¹Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.

¹Ry rahalahy sy ianareo ray henoy ny teny halahatro aminareo ankehitriny hanala tsiny ny tenako.

²(And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)

²Ary nony ren'ny olona fa teny Hebreo no nitenenany taminy, dia mainka nangina izy; ary hoy Paoly:

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.

³Izaho lehilahy Jiosy, teraka tany Tarsosy any Kilikia, fa teto amin'ity tanàna ity no nahabe ahy teo anilan'ny tongotr'i Gamaliela, dia nampianarina tsara ny lalàna avy tamin'ny razana aho, ary nazoto indrindra ho an'Andriamanitra tahaka anareo rehetra ankehitriny.

⁴And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.

⁴Nanenjika izay nanaiky izany fampianarana izany aho hatramin'ny mahafaty azy aza, dia namatotra azy, na lahy na vavy, ka nanolotra azy hatao an-tranomaizina; [ Gr. lalana]

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.

⁵ary ny mpisoronabe sy ny loholona rehetra no vavolombeloko, sady izy no nandraisako taratasy ho amin'ny rahalahy, dia nankany Damaskosy aho, mba ho entiko am-patorana hankany Jerosalema koa izay hita teo, mba hampijalina.

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.

⁶Ary raha nandeha aho ka mby teo akaiky an'i Damaskosy, tamin'ilay antoandrobe iny, dia nisy mazava lehibe nanelatrelatra tampoka avy tany an-danitra manodidina ahy;

⁷And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

⁷dia lavo tamin'ny tany aho ka nandre feo nilaza tamiko hoe: Saoly, Saoly, nahoana ianao no manenjika Ahy?

⁸And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

⁸Ary izaho namaly hoe: Iza moa Hianao, Tompoko? Dia hoy Izy tamiko: Izaho no Jesosy avy any Nazareta, Izay enjehinao.

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.

⁹Ary izay niaraka tamiko dia nahita ny mazava; nefa tsy mba nahare ny feon'izay niteny tamiko izy.

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.

¹⁰Ary hoy izaho: Tompoko, inona no hataoko? Dia hoy ny Tompo tamiko: Mitsangana, ka mandehana ho any Damaskosy; fa any no holazaina aminao izay rehetra voatendry hataonao.

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.

¹¹Ary raha tsy nahajery aho noho ny famirapiratan'izany mazava izany, dia notantanan'ireo niaraka tamiko aho, ka dia tonga tany Damaskosy.

¹²And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,

¹²Ary ny lehilahy anankiray atao hoe Ananiasy, mpivavaka manaraka ny lalàna sady tsara laza teo amin'ny Jiosy rehetra izay nonina teo,

¹³Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.

¹³dia nanatona ahy ary nitsangana ka nanao tamiko hoe: Ry Saoly rahalahy, mahirata. Ary tamin'izany ora izany dia nahiratra aho ka nahita azy.

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.

¹⁴Ary hoy izy: Andriamanitry ny razantsika efa nanendry anao hahafantatra ny sitrapony sy hahita ny Iray Marina ary hihaino ny teny aloaky ny vavany;

¹⁵For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.

¹⁵fa ho vavolombelony amin'ny olona rehetra ianao ny amin'izay efa hitanao sy renao.

¹⁶And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

¹⁶Ary ankehitriny inona no mampijanona anao? Mitsangàna, miantsoa ny anarany, ary aoka hatao batisa ianao ka hosasana ho afaka amin'ny fahotanao.

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;

¹⁷Ary rehefa tonga tany Jerosalema indray aho ka nivavaka teo an-kianjan'ny tempoly, dia azon-tsindrimandry

¹⁸And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.

¹⁸ka nahita Azy milaza amiko hoe: Maladia ianao, ka mivoaha faingana an'i Jerosalema; fa tsy handray ny fanambaranao Ahy izy.

¹⁹And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:

¹⁹Dia hoy izaho: Tompoko, izy ireo mahalala fa ny mino Anao dia nataoko tao an-tranomaizina sady nokapohiko tao amin'ny synagoga rehetra;

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.

²⁰ary raha nalatsaka ny ran'i Stefana martioranao, izaho koa dia mba nitsangana teo ka nanaiky sady nitandrina ny fitafian'izay namono azy.

²¹And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.

²¹Ary hoy Izy tamiko: Mandehana, fa Izaho haniraka anao handeha lavitra any amin'ny jentilisa.

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.

²²Ary ny olona nihaino azy hatramin'izany teny izany, dia nanandratra ny feony ka nanao hoe: Esory amin'ny tany ilehio, fa tsy tokony hovelomina izy!

²³And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air,

²³Ary raha niantso sy niala lamba ary nanipy vovoka ho amin'ny rivotra izy,

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.

²⁴dia nasain'ny mpifehy arivo ho entina any anati-rova Paoly, ary nasainy hadinina amin'ny kapoka, mba hahafantarany izay fototry ny nanakoran'ny olona azy toy izany.

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?

²⁵Ary raha namatotra azy tamin'ny kofehy hoditra izy, dia hoy Paoly tamin'ny kapiteny izay hitsangana teo: Mety aminareo va ny mikapoka lehilahy Romana izay tsy mbola nohelohina?

²⁶When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.

²⁶Ary ny kapiteny, nony nahare, dia lasa nilaza tamin'ny mpifehy arivo ka nanao hoe: Inona izao hataonao izao? fa Romana io lehilahy io.

²⁷Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.

²⁷Dia nankeo aminy ny mpifehy arivo ka nanao taminy hoe: Lazao amiko: Romana va ianao? Dia hoy izy: Eny.

²⁸And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.

²⁸Ary ny mpifehy arivo namaly hoe: Vola be no nahazoako izany voninahitra izany. Fa hoy Paoly: Izaho kosa efa nanana izany hatry ny fony vao teraka.

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.

²⁹Dia nandao azy faingana ireo olona efa hanadina azy; ary ny mpifehy arivo natahotra koa, rehefa nahalala azy fa Romana, satria efa nampamatotra azy izy.[Ny nandaharan'i Paoly teny teo anatrehan'ny Synedriona] Ary nony ampitso, satria ta-hahafantatra marina izay niampangan'ny Jiosy azy ny mpifehy arivo, dia namaha azy, ary nasainy niangona ny lohan'ny mpisorona sy ny Synedriona rehetra, ary Paoly nentiny nidina ka nampitoeriny teo anatrehany.

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.

³⁰[Ny nandaharan'i Paoly teny teo anatrehan'ny Synedriona] Ary nony ampitso, satria ta-hahafantatra marina izay niampangan'ny Jiosy azy ny mpifehy arivo, dia namaha azy, ary nasainy niangona ny lohan'ny mpisorona sy ny Synedriona rehetra, ary Paoly nentiny nidina ka nampitoeriny teo anatrehany.