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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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]

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

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.

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,

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;

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,

⁷dia lavo tamin'ny tany aho ka nandre feo nilaza tamiko hoe: Saoly, Saoly, nahoana ianao no manenjika Ahy?

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

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

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

⁹Ary izay niaraka tamiko dia nahita ny mazava; nefa tsy mba nahare ny feon'izay niteny tamiko izy.

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 —

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.

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.

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

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,

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

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

¹³dia nanatona ahy ary nitsangana ka nanao tamiko hoe: Ry Saoly rahalahy, mahirata. Ary tamin'izany ora izany dia nahiratra aho ka nahita azy.

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;

¹⁴Ary hoy izy: Andriamanitry ny razantsika efa nanendry anao hahafantatra ny sitrapony sy hahita ny Iray Marina ary hihaino ny teny aloaky ny vavany;

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,

¹⁵fa ho vavolombelony amin'ny olona rehetra ianao ny amin'izay efa hitanao sy renao.

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

¹⁶Ary ankehitriny inona no mampijanona anao? Mitsangàna, miantsoa ny anarany, ary aoka hatao batisa ianao ka hosasana ho afaka amin'ny fahotanao.

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

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

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

¹⁸ka nahita Azy milaza amiko hoe: Maladia ianao, ka mivoaha faingana an'i Jerosalema; fa tsy handray ny fanambaranao Ahy izy.

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;

¹⁹Dia hoy izaho: Tompoko, izy ireo mahalala fa ny mino Anao dia nataoko tao an-tranomaizina sady nokapohiko tao amin'ny synagoga rehetra;

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

²⁰ary raha nalatsaka ny ran'i Stefana martioranao, izaho koa dia mba nitsangana teo ka nanaiky sady nitandrina ny fitafian'izay namono azy.

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;

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

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

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!

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.`

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

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

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.

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.

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?

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;`

²⁶Ary ny kapiteny, nony nahare, dia lasa nilaza tamin'ny mpifehy arivo ka nanao hoe: Inona izao hataonao izao? fa Romana io lehilahy io.

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;`

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

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

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.

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

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.

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,

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.

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.