18 in which I saw the Lord, as he said to me, ‘Hurry and leave Jerusalem quickly, because the people here will not accept your witness about me.’ 19 ‘Lord,’ I answered, ‘they know very well that I went to the synagogues and arrested and beat those who believe in you. 20 And when your witness Stephen was put to death, I myself was there, approving of his murder and taking care of the cloaks of his murderers.’ 21 ‘Go,’ the Lord said to me, ‘for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
22 The people listened to Paul until he said this; but then they started shouting at the top of their voices, “Away with him! Kill him! He's not fit to live!” 23 They were screaming, waving their clothes, and throwing dust up in the air. 24 The Roman commander ordered his men to take Paul into the fort, and he told them to whip him in order to find out why the Jews were screaming like this against him. 25 But when they had tied him up to be whipped, Paul said to the officer standing there, “Is it lawful for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn't even been tried for any crime?”
26 When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and asked him, “What are you doing? That man is a Roman citizen!”
27 So the commander went to Paul and asked him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”
“Yes,” answered Paul.
28 The commander said, “I became one by paying a large amount of money.”
“But I am one by birth,” Paul answered.
29 At once the men who were going to question Paul drew back from him; and the commander was frightened when he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had put him in chains.
Paul before the Council
30 The commander wanted to find out for sure what the Jews were accusing Paul of; so the next day he had Paul's chains taken off and ordered the chief priests and the whole Council to meet. Then he took Paul and made him stand before them.
1 «يا إخْوَتي وآبائي، اَسمَعوا ما أقولُ الآنَ في الدّفاعِ عَنْ نَفسي!» 2 فلمّا سَمِعوهُ يُخاطِبُهُم بالعِبرِيّةِ، عادوا أكثَرَ هُدوءًا، فقالَ: 3 «أنا رجُلٌ يَهودِيّ وُلِدتُ في طَرْسوسَ مِنْ كِيليكِيّةَ، لكِنّي نَشأتُ هُنا في هذِهِ المدينةِ وتَعَلّمتُ عِندَ قَدَمَي غَمالائيلَ شريعةَ آبائِنا تَعليمًا صَحيحًا، وكُنتُ غيورًا على خِدْمَةِ اللهِ مثلَكُم أنتُم جَميعًا في أيّامِنا هذِهِ. 4 واَضطَهَدْتُ مَذهبَ يَسوعَ حتى الموتِ، فاَعتَقَلْتُ الرّجالَ والنّساءَ وألقَيتُهُم في السّجونِ. 5 وبِهذا يَشهَدُ لي رَئيسُ الكَهنَةِ وشُيوخُ الشّعبِ كُلّهُم. فَمِنهُم أخَذتُ رَسائِلَ إلى إخوتِنا اليَهودِ في دِمشقَ، فذَهبتُ إلَيها لاَعتِقالِ مَنْ كانَ فيها مُؤمنًا بِهذا المَذهَبِ، فأسوقُهُ إلى أُورُشليمَ لمُعاقَبتِهِ.
6 وبَينَما أنا أقْتَرِبُ مِنْ دِمشقَ، سطَعَ فَجأةً حَولي عِندَ الظّهرِ نُورٌ باهِرٌ مِنَ السّماءِ، 7 فوَقعتُ إلى الأرضِ، وسَمِعتُ صَوتًا يَقولُ لي: شاوُلُ، شاوُلُ، لِماذا تَضطهِدُني؟ 8 فأجَبْتُ: مَنْ أنتَ يا ربّ؟ قالَ: أنا يَسوعُ النّاصِريّ الذي تَضْطَهِدُهُ. 9 وكانَ الذينَ مَعي يَرونَ النّورَ ولا يَسمَعونَ صَوتَ مَنْ يُخاطِبُني. 10 فَقلتُ: ماذا أعمَلُ، يا ربّ؟ فقالَ ليَ الرّبّ: قُمْ واَدخُلْ إلى دِمشقَ، وهُناكَ يُقالُ لكَ ما يَجبُ علَيكَ أنْ تَعمَلَ. 11 وكُنتُ فَقَدْتُ بَصري مِنْ شِدّةِ ذلِكَ النّورِ الباهِرِ، فقادَني رِفاقي بِـيَدي حتى دَخَلْتُ دِمشقَ.
