1 «Yéen bokk yi ak baay yi, dégluleen samaw lay.»
1Brethren and fathers, hear my defence which I now make to you.
2 Bi ñu déggee, mu di leen wax ci làkku yawut, ñu gën ne xeram. Noonu Pool ne leen:
2And hearing that he addressed them in the Hebrew tongue, they kept the more quiet; and he says,
3 «Man Yawut laa, juddoo Tars ci diiwaanu Silisi, yaroo ci dëkk bii. Taalibe laa woon ci Gamaleel, mu jàngal ma bu wér yoonu sunuy maam, ba ma sawar ci Yàlla, mel ni yéen ñépp tey.
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;
4 Daan naa fitnaal ña bokkoon ci yoon wii, ba di ci rey sax; yeew naa góor ak jigéen, tëj leen;
4who have persecuted this way unto death, binding and delivering up to prisons both men and women;
5 saraxalekat bu mag ba ak mbooloom njiit yi yépp man nañu ma cee seede. Am bés ñu bindal ma ay bataaxal ngir bokki Damas. Ma doon fa dem, ngir yeew ña fa nekkoon, indi leen Yerusalem, ngir ñu yar leen.
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.
6 «Waaye ci digg-bëccëg, bi ma jaaree ca yoon wa, ba jegesi Damas, ca saa sa leer gu mag jóge asamaan, melax ba ëmb ma.
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.
7 Ma daldi ne nërëm ci suuf, dégg baat bu ma ne: “Sool, Sool, lu tax nga di ma fitnaal?”
7And I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
8 Ma tontu ko: “Yaa di kan, Boroom bi?” Mu ne ma: “Maa di Yeesum Nasaret, mi ngay fitnaal.”
8And *I* answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said to me, *I* am Jesus the Nazaraean, whom *thou* persecutest.
9 Ñi ma àndaloon gis nañu leer ga, waaye dégguñu baatu ka doon wax ak man.
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.
10 Noonu ma laaj ko: “Lu ma war a def, Boroom bi?” Boroom bi ne ma: “Jógal dem Damas, foofa dees na la biral lépp, li ma la yen.”
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.
11 Gannaaw gisuma woon dara ndax leeraayu melxat ga, ña ma àndal wommat ma, ma ñëw Damas.
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.
12 «Bi ma ko defee ku tudd Anañas ñëw ci man. Nit ku ragal Yàlla la woon ci sàmm yoonu Musaa, te Yawuti Damas yépp seedeel ko lu baax.
12And a certain Ananias, a pious man according to the law, borne witness to by all the Jews who dwelt [there],
13 Mu taxaw ci sama wet ne ma: “Sool sama mbokk, delluwaatal di gis.” Noonu ma daldi gisaat ca saa sa, xool ko.
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.
14 Mu ne ma: “Sunu Yàllay maam tànn na la, ba may la, nga xam coobareem te gis Aji Jub ji te nga dégg ay waxam.
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;
15 Ndaxte li nga gis te dégg ko, dinga ko seede ci ñépp.
15for thou shalt be a witness for him to all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
16 Léegi nag, looy nég? Jógal, ñu sóob la ci ndox, nga set ci say bàkkaar ci tudd turu Yeesu.”
16And now why lingerest thou? Arise and get baptised, and have thy sins washed away, calling on his name.
17 «Bi ma dellusee Yerusalem nag, di ñaan ca kër Yàlla ga, leer tàbbi ci man.
17And it came to pass when I had returned to Jerusalem, and as I was praying in the temple, that I became in ecstasy,
18 Ma daldi gis Boroom bi, mu ne ma: “Génnal Yerusalem ci ni mu gën a gaawe, ndaxte duñu nangu li ngay seede ci man.”
18and saw him saying to me, Make haste and go quickly out of Jerusalem, for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.
19 Waaye ma tontu ne: “Boroom bi, xam nañu ne, dama daan wër jàngoo-jàngu, di tëj kaso ak di dóor ay yar ñi la gëm.
19And *I* said, Lord, they themselves know that *I* was imprisoning and beating in every synagogue those that believe on thee;
20 Rax-ca-dolli bi ñu tuuree deretu Ecen, mi la doon seedeel, teewe naa ko, ànd ca, bay wottu sax yérey ñi ko doon rey.”
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.
21 Waaye Boroom bi ne ma: “Demal, dinaa la yebal fu sore, nga jëm ci xeeti ñi dul Yawut.”»
21And he said to me, Go, for *I* will send thee to the nations afar off.
22 Mbooloo ma déglu ko nag ba ca wax jooju, waaye bi ñu déggee loolu, ñu daldi yuuxu naan: «Farleen ko ci àddina! Yembar mu mel ni moom yeyoowul a dund!»
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.
23 Ñu daldi yuuxu ak di sànni seeni yére, tey callameeru suuf.
23And as they were crying, and throwing away their clothes, and casting dust into the air,
24 Noonu kilifa ga santaane, ñu dugal Pool ca tata ja te caw ko ay yar yu metti, laaj ko ba xam lu tax ñu di ko yuuxoo nii.
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.
25 Waaye bi ñu koy joñ ak ay der, Pool ne njiitu xare ba fa taxaw: «Ndax am nga sañ-sañu dóor ay yar jaamburu Room, te fekk yoon dabu ko sax?»
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?
26 Bi ko njiit la déggee, mu fekki kilifaam, yégal ko ko; mu ne ko: «Ndax xam nga li ngay def? Nit kale jaambur la ci Room.»
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.
27 Noonu kilifa ga ñëw laaj Pool: «Wax ma, ndax jaambur nga ci Room?» Mu tontu ko: «Waaw, moom laa.»
27And the chiliarch coming up said to him, Tell me, Art *thou* a Roman? And he said, Yes.
28 Kilifa ga ne ko: «Man fey naa xaalis bu bare, ngir nekk jaambur ci Room.» Waaye Pool tontu ko: «Man de dama koo judduwaale.»
28And the chiliarch answered, *I*, for a great sum, bought this citizenship. And Paul said, But *I* was also [free] born.
29 Ñi ko bëggoon a dóor ay yar nag randu ko ca saa sa. Te kilifa ga sax tiit ci xam ne Pool jaamburu Room la, te yeewlu na ko.
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.
30 Ca ëllëg sa mu bàyyi ko, ndaxte bëggoon na xam bu wóor lu ko Yawut ya jiiñ. Mu santaane ne, saraxalekat yu mag ya dajaloo, ñoom ak kureelu àttekat ya. Gannaaw loolu mu indilu Pool, dëj ko ci seen kanam.
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.