¹“Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense which I now make to you.”

¹Mužovia bratia a otcovia, počujte teraz moju obranu pred vami.

²When they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they were even more quiet. He said,

²A keď počuli, že im hovorí hebrejským nárečím, boli ešte tichšie. A povedal:

³“I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict tradition of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you all are this day.

³Ja som človek Žid, narodený v Cilíckom Tarze, ale vychovaný v tomto meste pri nohách Gamaliela, vynaučený podľa dôkladnosti otcovského zákona horliac za Boha jako aj vy všetci dnes,

⁴I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.

⁴ktorý som prenasledoval túto cestu až po smrť a pútal som a dával do žalára mužov a ženy,

⁵As also the high priest and all the council of the elders testify, from whom also I received letters to the brothers, and traveled to Damascus to bring them also who were there to Jerusalem in bonds to be punished.

⁵jako mi je svedkom i najvyšší kňaz i celá rada starších, od ktorých som dostal i listy na bratov a išiel som do Damašku, že dovediem i tých, ktorí budú tam, sviazaných do Jeruzalema, aby boli potrestaní.

⁶It happened that, as I made my journey, and came close to Damascus, about noon, suddenly there shone from the sky a great light around me.

⁶A stalo sa mi, keď som išiel a blížil sa Damašku, tak okolo poludnia, že zrazu zablesklo z neba veliké svetlo vôkol mňa,

⁷I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’

⁷a padol som na zem a počul som hlas, ktorý mi hovoril: Saule, Saule, prečo ma prenasleduješ?

⁸I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute.’

⁸A ja som odpovedal: Kto si, Pane? A povedal mi: Ja som Ježiš Nazarejský, ktorého ty prenasleduješ.

⁹“Those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they didn’t understand the voice of him who spoke to me.

⁹A tí, ktorí boli so mnou, svetlo síce videli, a naľakali sa, ale hlasu toho, ktorý hovoril so mnou, nepočuli.

¹⁰I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Arise, and go into Damascus. There you will be told about all things which are appointed for you to do.’

¹⁰A povedal som: Čo mám robiť, Pane? A Pán mi povedal: Vstaň a idi do Damašku, a tam sa ti povie o všetkom, čo ti je nariadené robiť.

¹¹When I couldn’t see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.

¹¹A keďže som nevidel od slávy toho svetla, pojali ma za ruku tí, ktorí boli so mnou, a tak som prišiel do Damašku.

¹²One Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well reported of by all the Jews who lived in Damascus,

¹²A nejaký Ananiáš, človek, pobožný podľa zákona, ktorému dávajú dobré svedoctvo všetci Židia, ktorí tam bývajú,

¹³came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ In that very hour I looked up at him.

¹³prišiel za mnou a zastanúc ku mne povedal mi: Bratu Saule, prezri! A ja som prezrel v tú istú hodinu a pozrel na neho.

¹⁴He said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from his mouth.

¹⁴A on povedal: Bôh našich otcov si ťa vopred vyvolil, aby si poznal jeho vôľu a videl toho Spravedlivého a počul hlas z jeho úst,

¹⁵For you will be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and heard.

¹⁵lebo mu budeš svedkom všetkým ľuďom toho, čo si videl a počul.

¹⁶Now why do you wait? Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’

¹⁶A teraz čo budeš? Vstaň, daj sa pokrstiť a smy svoje hriechy, vzývajúc meno Pánovo.

¹⁷“It happened that, when I had returned to Jerusalem, and while I prayed in the temple, I fell into a trance,

¹⁷A stalo sa, keď som sa navrátil do Jeruzalema a modlil som sa v chráme, že som bol vo vytržení

¹⁸and saw him saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not receive testimony concerning me from you.’

¹⁸a videl som ho, keď mi hovoril: Ponáhľaj sa a vyjdi rýchle z Jeruzalema, lebo neprijmú tvojho svedoctva o mne.

¹⁹I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue those who believed in you.

¹⁹A ja som povedal: Pane, oni vedia, že ja som žalároval a bil po synagógach veriacich na teba.

²⁰When the blood of Stephen, your witness, was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting to his death, and guarding the cloaks of those who killed him.’

²⁰A vtedy, keď vylievali krv Štefana, tvojho svedka, i sám som tam stál a súhlasil som s jeho zabitím a strážil som rúcha tých, ktorí ho zabíjali.

²¹“He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you out far from here to the Gentiles.’ ”

²¹A na to mi povedal: Idi, lebo ja ťa vyšlem ďaleko medzi pohanov.

²²They listened to him until he said that; then they lifted up their voice, and said, “Rid the earth of this fellow, for he isn’t fit to live!”

²²A počúvali ho až po toto slovo a tu pozdvihli svoj hlas a vraveli: Zahlaď takého človeka so zeme! Lebo sa nepatrí, aby žil.

²³As they cried out, and threw off their cloaks, and threw dust into the air,

²³A keď kričali a metali rúcha a hádzali prach do povetria,

²⁴the commanding officer commanded him to be brought into the barracks, ordering him to be examined by scourging, that he might know for what crime they shouted against him like that.

²⁴povelel tisícnik voviesť ho do tábora a kázal ho bičmi vyšetriť, aby zvedel, pre jakú príčinu tak kričali na neho.

²⁵When they had tied him up with thongs, Paul asked the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and not found guilty?”

²⁵A keď ho vystreli, aby ho šľahali remeňmi, povedal Pavel tam stojacemu stotníkovi: Či smiete bičovať človeka Rimana, a to neodsúdeného?

²⁶When the centurion heard it, he went to the commanding officer and told him, “Watch what you are about to do, for this man is a Roman!”

²⁶Keď to počul stotník, pristúpil tisícnikovi a oznámil mu to a povedal: Vidz, čo urobíš! Lebo ten človek je Riman.

²⁷The commanding officer came and asked him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” He said, “Yes.”

²⁷Vtedy pristúpil tisícnik a povedal mu: Povedz mi, či si ty Riman? A on riekol: Áno.

²⁸The commanding officer answered, “I bought my citizenship for a great price.” Paul said, “But I was born a Roman.”

²⁸A tisícnik odpovedal: Ja som si za veľkú sumu nadobudol toto občianstvo. A Pavel povedal: Ale ja som sa Riman i narodil.

²⁹Immediately those who were about to examine him departed from him, and the commanding officer also was afraid when he realized that he was a Roman, because he had bound him.

²⁹A tak hneď odstúpili od neho tí, ktorí ho mali vyšetrovať. Ale aj tisícnik sa bál dozvediac sa, že je Riman, a že ho bol dal poviazať.

³⁰But on the next day, desiring to know the truth about why he was accused by the Jews, he freed him from the bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all the council to come together, and brought Paul down and set him before them.

³⁰Potom na druhý deň chcúc zvedieť istotu, čo na neho Židia žalujú, rozviazal ho z pút a rozkázal, aby sa sišli najvyšší kňazi a celá ich vysoká rada, a dovedúc dolu Pavla postavil ho pred nich.