¹'Mehed, vennad ja isad, kuulake nüüd, mida ma teile enese kaitseks räägin!'

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

²Kui nad kuulsid, et ta peab neile kõnet heebrea keeles, jäid nad veel rahulikumaks. Ja Paulus ütles:

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

³'Mina olen Juuda mees, sündinud Tarsoses Kiliikiamaal ja üles kasvatatud siinsamas linnas, Gamalieli jalgade ees, õpetatud täpselt esiisade Seadust mööda, olles innukas Jumala nõudja, nii nagu teie kõik tänapäeval olete.

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;

⁴Sellisena ma kiusasin surmani taga usuteed, pannes ahelaisse ja toimetades vanglasse nii mehi kui naisi.

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

⁵Nõnda võivad mu kohta tunnistada ka ülempreester ja vanemad, kelle käest ma sain kirju viimiseks nende vendade kätte Damaskusesse. Ja ma kavatsesin ka sealseid usklikke tuua aheldatult Jeruusalemma, et neid karistataks.

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.

⁶Aga sündis, kui ma olin teel ja lähenesin Damaskusele, et lõuna ajal välgatas äkitselt mu ümber ere valgus taevast.

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.

⁷Ma kukkusin maha ja kuulsin üht häält mulle ütlevat: 'Saul, Saul, miks sa mind taga kiusad?'

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

⁸Mina aga vastasin: 'Kes sa oled, isand?' Tema ütles mulle: 'Mina olen Jeesus Naatsaretlane, keda sina taga kiusad!'

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

⁹Minu kaaslased nägid küll valgust, aga nad ei kuulnud tema häält, kes minuga rääkis.

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.

¹⁰Siis ma ütlesin: 'Mis ma pean tegema, Issand?' Issand aga ütles mulle: 'Tõuse püsti, mine Damaskusesse, seal öeldakse sulle kõik, mis sul on määratud teha.'

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.

¹¹Aga kuna ma selle valguse kirkuse tõttu ei näinud, talutasid mu kaaslased mind kättpidi, ja ma jõudsin Damaskusesse.

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.

¹²Aga keegi Hananias, Seaduse järgi vaga mees, kel oli hea tunnistus kõigi sealsete juutide poolt,

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

¹³tuli minu juurde. Ta seisatas mu kõrval ja ütles: 'Vend Saul, näe jälle!' Ja selsamal hetkel ma nägin jälle ja vaatasin talle otsa.

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.

¹⁴Tema aga ütles: 'Meie isade Jumal on su määranud tunnetama tema tahtmist ja nägema seda Õiget ning kuulma häält tema suust,

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;

¹⁵sest sina saad tema tunnistajaks kõigile inimestele selles, mida sa oled näinud ja kuulnud.

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

¹⁶Ja mida sa nüüd ootad? Tõuse ja lase ennast ristida ning oma patud ära pesta, appi hüüdes tema nime!'

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

¹⁷Aga sündis, et kui ma tagasi pöördusin Jeruusalemma ja pühakojas palvetasin, olin ma nagu endast ära

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

¹⁸ja nägin teda mulle ütlevat: 'Tõtta ja mine kiiresti Jeruusalemmast ära, sest nad ei võta vastu sinu tunnistust minu kohta.'

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

¹⁹Ja mina ütlesin: 'Issand, nad ise ju teavad, et ma viisin vangi ja peksin sünagoogides neid, kes sinusse usuvad.

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

²⁰Ja kui sinu tunnistaja Stefanose verd valati, seisin minagi seal juures ja kiitsin selle heaks ning valvasin nende rõivaid, kes ta hukkasid.'

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.

²¹Ja tema ütles mulle: 'Mine, sest ma läkitan su kaugele paganate sekka!''

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

²²Kuni selle sõnani nad kuulasid teda, siis aga tõstsid oma häält: 'Hukka niisugune ära maa pealt! Ta ei tohi ellu jääda!'

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.

²³Ja kui nad karjusid ja rõivaid seljast kiskusid ning tolmu vastu taevast loopisid,

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

²⁴käskis ülempealik Pauluse viia kindlusse ning ütles, et teda tuleb piitsa varal üle kuulata; sest ta tahtis teada, mispärast nad tema peale nõnda karjusid.

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.

²⁵Aga kui nad olid tema rihmutamiseks kinni sidunud, ütles Paulus pealikule, kes seal juures seisis: 'Kas teie tohite Rooma kodanikku piitsaga peksta ja pealegi ilma kohtuotsuseta?'

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?

²⁶Kui pealik seda kuulis, läks ta ja teatas ülempealikule: 'Vaata ette, mida sa teed! See inimene on ju Rooma kodanik.'

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.

²⁷Siis tuli ülempealik Pauluse juurde ning küsis: 'Ütle mulle, kas sa oled Rooma kodanik?' Tema ütles: 'Olen küll.'

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

²⁸Ülempealik vastas: 'Mina olen endale Rooma kodakondsuse hankinud suure raha eest.' Paulus aga ütles: 'Ent mina olen sellesse sündinud.'

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

²⁹Siis jätsid ülekuulajad ta kohe rahule. Ülempealik lõi aga kartma, kui ta sai teada, et Paulus on Rooma kodanik ja et ta oli tema ahelaisse pannud.

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.

³⁰Aga teisel päeval, soovides selgemalt teada saada, milles juudid Paulust süüdistavad, päästis ülempealik ta ahelatest valla ja käskis ülempreestreid ja kogu Suurkohtu kokku tulla ning viis Pauluse nende ette.

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.