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

¹Varume hama, nemadzibaba, inzwai kuzvidavirira kwangu zvino kwamuri.

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

²Ivo vakati vachinzwa kuti unotaura nerurimi rwechiHebheru kwavari, vakanyanya kunyarara, iye akati:

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;

³Ini ndiri zvirokwazvo murume muJudha, wakaberekerwa muTaso muKirikia, asi ndakarerwa muguta rino pamakumbo aGamarieri, ndikadzidziswa netsika dzakazara dzemurairo wamadzibaba, ndichishingairira Mwari, sezvamuri mose nhasi;

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

⁴ndikatambudza nzira iyi kusvikira parufu, ndichisunga nekukumikidza mutirongo vose varume nevakadzi;

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.

⁵nemupristi mukuru sezvaanopupura nezvangu nedare rose remakurukota evatariri; kwavari kwandakagamuchira tsamba kuhama, ndikaenda Dhamasiko kuti ndiuise kuJerusarema avo vaivapo vakasungwa, kuti varangwe.

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.

⁶Zvino zvakaitika kuti ndichifamba, ndoswedera Dhamasiko anenge masikati, pakarepo kwakaonekwa kubva kudenga chiedza chikuru chakandipoteredza.

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

⁷Zvino ndakawira pasi, ndikanzwa inzwi richiti kwandiri: Sauro, Sauro, unondishushirei?

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

⁸Ndikapindura, ndikati: Ndimwi ani Ishe? Akati kwandiri: Ndini Jesu weNazareta waunoshusha.

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.

⁹Zvino avo vaiva neni vakaona chiedza, vakatya, asi havana kunzwa inzwi rewakataura neni.

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.

¹⁰Zvino ndikati: Ndichaitei, Ishe? Ishe akati kwandiri: Simuka, uende Dhamasiko; apo uchaudzwa zvinhu zvose zvakatarirwa iwe kuti uite.

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.

¹¹Zvino zvandakange ndisingagoni kuona nekubwinya kwechiedza icho, ndakatungamirirwa neruoko rwevaiva neni, ndikasvika Dhamasiko.

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

¹²Zvino umwe Ananiasi, murume wainamata sezvinoreva murairo, waipupurwa nezvake zvakanaka nevaJudha vose vakange vagerepo,

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.

¹³akauya kwandiri akamira padivi pangu, akati kwandiri: Sauro hama, chionazve! Nenguva iyo ndikamuona.

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;

¹⁴Iye akati: Mwari wemadzibaba edu wakakusarudza, kare kuti uzive kuda kwake, nekuona iye wakarurama, nekunzwa inzwi remuromo wake.

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

¹⁵Nekuti uchava chapupu chake kuvanhu vose chezvawakaona nekunzwa.

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

¹⁶Ikozvino uchanonokerei? Simuka ubhabhatidzwe usukwe zvivi zvako, uchidana zita raIshe.

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

¹⁷Zvino zvakaitika kuti ndadzokera kuJerusarema, ndichinyengetera mutembere, ndikaita chiyeverwa chemweya,

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

¹⁸ndikamuona achiti kwandiri: Kurumidza ubve kuJerusarema ikozvino-zvino, nekuti havagamuchiri kupupura kwako maererano neni.

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

¹⁹Zvino ndikati: Ishe, vanoziva kuti ini ndaiisa mutirongo nekurova musinagoge roga-roga avo vaitenda kwamuri;

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.

²⁰nepakadururwa ropa raSitefano chapupu chenyu, neni ndakange ndimirewo ndichibvumirana nekuurawa kwake, ndakachengeta nguvo dzevaimuponda.

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

²¹Zvino akati kwandiri: Enda, nekuti ndichakutuma kure kuvahedheni.

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.

²²Vakamuteerera kusvikira pashoko iro; ipapo vakasimudza manzwi avo vachiti: Wakadai ngaabviswe panyika; nekuti hazvina kufanira kuti ararame.

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

²³Zvino vachidanidzira, vachirasha nguvo, vachikushira guruva kudenga,

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.

²⁴mukuru wechuru akaraira, kuti aiswe kuimba yemauto achiti abvunzurudzwe nekurohwa netyava, kuti azive kuti ingavai ravaidanidzira kudai pamusoro pake.

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?

²⁵Zvino vakati vamusunga nemakashu, Pauro akati kumukuru wezana wakange amirepo: Zviri pamutemo here kwamuri kurova netyava munhu ari muRoma asina kutongwa?

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.

²⁶Zvino mukuru wezana wakati achizvinzwa, akaenda akandoudza mukuru wechuru achiti: Chenjerai zvamunoita, nekuti munhu uyu muRoma.

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

²⁷Zvino mukuru wechuru akauya akati kwaari: Ndiudze, uri muRoma here? Iye akati: Hongu.

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

²⁸Mukuru wechuru akapindura akati: Nemutengo mukuru ini ndakawana uRoma uhwu. Pauro akati: Ini ndakaberekwa nahwo.

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.

²⁹Naizvozvo pakarepo vakabva kwaari ivo vaiva vomubvunzurudza, nemukuru wechuru wakatyawo aziva kuti iye muRoma, uye nekuti wakange amusunga.

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.

³⁰Zvino chifume, achida kuziva chokwadi chaaipomerwa nevaJudha, akamusunungura pazvisungo, akaraira kuti vapristi vakuru nedare remakurukota ose vaungane, akaburusira Pauro, ndokumugadzika pamberi pavo.