¹ايها الرجال الاخوة والآباء اسمعوا احتجاجي الآن لديكم‎.

¹`Men, brethren, and fathers, hear my defence now unto you;` —

²‎فلما سمعوا انه ينادي لهم باللغة العبرانية اعطوا سكوتا احرى‎. ‎فقال

²and they having heard that in the Hebrew dialect he was speaking to them, gave the more silence, and he saith, —

³انا رجل يهودي ولدت في طرسوس كيليكية ولكن ربيت في هذه المدينة مؤدبا عند رجلي غمالائيل على تحقيق الناموس الابوي وكنت غيورا للّه كما انتم جميعكم اليوم‎.

³`I, indeed, am a man, a Jew, having been born in Tarsus of Cilicia, and brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, having been taught according to the exactitude of a law of the fathers, being zealous of God, as all ye are to-day.

⁴‎واضطهدت هذا الطريق حتى الموت مقيدا ومسلما الى السجون رجالا ونساء‎.

⁴`And this way I persecuted unto death, binding and delivering up to prisons both men and women,

⁵‎كما يشهد لي ايضا رئيس الكهنة وجميع المشيخة الذين اذ اخذت ايضا منهم رسائل للاخوة الى دمشق ذهبت لآتي بالذين هناك الى اورشليم مقيدين لكي يعاقبوا‎.

⁵as also the chief priest doth testify to me, and all the eldership; from whom also having received letters unto the brethren, to Damascus, I was going on, to bring also those there bound to Jerusalem that they might be punished,

⁶‎فحدث لي وانا ذاهب ومتقرّب الى دمشق انه نحو نصف النهار بغتة ابرق حولي من السماء نور عظيم‎.

⁶and it came to pass, in my going on and coming nigh to Damascus, about noon, suddenly out of the heaven there shone a great light round about me,

⁷‎فسقطت على الارض وسمعت صوتا قائلا لي شاول شاول لماذا تضطهدني‎.

⁷I fell also to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why me dost thou persecute?

⁸‎فاجبت من انت يا سيد. فقال لي انا يسوع الناصري الذي انت تضطهده.

⁸`And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? and he said unto me, I am Jesus the Nazarene whom thou dost persecute —

⁹والذين كانوا معي نظروا النور وارتعبوا ولكنهم لم يسمعوا صوت الذي كلمني‎.

⁹and they who are with me the light did see, and became afraid, and the voice they heard not of him who is speaking to me —

¹⁰‎فقلت ماذا افعل يا رب. فقال لي الرب قم واذهب الى دمشق وهناك يقال لك عن جميع ما ترتب لك ان تفعل‎.

¹⁰and I said, What shall I do, Lord? and the Lord said unto me, Having risen, go on to Damascus, and there it shall be told thee concerning all things that have been appointed for thee to do.

¹¹‎واذ كنت لا ابصر من اجل بهاء ذلك النور اقتادني بيدي الذين كانوا معي فجئت الى دمشق

¹¹`And when I did not see from the glory of that light, being led by the hand by those who are with me, I came to Damascus,

¹²ثم ان حنانيا رجلا تقيا حسب الناموس ومشهودا له من جميع اليهود السكان

¹²and a certain one, Ananias, a pious man according to the law, being testified to by all the Jews dwelling [there],

¹³أتى اليّ ووقف وقال لي ايها الاخ شاول ابصر. ففي تلك الساعة نظرت اليه

¹³having come unto me and stood by [me], said to me, Saul, brother, look up; and I the same hour did look up to him;

¹⁴فقال. اله آبائنا انتخبك لتعلم مشيئته وتبصر البار وتسمع صوتا من فمه‎.

¹⁴and he said, The God of our fathers did choose thee beforehand to know His will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice out of his mouth,

¹⁵‎لانك ستكون له شاهدا لجميع الناس بما رايت وسمعت‎.

