1 M eanwhile Saul, still drawing his breath hard from threatening and murderous desire against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest

Saulo, porém, respirando ainda ameaças e mortes contra os discípulos do Senhor, dirigiu-se ao sumo sacerdote,

2 A nd requested of him letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

e pediu-lhe cartas para Damasco, para as sinagogas, a fim de que, caso encontrasse alguns do Caminho, quer homens quer mulheres, os conduzisse presos a Jerusalém.

3 N ow as he traveled on, he came near to Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him,

Mas, seguindo ele viagem e aproximando-se de Damasco, subitamente o cercou um resplendor de luz do céu;

4 A nd he fell to the ground. Then he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me ?

e, caindo por terra, ouviu uma voz que lhe dizia: Saulo, Saulo, por que me persegues?

5 A nd Saul said, Who are You, Lord? And He said, I am Jesus, Whom you are persecuting. It is dangerous and it will turn out badly for you to keep kicking against the goad.

Ele perguntou: Quem és tu, Senhor? Respondeu o Senhor: Eu sou Jesus, a quem tu persegues;

6 T rembling and astonished he asked, Lord, what do You desire me to do? The Lord said to him, But arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.

mas levanta-te e entra na cidade, e lá te será dito o que te cumpre fazer.

7 T he men who were accompanying him were unable to speak, hearing the voice but seeing no one.

Os homens que viajavam com ele quedaram-se emudecidos, ouvindo, na verdade, a voz, mas não vendo ninguém.

8 T hen Saul got up from the ground, but though his eyes were opened, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.

Saulo levantou-se da terra e, abrindo os olhos, não via coisa alguma; e, guiando-o pela mão, conduziram-no a Damasco.

9 A nd he was unable to see for three days, and he neither ate nor drank.

E esteve três dias sem ver, e não comeu nem bebeu.

10 N ow there was in Damascus a disciple named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias. And he answered, Here am I, Lord.

Ora, havia em Damasco certo discípulo chamado Ananias; e disse-lhe o Senhor em visão: Ananias! Respondeu ele: Eis-me aqui, Senhor.

11 A nd the Lord said to him, Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying.

Ordenou-lhe o Senhor: Levanta-te, vai ã rua chamada Direita e procura em casa de Judas um homem de Tarso chamado Saulo; pois eis que ele está orando;

12 A nd he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias enter and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.

e viu um homem chamado Ananias entrar e impor-lhe as mãos, para que recuperasse a vista.

13 B ut Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard many people tell about this man, especially how much evil and what great suffering he has brought on Your saints at Jerusalem;

Respondeu Ananias: Senhor, a muitos ouvi acerca desse homem, quantos males tem feito aos teus santos em Jerusalém;

14 N ow he is here and has authority from the high priests to put in chains all who call upon Your name.

e aqui tem poder dos principais sacerdotes para prender a todos os que invocam o teu nome.

15 B ut the Lord said to him, Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of Mine to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the descendants of Israel;

Disse-lhe, porém, o Senhor: Vai, porque este é para mim um vaso escolhido, para levar o meu nome perante os gentios, e os reis, e os filhos de Israel;

16 F or I will make clear to him how much he will be afflicted and must endure and suffer for My name’s sake.

pois eu lhe mostrarei quanto lhe cumpre padecer pelo meu nome.

17 S o Ananias left and went into the house. And he laid his hands on Saul and said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, Who appeared to you along the way by which you came here, has sent me that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Partiu Ananias e entrou na casa e, impondo-lhe as mãos, disse: Irmão Saulo, o Senhor Jesus, que te apareceu no caminho por onde vinhas, enviou-me para que tornes a ver e sejas cheio do Espírito Santo.

18 A nd instantly something like scales fell from eyes, and he recovered his sight. Then he arose and was baptized,

Logo lhe caíram dos olhos como que umas escamas, e recuperou a vista: então, levantando-se, foi batizado.

19 A nd after he took some food, he was strengthened. For several days he remained with the disciples at Damascus.

E, tendo tomado alimento, ficou fortalecido. Depois demorou- se alguns dias com os disc! pulos que estavam em Damasco;

20 A nd immediately in the synagogues he proclaimed Jesus, saying, He is the Son of God!

e logo nas sinagogas pregava a Jesus, que este era o filho de Deus.

21 A nd all who heard him were amazed and said, Is not this the very man who harassed and overthrew and destroyed in Jerusalem those who called upon this Name? And he has come here for the express purpose of arresting them and bringing them in chains before the chief priests.

Todos os seus ouvintes pasmavam e diziam: Não é este o que em Jerusalém perseguia os que invocavam esse nome, e para isso veio aqui, para os levar presos aos principais sacerdotes?

22 B ut Saul increased all the more in strength, and continued to confound and put to confusion the Jews who lived in Damascus by comparing and examining evidence and proving that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah).

