1. "Brethren and fathers, hear my defense which I now offer to you."
2. And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew dialect, they became even more quiet; and he said,
3. "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today.
4. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons,
5. as also the high priest and all the Council of the elders can testify. From them I also received letters to the brethren, and started off for Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners to be punished.
6. "But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus about noontime, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me,
7. and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?'
8. And I answered, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said to me, 'I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.'
9. And those who were with me saw the light, to be sure, but did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me.
10. And I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord said to me, 'Get up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.'
11. But since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and came into Damascus.
12. "A certain Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law, and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,