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

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

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

²and they having heard that in the Hebrew dialect he was speaking to them, gave 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;

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.

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

⁴`And this way I persecuted unto death, binding and delivering up to 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 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,

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

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,

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

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

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

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

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

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 —

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, Having risen, go on to Damascus, and there it shall be told thee concerning all things that have been appointed for thee to do.

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

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,

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

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

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

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;

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 did choose thee beforehand to know His will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice out of his mouth,

¹⁵Nekuti uchava chapupu chake kuvanhu vose chezvawakaona nekunzwa.

¹⁵because 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? having risen, baptize thyself, and wash away thy sins, calling upon the name of the Lord.

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

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

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

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;

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

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

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

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;

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

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

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

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.`

²³Zvino vachidanidzira, vachirasha nguvo, vachikushira guruva kudenga,

²³And they crying out and casting up their garments, and throwing 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, saying, `By scourges let him be examined;` that he might know for what cause they were crying 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 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;`

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

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;`

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

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

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

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

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

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,

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

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.