Saulo, porém, se fortalecia cada vez mais e confundia os judeus que habitavam em Damasco, provando que Jesus era o Cristo.

23 A fter considerable time had elapsed, the Jews conspired to put Saul out of the way by slaying him,

Decorridos muitos dias, os judeus deliberaram entre si matá- lo.

24 B ut their plot was made known to Saul. They were guarding the gates day and night to kill him,

Mas as suas ciladas vieram ao conhecimento de Saulo. E como eles guardavam as portas de dia e de noite para tirar-lhe a vida,

25 B ut his disciples took him at night and let him down through the wall, lowering him in a basket or hamper.

os discípulos, tomando-o de noite, desceram-no pelo muro, dentro de um cesto.

26 A nd when he had arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to associate himself with the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe he really was a disciple.

Tendo Saulo chegado a Jerusalém, procurava juntar-se aos discípulos; mas todos o temiam, não crendo que fosse discípulo.

27 H owever, Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles, and he explained to them how along the way he had seen the Lord, Who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached freely and confidently and courageously in the name of Jesus.

Então Barnabé, tomando-o consigo, o levou aos apóstolos, e lhes contou como no caminho ele vira o Senhor e que este lhe falara, e como em Damasco pregara ousadamente em nome de Jesus.

28 S o he went in and out among them at Jerusalem,

Assim andava com eles em Jerusalém, entrando e saindo,

29 P reaching freely and confidently and boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and discussed with and disputed against the Hellenists (the Grecian Jews), but they were seeking to slay him.

e pregando ousadamente em nome do Senhor. Falava e disputava também com os helenistas; mas procuravam matá-lo.

30 A nd when the brethren found it out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

Os irmãos, porém, quando o souberam, acompanharam-no até Cesaréia e o enviaram a Tarso.

31 S o the church throughout the whole of Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was edified and walking in the respect and reverential fear of the Lord and in the consolation and exhortation of the Holy Spirit, continued to increase and was multiplied.

Assim, pois, a igreja em toda a Judéia, Galiléia e Samária, tinha paz, sendo edificada, e andando no temor do Senhor; e, pelo auxílio do Espírito Santo, se multiplicava.

32 N ow as Peter went here and there among them all, he went down also to the saints who lived at Lydda.

E aconteceu que, passando Pedro por toda parte, veio também aos santos que habitavam em Lida.

33 T here he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedfast for eight years and was paralyzed.

Achou ali certo homem, chamado Enéias, que havia oito anos jazia numa cama, porque era paralítico.

34 A nd Peter said to him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ (the Messiah) makes you whole. Get up and make your bed! And immediately stood up.

Disse-lhe Pedro: Enéias, Jesus Cristo te cura; levanta e faze a tua cama. E logo se levantou.

35 T hen all the inhabitants of Lydda and the plain of Sharon saw him and they turned to the Lord.

E viram-no todos os que habitavam em Lida e Sarona, os quais se converteram ao Senhor.

36 N ow there was at Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which means Dorcas. She was abounding in good deeds and acts of charity.

Havia em Jope uma discípula por nome Tabita, que traduzido quer dizer Dorcas, a qual estava cheia de boas obras e esmolas que fazia.

37 A bout that time she fell sick and died, and when they had cleansed her, they laid in an upper room.

Ora, aconteceu naqueles dias que ela, adoecendo, morreu; e, tendo-a lavado, a colocaram no cenáculo.

38 S ince Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him begging him, Do come to us without delay.

Como Lida era perto de Jope, ouvindo os discípulos que Pedro estava ali, enviaram-lhe dois homens, rogando-lhe: Não te demores em vir ter conosco.

39 S o Peter rose and accompanied them. And when he had arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood around him, crying and displaying undershirts (tunics) and garments such as Dorcas was accustomed to make while she was with them.

Pedro levantou-se e foi com eles; quando chegou, levaram-no ao cenáulo; e todas as viúvas o cercaram, chorando e mostrando-lhe as túnicas e vestidos que Dorcas fizera enquanto estava com elas.

40 B ut Peter put them all out and knelt down and prayed; then turning to the body he said, Tabitha, get up! And she opened her eyes; and when she saw Peter, she raised herself and sat upright.

Mas Pedro, tendo feito sair a todos, pôs-se de joelhos e orou; e voltando-se para o corpo, disse: Tabita, levanta-te. Ela abriu os olhos e, vendo a Pedro, sentou-se.

41 A nd he gave her his hand and lifted her up. Then calling in God’s people and the widows, he presented her to them alive.

Ele, dando-lhe a mão, levantou-a e, chamando os santos e as viúvas, apresentou-lha viva.

42 A nd this became known throughout all Joppa, and many came to believe on the Lord.

Tornou-se isto notório por toda a Jope, e muitos creram no Senhor.

43 A nd Peter remained in Joppa for considerable time with a certain Simon a tanner.

Pedro ficou muitos dias em Jope, em casa de um curtidor chamado Simão.