Viri fratres, et patres, audite quam ad vos nunc reddo rationem.

Brethren and fathers, listen to the defence I am putting before you.

Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye the account which I now give unto you.

Cum audissent autem quia hebræa lingua loqueretur ad illos, magis præstiterunt silentium.

(And now they gave him even better audience, finding that he spoke to them in Hebrew.)

(And when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew tongue, they kept the more silence.)

Et dicit: Ego sum vir Judæus, natus in Tarso Ciliciæ, nutritus autem in ista civitate, secus pedes Gamaliel eruditus juxta veritatem paternæ legis, æmulator legis, sicut et vos omnes estis hodie:

I am a Jew, born at Tarsus in Cilicia and brought up in this city; I was trained, under Gamaliel, in exact knowledge of our ancestral law, as jealous for the honour of the law as you are, all of you, to-day.

And he saith: I am a Jew, born at Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the truth of the law of the fathers, zealous for the law, as also all you are this day:

qui hanc viam persecutus sum usque ad mortem, alligans et tradens in custodias viros ac mulieres,

I persecuted this way to the death, putting men and women in chains and handing them over to the prisons.

Who persecuted this way unto death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.

sicut princeps sacerdotum mihi testimonium reddit, et omnes majores natu: a quibus et epistolas accipiens, ad fratres Damascum pergebam, ut adducerem inde vinctos in Jerusalem ut punirentur.

The chief priests and all the elders will bear me out in that; it was from them that I was carrying letters to their brethren, when I was on my way to Damascus, to make fresh prisoners there and bring them to Jerusalem for punishment.

As the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the ancients: from whom also receiving letters to the brethren, I went to Damascus, that I might bring them bound from thence to Jerusalem to be punished.

Factum est autem, eunte me, et appropinquante Damasco media die, subito de cælo circumfulsit me lux copiosa:

While I was on my journey, not far from Damascus, about midday, this befell me; all at once a great light from heaven shone about me,

And it came to pass, as I was going, and drawing nigh to Damascus at midday, that suddenly from heaven there shone round about me a great light:

et decidens in terram, audivi vocem dicentem mihi: Saule, Saule, quid me persequeris?

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

And falling on the ground, I heard a voice saying to me: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

Ego autem respondi: Quis es, domine? Dixitque ad me: Ego sum Jesus Nazarenus, quem tu persequeris.

Who art thou, Lord? I answered. And he said to me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom Saul persecutes.

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

Et qui mecum erant, lumen quidem viderunt, vocem autem non audierunt ejus qui loquebatur mecum.

My companions saw the light, but could not catch the voice of him who spoke to me.

And they that were with me, saw indeed the light, but they heard not the voice of him that spoke with me.

Et dixi: Quid faciam, domine? Dominus autem dixit ad me: Surgens vade Damascum: et ibi tibi dicetur de omnibus quæ te oporteat facere.

Then I said, What must I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me, Rise up, and go into Damascus; there thou shalt be told of all the work that is destined for thee.

And I said: What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me: Arise, and go to Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things that thou must do.

Et cum non viderem præ claritate luminis illius, ad manum deductus a comitibus, veni Damascum.

The glory of that light had blinded me, and my companions were leading me by the hand when I came into Damascus.

And whereas I did not see for the brightness of that light, being led by the hand by my companions, I came to Damascus.

Ananias autem quidam vir secundum legem, testimonium habens ab omnibus cohabitantibus Judæis,

There a certain Ananias, a man well known among his Jewish neighbours for his pious observance of the law,

And one Ananias, a man according to the law, having testimony of all the Jews who dwelt there,

veniens ad me et astans, dixit mihi: Saule frater, respice. Et ego eadem hora respexi in eum.

came and stood beside me, and said, Brother Saul, look up and see. And at that instant I looked up into his face.

Coming to me, and standing by me, said to me: Brother Saul, look up. And I the same hour looked upon him.

At ille dixit: Deus patrum nostrorum præordinavit te, ut cognosceres voluntatem ejus, et videres justum, et audires vocem ex ore ejus:

Then he said to me, The God of our fathers has made choice of thee to know his will, to have sight of him who is Just, and hear speech from his lips;

But he said: The God of our fathers hath preordained thee that thou shouldst know his will, and see the Just One, and shouldst hear the voice from his mouth.

quia eris testis illius ad omnes homines eorum quæ vidisti et audisti.

and what thou hast seen and heard, thou shalt testify before all men.

For thou shalt be his witness to all men, of those things which thou hast seen and heard.

Et nunc quid moraris? Exsurge, et baptizare, et ablue peccata tua, invocato nomine ipsius.

Come then, why art thou wasting time? Rise up, and receive baptism, washing away thy sins at the invocation of his name.

And now why tarriest thou? Rise up, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, invoking his name.

