1 I rmãos e pais, ouvi a minha defesa, que agora faço perante vós.

Brethren and fathers, hear my defence which I now make to you.

2 O ra, quando ouviram que lhes falava em língua hebraica, guardaram ainda maior silêncio. E ele prosseguiu.

And hearing that he addressed them in the Hebrew tongue, they kept the more quiet; and he says,

3 E u sou judeu, nascido em Tarso da Cilícia, mas criado nesta cidade, instruído aos pés de Gamaliel, conforme a precisão da lei de nossos pais, sendo zeloso para com Deus, assim como o sois todos vós no dia de hoje.

I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel, educated according to exactness of the law of fathers, being zealous for God, as ye are all this day;

4 E persegui este Caminho até a morte, algemando e metendo em prisões tanto a homens como a mulheres,

who have persecuted this way unto death, binding and delivering up to prisons both men and women;

5 d o que também o sumo sacerdote me é testemunha, e assim todo o conselho dos anciãos; e, tendo recebido destes cartas para os irmãos, seguia para Damasco, com o fim de trazer algemados a Jerusalém aqueles que ali estivessem, para que fossem castigados.

as 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 A conteceu, porém, que, quando caminhava e ia chegando perto de Damasco, pelo meio-dia, de repente, do céu brilhou-me ao redor uma grande luz.

And 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 C aí por terra e ouvi uma voz que me dizia: Saulo, Saulo, por que me persegues?

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

8 E u respondi: Quem és tu, Senhor? Disse-me: Eu sou Jesus, o nazareno, a quem tu persegues.

And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus the Nazaraean, whom thou persecutest.

9 E os que estavam comigo viram, em verdade, a luz, mas não entenderam a voz daquele que falava comigo.

But they that were with me beheld the light,, but heard not the voice of him that was speaking to me.

10 E ntão disse eu: Senhor que farei? E o Senhor me disse: Levanta-te, e vai a Damasco, onde se te dirá tudo o que te é ordenado fazer.

And 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 C omo eu nada visse por causa do esplendor daquela luz, guiado pela mão dos que estavam comigo cheguei a Damasco.

And 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 u m certo Ananias, varão piedoso conforme a lei, que tinha bom testemunho de todos os judeus que ali moravam,

And a certain Ananias, a pious man according to the law, borne witness to by all the Jews who dwelt,

13 v indo ter comigo, de pé ao meu lado, disse-me: Saulo, irmão, recobra a vista. Naquela mesma hora, recobrando a vista, eu o vi.

coming 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 D isse ele: O Deus de nossos pais de antemão te designou para conhecer a sua vontade, ver o Justo, e ouvir a voz da sua boca.

And 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 P orque hás de ser sua testemunha para com todos os homens do que tens visto e ouvido.

for thou shalt be a witness for him to all men of what thou hast seen and heard.

16 A gora por que te demoras? Levanta-te, batiza-te e lava os teus pecados, invocando o seu nome.

And now why lingerest thou? Arise and get baptised, and have thy sins washed away, calling on his name.

17 A conteceu que, tendo eu voltado para Jerusalém, enquanto orava no templo, achei-me em êxtase,

And it came to pass when I had returned to Jerusalem, and as I was praying in the temple, that I became in ecstasy,

18 e vi aquele que me dizia: Apressa-te e sai logo de Jerusalém; porque não receberão o teu testemunho acerca de mim.

and saw him saying to me, Make haste and go quickly out of Jerusalem, for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.

19 D isse eu: Senhor, eles bem sabem que eu encarcerava e açoitava pelas sinagogas os que criam em ti,

And I said, Lord, they themselves know that I was imprisoning and beating in every synagogue those that believe on thee;

20 e quando se derramava o sangue de Estêvão, tua testemunha, eu também estava presente, consentindo na sua morte e guardando as capas dos que o matavam.

and 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 D isse-me ele: Vai, porque eu te enviarei para longe aos gentios.

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

22 O ra, escutavam-no até esta palavra, mas então levantaram a voz, dizendo: Tira do mundo tal homem, porque não convém que viva.

And 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 G ritando eles e arrojando de si as capas e lançando pó para o ar,

And as they were crying, and throwing away their clothes, and casting dust into the air,

24 o comandante mandou que levassem Paulo para dentro da fortaleza, ordenando que fosse interrogado debaixo de açoites, para saber por que causa assim clamavam contra ele.

the 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 Q uando o haviam atado com as correias, disse Paulo ao centurião que ali estava: É-vos lícito açoitar um cidadão romano, sem ser ele condenado?

But as they stretched him forward with the thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man a Roman and uncondemned?

26 O uvindo isto, foi o centurião ter com o comandante e o avisou, dizendo: Vê o que estás para fazer, pois este homem é romano.

And 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 V indo o comandante, perguntou-lhe: Dize-me: és tu romano? Respondeu ele: Sou.

And the chiliarch coming up said to him, Tell me, Art thou a Roman? And he said, Yes.

28 T ornou o comandante: Eu por grande soma de dinheiro adquiri este direito de cidadão. Paulo disse: Mas eu o sou de nascimento.

And the chiliarch answered, I, for a great sum, bought this citizenship. And Paul said, But I was also born.

29 I mediatamente, pois se apartaram dele aqueles que o iam interrogar; e até o comandante, tendo sabido que Paulo era romano, atemorizou-se porque o havia ligado.

Immediately 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 N o dia seguinte, querendo saber ao certo a causa por que ele era acusado pelos judeus, soltou-o das prisões, e mandou que se reunissem os principais sacerdotes e todo o sinédrio; e, trazendo Paulo, apresentou-o diante deles.

And on the morrow, desirous to know the certainty 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.