¹Brethren and fathers, hear my defence which I now make to you.

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

²And hearing that he addressed them in the Hebrew tongue, they kept the more quiet; and he says,

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

³*I* am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel, educated according to [the] exactness of the law of [our] fathers, being zealous for God, as *ye* are all 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.

⁴who have persecuted this way unto death, binding and delivering up to 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 bears me witness, and all the elderhood: from whom also, having received letters to the brethren, I went to Damascus to bring those also who were there, bound, to Jerusalem, 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, as I was journeying and drawing near to Damascus, that, about mid-day, there suddenly shone out of 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 to the ground, and heard a voice saying to 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 to me, *I* am Jesus the Nazaraean, whom *thou* persecutest.

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

⁹But they that were with me beheld the light, [and were filled with fear], but heard not the voice of him that was speaking 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 to me, Rise up, and go to Damascus, and there it shall be told thee of all things which it is appointed 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 as I could not see, through the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came to Damascus.

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

¹²And a certain Ananias, a pious man according to the law, borne witness to by all the Jews who dwelt [there],

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

¹³coming to me and standing by me, said to me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And *I*, in the same hour, received my sight and saw 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 has chosen thee beforehand to know his will, and to see the just one, and to hear a voice out 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 a witness for him to 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 lingerest thou? Arise and get baptised, and have thy sins washed away, calling on his name.

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 when I had returned to Jerusalem, and as I was praying in the temple, that I became in ecstasy,

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

¹⁸and saw him saying to me, Make haste and go 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 themselves know that *I* was imprisoning and beating in every synagogue those that believe 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 witness Stephen was shed, I also myself was standing by and consenting, and kept the clothes of them who killed 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 to me, Go, for *I* will send thee to the nations afar off.

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

²²And they heard him until this word, and lifted up their voice, saying, Away with such a one as that from the earth, for it was not fit 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 were crying, and throwing away their clothes, and casting dust into the air,

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

²⁴the chiliarch commanded him to be brought into the fortress, saying that he should be examined by scourging, that he might ascertain for what cause they cried thus 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.

²⁵But as they stretched him forward with the thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood [by], Is it lawful for you to scourge a man [who 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?

²⁶And the centurion, having heard it, went and reported it to the chiliarch, saying, What art thou going to do? 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.

²⁷And the chiliarch coming up said to him, Tell me, Art *thou* a Roman? And he said, Yes.

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

²⁸And the chiliarch answered, *I*, for a great sum, bought this citizenship. And Paul said, But *I* was also [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.

²⁹Immediately therefore those who were going to examine him left him, and the chiliarch also was afraid when he ascertained 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.

³⁰And on the morrow, desirous to know the certainty [of the matter] why he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him, and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and having brought Paul down 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.