Factum est autem revertenti mihi in Jerusalem, et oranti in templo, fieri me in stupore mentis,

Afterwards, when I had gone back to Jerusalem, and was at prayer in the temple, I fell into a trance,

And it came to pass, when I was come again to Jerusalem,and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance,

et videre illum dicentem mihi: Festina, et exi velociter ex Jerusalem: quoniam non recipient testimonium tuum de me.

and saw the Lord there speaking to me; Make haste, he said, leave Jerusalem with all speed; they will not accept thy witness of me here.

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

Et ego dixi: Domine, ipsi sciunt quia ego eram concludens in carcerem, et cædens per synagogas eos qui credebant in te:

But, Lord, I said, it is within their own knowledge, how I used to imprison those who believed in thee, and scourge them in the synagogues;

And I said: Lord, they know that I cast into prison, and beat in every synagogue, them that believed in thee.

et cum funderetur sanguis Stephani testis tui, ego astabam, et consentiebam, et custodiebam vestimenta interficientium illum.

and when the blood of Stephen, thy martyr, was shed, I too stood by and gave my consent, and watched over the garments of those who slew him.

And when the blood of Stephen thy witness was shed, I stood by and consented, and kept the garments of them that killed him.

Et dixit ad me: Vade, quoniam ego in nationes longe mittam te.

And he said to me, Go on thy way; I mean to send thee on a distant errand, to the Gentiles.

And he said to me: Go, for unto the Gentiles afar off, will I send thee.

Audiebant autem eum usque ad hoc verbum, et levaverunt vocem suam, dicentes: Tolle de terra hujusmodi: non enim fas est eum vivere.

Up to this point, they listened to his speech; but then they cried aloud, Away with such a fellow from the earth; it is a disgrace that he should live.

And they heard him until this word, and then lifted up their voice, saying: Away with such an one from the earth; for it is not fit that he should live.

Vociferantibus autem eis, et projicientibus vestimenta sua, et pulverem jactantibus in aërem,

So, when he saw them raising shouts and throwing down their garments and flinging dust into the air,

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

jussit tribunus induci eum in castra, et flagellis cædi, et torqueri eum, ut sciret propter quam causam sic acclamarent ei.

the captain had Paul taken into the soldiers’ quarters, telling them to examine him under the lash; thus he would find out the cause of the outcry against him.

The tribune commanded him to be brought into the castle, and that he should be scourged and tortured: to know for what cause they did so cry out against him.

Et cum astrinxissent eum loris, dicit astanti sibi centurioni Paulus: Si hominem Romanum et indemnatum licet vobis flagellare?

And they had already tied Paul down with thongs, when he said to the centurion who was in charge, Have you the right to scourge a man, when he is a Roman citizen, and has not been sentenced?

And when they had bound him with thongs, Paul saith to the centurion that stood by him: Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?

Quo audito, centurio accessit ad tribunum, et nuntiavit ei, dicens: Quid acturus es? hic enim homo civis Romanus est.

The centurion, as soon as he heard this, went to the captain and told him of it, What art thou about? he said. This man is a Roman citizen.

Which the centurion hearing, went to the tribune, and told him, saying: What art thou about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.

Accedens autem tribunus, dixit illi: Dic mihi si tu Romanus es? At ille dixit: Etiam.

So the captain came and asked him, What is this? Thou art a Roman citizen? Yes, he said.

And the tribune coming, said to him: Tell me, art thou a Roman? But he said: Yea.

Et respondit tribunus: Ego multa summa civilitatem hanc consecutus sum. Et Paulus ait: Ego autem et natus sum.

Why, answered the captain, it cost me a heavy sum to win this privilege. Ah, said Paul, but I am a citizen by birth.

And the tribune answered: I obtained the being free of this city with a great sum. And Paul said: But I was born so.

Protinus ergo discesserunt ab illo qui eum torturi erant. Tribunus quoque timuit postquam rescivit, quia civis Romanus esset, et quia alligasset eum.

Upon this, the men who were to have put him to the question moved away from him; and the captain himself was alarmed, to find out that this was a Roman citizen, and he had put him in bonds.

Immediately therefore they departed from him that were about to torture him. The tribune also was afraid after he understood that he was a Roman citizen, and because he had bound him.

Postera autem die volens scire diligentius qua ex causa accusaretur a Judæis, solvit eum, et jussit sacerdotes convenire, et omne concilium: et producens Paulum, statuit inter illos.

So, the next day, determined to discover the truth about the charge the Jews were bringing against him, he released him, summoned a meeting of the chief priests and the whole Council, and brought Paul down to confront them with him.

But on the next day, meaning to know more diligently for what cause he was accused by the Jews, he loosed him, and commanded the priests to come together, and all the council: and bringing forth Paul, he set him before them.