¹⁵because thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard;

¹⁶‎والآن لماذا تتوانى. قم واعتمد واغسل خطاياك داعيا باسم الرب

¹⁶and now, why tarriest thou? having risen, baptize thyself, and wash away thy sins, calling upon the name of the Lord.

¹⁷وحدث لي بعدما رجعت الى اورشليم وكنت اصلّي في الهيكل اني حصلت في غيبة

¹⁷`And it came to pass when I returned to Jerusalem, and while I was praying in the temple, I came into a trance,

¹⁸فرأيته قائلا لي اسرع واخرج عاجلا من اورشليم لانهم لا يقبلون شهادتك عني‎.

¹⁸and I saw him saying to me, Haste and go forth in haste out of Jerusalem, because they will not receive thy testimony concerning me;

¹⁹‎فقلت يا رب هم يعلمون اني كنت احبس واضرب في كل مجمع الذين يؤمنون بك‎.

¹⁹and I said, Lord, they — they know that I was imprisoning and was scourging in every synagogue those believing on thee;

²⁰‎وحين سفك دم استفانوس شهيدك كنت انا واقفا وراضيا بقتله وحافظا ثياب الذين قتلوه‎.

²⁰and when the blood of thy witness Stephen was being poured forth, I also was standing by and assenting to his death, and keeping the garments of those putting him to death;

²¹‎فقال لي اذهب فاني سارسلك الى الامم بعيدا

²¹and he said unto me, Go, because to nations far off I will send thee.`

²²فسمعوا له حتى هذه الكلمة ثم رفعوا اصواتهم قائلين خذ مثل هذا من الارض لانه كان لا يجوز ان يعيش‎.

²²And they were hearing him unto this word, and they lifted up their voice, saying, `Away from the earth with such an one; for it is not fit for him to live.`

²³‎واذ كانوا يصيحون ويطرحون ثيابهم ويرمون غبارا الى الجو

²³And they crying out and casting up their garments, and throwing dust into the air,

²⁴أمر الامير ان يذهب به الى المعسكر قائلا ان يفحص بضربات ليعلم لاي سبب كانوا يصرخون عليه هكذا

²⁴the chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, saying, `By scourges let him be examined;` that he might know for what cause they were crying so against him.

²⁵فلما مدوه للسياط قال بولس لقائد المئة الواقف أيجوز لكم ان تجلدوا انسانا رومانيا غير مقضي عليه‎.

²⁵And as he was stretching him with the thongs, Paul said unto the centurion who was standing by, `A man, a Roman, uncondemned — is it lawful to you to scourge;`

²⁶‎فاذ سمع قائد المئة ذهب الى الامير واخبره قائلا انظر ماذا انت مزمع ان تفعل. لان هذا الرجل روماني‎.

²⁶and the centurion having heard, having gone near to the chief captain, told, saying, `Take heed what thou art about to do, for this man is a Roman;`

²⁷‎فجاء الامير وقال له قل لي. انت روماني. فقال نعم‎.

²⁷and the chief captain having come near, said to him, `Tell me, art thou a Roman?` and he said, `Yes;`

²⁸‎فاجاب الامير اما انا فبمبلغ كبير اقتنيت هذه الرعوية. فقال بولس اما انا فقد ولدت فيها‎.

²⁸and the chief captain answered, `I, with a great sum, did obtain this citizenship;` but Paul said, `But I have been even born [so].`

²⁹‎وللوقت تنحى عنه الذين كانوا مزمعين ان يفحصوه واختشى الامير لما علم انه روماني ولانه قد قيده

²⁹Immediately, therefore, they departed from him who are about to examine him, and the chief captain also was afraid, having learned that he is a Roman, and because he had bound him,

³⁰وفي الغد اذ كان يريد ان يعلم اليقين لماذا يشتكي اليهود عليه حله من الرباط وامر ان يحضر رؤساء الكهنة وكل مجمعهم فاحدر بولس واقامه لديهم

³⁰and on the morrow, intending to know the certainty wherefore he is accused by the Jews, he did loose him from the bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all their sanhedrim to come, and having brought down Paul, he set [him] before them.