1 P aul said, “Brothers and fathers, listen to what I have to say to you.”

Irmãos e pais, ouvi a minha defesa, que agora faço perante vós.

2 W hen they heard him speak to them in their own language, they stopped making noise. Then he said,

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

3 “ I am a Jew. I was born in the city of Tarsus in the country of Cilicia. When I was a young man, I lived here in Jerusalem. I went to Gamaliel’s school and learned all about the Law of our early fathers. I worked hard for God as you all do today.

Eu 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.

4 “ I worked hard and killed men and women who believed as I believe today. I put them in chains and sent them to prison.

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

5 T he head religious leader and the leaders of the people can tell you this is true. I got letters from them to take to our Jewish brothers in the city of Damascus. I was going there to put the Christians in chains and bring them to Jerusalem where they would be beaten. The Change in Paul’s Life on the Damascus Road

do 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.

6 “ I was near Damascus. All at once, about noon, I saw a bright light from heaven shining around me.

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

7 I fell to the ground. A voice said to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you work so hard against Me?’

Caí por terra e ouvi uma voz que me dizia: Saulo, Saulo, por que me persegues?

8 I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, the One you are working against.’

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

9 T hose who were with me saw the light. But they did not hear Him speaking to me.

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

10 I asked, ‘Lord, what should I do?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up! Go to Damascus. You will be told what to do there.’

Então 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.

11 “ I could not see because of the bright light. Those who were with me had to lead me by the hand until we came to Damascus.

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

12 A nanias lived there. He obeyed the Law and was respected by all the Jews.

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

13 H e came and stood near me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ At once I was able to see him.

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

14 T hen Ananias said, ‘The God of our fathers chose you to know what He wants done. He chose you to see Jesus Christ, the One Right with God, and to hear His voice.

Disse 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.

15 Y ou are to tell all men what you have seen and heard.

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

16 W hat are you waiting for? Get up! Be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on His name.’ Paul Is Called to Work with the People Who Are Not Jews

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

17 “ I came back to Jerusalem. When I was praying in the house of God, I had a dream.

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

18 I saw Him as He said to me, ‘Get out of Jerusalem! They will not listen to you when you tell them about Me!’

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

19 I said, ‘Lord, they know I took Christians out of every Jewish place of worship. I had them beaten and put in prison.

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

20 A lso when Stephen was killed, I stood there and watched them throw stones at him. Those who threw the stones had me watch their coats.’

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.

21 T he Lord said to me, ‘Go! I will send you far away to the people who are not Jews.’ ”

Disse-me ele: Vai, porque eu te enviarei para longe aos gentios.

22 T hey listened to him until he said that. Then they all cried out with loud voices, “Kill him! Take such a man from the earth! He should not live!”

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

23 T hey kept on calling out. Then they pulled off their coats and threw dust in the air. Paul Tells Who He Is

Gritando eles e arrojando de si as capas e lançando pó para o ar,

24 T he captain told them to bring Paul into the soldiers’ building. He told his soldiers to find out from Paul, by beating him, why the people were crying out against him.

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.

25 A s they tied him up, Paul said to the soldier, “Does the law say that you can beat a Roman citizen when no one has said he is guilty?”

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

26 W hen the soldier heard this, he told it to the captain. He said, “Listen! What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen.”

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

27 T he captain came and asked Paul, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” Paul said, “Yes!”

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

28 T he captain said, “I had to pay a lot of money to be a citizen.” Paul said, “But I was born a Roman.”

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

29 T hose who were going to beat him left him at once. The captain was also afraid when he heard that Paul was a Roman citizen because he had him tied. Paul Stands in Front of the Religious Leaders’ Court

Imediatamente, 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.

30 T he next day they took off the chains that were holding Paul. The captain wanted to know why the Jews wanted to kill him. So the captain told the head religious leaders to gather for their court. They brought Paul and put him in front of them.

No 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.