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

¹Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.

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

²(And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)

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

³I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.

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

⁴And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.

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

⁵As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.

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

⁶And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.

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

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

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

⁸And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

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

⁹And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.

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

¹⁰And I said, What shall I do, LORD? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.

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

¹¹And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.

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

¹²And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,

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

¹³Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.

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

¹⁴And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.

¹⁵Nekuti uchava chapupu chake kuvanhu vose chezvawakaona nekunzwa.

¹⁵For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.

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

¹⁶And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

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

¹⁷And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;

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

¹⁸And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.

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

¹⁹And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:

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

²⁰And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.

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

²¹And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.

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

²²And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live.

²³Zvino vachidanidzira, vachirasha nguvo, vachikushira guruva kudenga,

²³And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air,

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

²⁴The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him.

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

²⁵And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?

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

²⁶When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.

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

²⁷Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.

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

²⁸And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.

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

²⁹Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.

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

³⁰On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.