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

¹¶ E oku tuakana, e oku matua, whakarongo ki tenei korero aku ki a koutou.

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

²A, ka rongo ratou ko te reo Hiperu tana i korero ai ki a ratou, katahi ka mutu rawa te kiki; a ka mea ia,

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;

³¶ He Hurai ahau, i whanau ki Tarahu o Kirikia, i whakatupuria i roto i tenei pa ki nga waewae o Kamariere, i ata whakaakona ki te tino tikanga o te ture o nga matua, i uaua ano ahau mo te Atua, i pena me koutou katoa inaianei.

⁴who have persecuted this way unto death, binding and delivering up to prisons both men and women;

⁴A whakatoia ana e ahau nga tangata o tenei tikanga, tae ana ki te mate; herea ana e ahau nga tane me nga wahine, a tukua ana ki nga whare herehere.

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.

⁵Ma te tohunga nui tenei korero aku e whakatika, ma te huihui hoki o nga kaumatua katoa: i riro mai hoki i ahau a ratou pukapuka ki nga teina, a haere ana ahau ki Ramahiku, kia herea, kia arahina mai hoki te hunga o reira ki Hiruharama kia whakama maetia.

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.

⁶Na, i ahau e haere ana, e whakatata ana ki Ramahiku, i te poutumarotanga, ka whiti whakarere mai ki ahau he marama nui no te rangi.

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

⁷A hinga ana ahau ki te whenua, ka rangona he reo e mea ana ki ahau, E Haora, e Haora, he aha tau e whakatoi nei i ahau?

⁸And *I* answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said to me, *I* am Jesus the Nazaraean, whom *thou* persecutest.

⁸Na ka whakahokia e ahau, Ko wai koe, e te Ariki? Ka mea ia ki ahau, Ko Ihu ahau o Nahareta, e whakatoia nei e koe.

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.

⁹I kite ano oku hoa i te marama, otira kihai i rongo i te reo ona i korero ki ahau.

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.

¹⁰Ka mea ahau, Me aha ahau, e te Ariki? Ka mea te Ariki ki ahau, Whakatika, haere ki Ramahiku; a ka korerotia ki a koe i reira nga mea katoa kua whakaritea kia meinga e koe.

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.

¹¹Heoi, i te mea kahore ahau i kite, na te kororia hoki o taua marama, ka arahina a ringatia ahau e oku hoa haere, ka tae ki Ramahiku.

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

¹²Na ko tetahi tangata, ko Anania, he tangata karakia, i rite tonu nei ki ta te ture ana mahi, a e korerotia paitia ana e nga Hurai katoa e noho ana i reira,

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.

¹³Haere mai ana ia ki ahau, a tu ana i toku taha, ka mea mai ki ahau, E toku teina, e Haora, titiro ake. A i taua haora ano ka titiro ahau ki a ia.

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;

¹⁴I mea ano ia, Na te Atua o o tatou matua koe i whiriwhiri, kia matau ki tana e pai ai, kia kite i a te Tika, kia rongo hoki i te reo o tona mangai.

¹⁵for thou shalt be a witness for him to all men of what thou hast seen and heard.

¹⁵No te mea ko koe hei kaiwhakaatu mana ki nga tangata katoa, mo nga mea i kite ai, i rongo ai koe.

¹⁶And now why lingerest thou? Arise and get baptised, and have thy sins washed away, calling on his name.

¹⁶Na, he aha tau e whakaroa nei? whakatika, kia iriiria koe, kia horoia ou hara, me te karanga ano ki te ingoa o te Ariki.

¹⁷And it came to pass when I had returned to Jerusalem, and as I was praying in the temple, that I became in ecstasy,

¹⁷A, no toku hokinga mai ki Hiruharama, i ahau e inoi ana i roto i te temepara, ka puta te ngakau matakite ki ahau;

¹⁸and saw him saying to me, Make haste and go quickly out of Jerusalem, for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.

¹⁸A ka kite ahau i a ia e mea ana mai ki ahau, E ahua, kia hohoro te haere atu i Hiruharama: e kore hoki ratou e tango i tau korero moku.

¹⁹And *I* said, Lord, they themselves know that *I* was imprisoning and beating in every synagogue those that believe on thee;

¹⁹Na ko taku meatanga, E te Ariki, e matau ana ratou, he kaiherehere ahau, he kaiwhiu i roto i nga whare karakia, i te hunga i whakapono ki a koe:

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.

²⁰A, i te whakahekenga o nga toto o tou kaiwhakaatu, o Tepene, i reira ahau e tu ana, e whakaae ana, e tiaki ana hoki i nga kakahu o ona kaiwhakamate.

²¹And he said to me, Go, for *I* will send thee to the nations afar off.

²¹Na ko tana meatanga ki ahau, Haere: ka unga hoki koe e ahau ki tawhiti ki nga Tauiwi.

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.

²²¶ A whakarongo ana ratou ki a ia taea noatia tenei kupu, na ka hamama ratou, ka mea, Whakamatea atu te koroke nei i runga i te whenua: e kore hoki e pai kia ora ia.

²³And as they were crying, and throwing away their clothes, and casting dust into the air,

²³Heoi, i a ratou e karanga ana, e rukeruke ana i o ratou kakahu, e akiri ana i te puehu ki te rangi,

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.

²⁴Ka whakahau te rangatira kia kawea ia ki te pa, ka mea kia whiua, kia uia; kia matau ai ia ki te mea i penei ai ratou te karanga ki a ia.

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?

²⁵A, ka oti ia te here e ratou ki nga here, ka mea a Paora ki te keneturio e tu ana i reira, he mea tika ranei kia whiua e koutou te tangata, he tangata no Roma, i te mea kahore ano i mau noa tona he?

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.

²⁶A, no te rongonga o te keneturio, ka haere, ka korero ki te rangatira mano, ka mea, He aha tau e mea ai? no Roma hoki te tangata nei.

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

²⁷Na ka haere mai te rangatira mano, ka mea ki a ia, Korero mai ki ahau, no Roma koe? Ka mea ia, Ae.

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

²⁸Na ka whakahoki te rangatira mano, Na te moni nui i whiwhi ai ahau ki tenei taonga, hei tangata whenua no Roma. Ka mea a Paora, Ko ahau i whanau tonu no Roma.

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.

²⁹Na whakarerea tonutia iho ia e te hunga e mea ana ki te ui ki a ia: i mataku hoki te rangatira mano, i tona rongonga no Roma ia, mona hoki i here i a ia.

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.

³⁰Na i te aonga ake ka mea ia kia matau ki te tikanga, ki te mea i whakawakia ai ia e nga Hurai, ka wewete i ona here, ka whakahau kia haere mai nga tohunga nui, me to ratou runanga katoa, a arahina iho ana a Paora, whakaturia ana ki to ratou aroa ro.