12 وكانَ فيها رجُلٌ تَقِـيّ مُتمَسّكٌ بالشّريعةِ اَسمُهُ حنانيّا، يَشهَدُ لَه جميعُ اليَهودِ في دِمشقَ. 13 فجاءَني وقالَ لي: يا أخي شاوُلُ، أبصِرْ. فَأبصَرْتُهُ في الحالِ. 14 فقالَ: إلهُ آبائِنا اَختارَكَ لتَعرِفَ مَشيئتَهُ وتُشاهِدَ فتاهُ البارّ وتَسمَعَهُ يُكلّمُكَ. 15 فأنتَ سَتكونُ شاهِدًا لَه عِندَ جميعِ النّاسِ بِما رأيتَ وسَمِعْتَ. 16 والآنَ، ما لكَ تُبطِـئُ؟ قُمْ تَعمّدْ وتَطَهّرْ مِنْ خَطاياكَ داعيًا بِاَسمِهِ.
17 ثُمّ رَجَعْتُ إلى أُورُشليمَ. وبَينَما أنا أُصلّي في الهَيكَلِ، وقَعتُ في غَيبوبَةٍ، 18 فرَأيتُ الرّبّ يَقولُ لي: أسرِعْ في الخُروجِ مِنْ أُورُشليمَ، لأنّ الشّعبَ هُنا لا يَقبَلونَ شَهادَتَكَ لي. 19 فقُلتُ: هُم يَعرِفونَ جيّدًا يا ربّ، أنّي كُنتُ أدخُلُ المَجامِـعَ وأعتَقِلُ المُؤمنينَ بِكَ وأجلُدُهُم، 20 وأنّي كُنتُ حاضِرًا عِندَما سفَكَ الشّعبُ دمَ إستِفانوسَ شَهيدِكَ وكُنتُ راضِيًا بِقَتلِهِ، مُحافِظًا على ثيابِ الذينَ قَتَلوهُ. 21 فقالَ ليَ الرّبّ: هيّا، سأُرسِلُكَ إلى مكانٍ بَعيدٍ، إلى غَيرِ اليَهودِ مِنَ الشعوبِ».
22 وكانوا يُصغونَ إلى بولُسَ حتى قالَ هذِهِ الكَلماتِ، فصاحوا بأعلى أصواتِهِم: «أزيلوا هذا الرّجُلَ عَنْ وَجهِ الأرضِ! هوَ لا يَستحِقّ الحياةَ». 23 وأخَذوا يَصيحونَ، ويَطرَحونَ ثيابَهُم، ويَرمونَ التّرابَ في الهواءِ. 24 فأمَرَ قائِدُ الحامِيَةِ رجالَهُ بأنْ يُدخلوا بولُسَ إلى القَلعةِ ويسألوهُ تَحتَ الضّربِ، ليَعرِفَ لِماذا يَصيحُ علَيهِ اليَهودُ كُلّ هذا الصّياحِ. 25 فلمّا مَدّدوهُ ورَبَطوهُ ليَجلِدوهُ، قالَ لِلضابِطِ الواقفِ بِجانِبِه: «أيَحِقّ لكُم أنْ تَجلِدوا مُواطنًا رومانِـيّا مِنْ غَيرِ أنْ تُحاكِموهُ؟»
26 فلمّا سَمِعَ الضّابِطُ هذا الكلامَ، أسرَعَ إلى القائِدِ وقالَ لَه: «ماذا تَفعَلُ؟ هذا الرّجُلُ رومانيّ!» 27 فجاءَ القائِدُ إلى بولُسَ وقالَ لَه: «قُلْ لي: هَلْ أنتَ رومانيّ؟» قالَ: «نعَم». 28 فقالَ القائِدُ: «أنا دَفَعتُ مالاً كثيرًا حتى حَصَلتُ على هذِهِ الجِنسيّةِ». فقالَ بولُسُ: «أمّا أنا فمولودٌ فيها». 29 فتَراجَعَ عَنهُ في الحالِ مَنْ كانوا يُريدونَ أنْ يَستَجوِبوهُ. وخافَ القائِدُ لمّا عرَفَ أنّهُ رومانيّ وأنّهُ كَبّلَهُ بِالقيودِ.
بولس في مجلس اليهود
30 وأرادَ القائِدُ في الغَدِ أنْ يَعرِفَ حَقيقةَ ما يَتّهِمُ اليَهودُ بِه بولُسَ، فحَلّ قُيودَهُ، وأمَرَ رُؤساءَ الكَهنَةِ وجميعَ أعضاءِ مَجلِسِ اليَهودِ أنْ يَجتَمعوا، ثُمّ أنزَلَ بولُسَ وأحضَرَهُ مَجلِسَهُم.