12. "A certain man, Chananyah by name, an ehrliche Yid (a truly pious Jew), charedi according to the Torah and with a shem tov with all the Yehudim living in Damascus,
13. "Came to me and stood next to me, saying, 'Ach b'Moshiach Sha'ul, receive your sight.' And at that moment I looked up at him.
14. "And he said, 'Elohei Avoteinu has chosen and appointed you to have da'as of His ratzon (will) and to see the Tzaddik [Moshiach] and to hear the kol (voice) from His mouth.
15. 'For you will be an eidus (witness) to him to all anashim of what you have seen and heard.
16. 'And now what do you intend to do? Get up and receive Moshiach's tevilah of teshuva and wash away your averos (sins) by calling upon SHMO.' [VAYIKRA 8:6; TEHILLIM 51:2; YECHEZKEL 36:25; YOEL 3:5(2:32) ZECHARYAH 6:12]
17. "And it happened that after I had returned to Yerushalayim and as I was davening in the Beis Hamikdash, that I fell into a trance,
18. "And saw Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach saying to me, 'Hurry and get out quickly from Yerushalayim, because they will not receive your edut (testimony) concerning me.'
19. "And I said 'Adoni, they themselves have da'as that in every shul I was imprisoning and beating the ones with emunah in you.
20. 'And when in al kiddush ha-Shem, the dahm of your eidus (witness) Stefanos was being poured out, I myself also had been standing by and agreeing and protecting the kaftans of the ones killing him.'
21. "And Moshiach said to me, 'Go! For I will send you out, far away to the Goyim.'
22. And they were listening to Rav Sha'ul up to the word "Goyim;" and then they lifted up their kol, saying, "Away with such a one from ha'aretz! He should not be allowed to live!"
23. And while they were crying out, while they were throwing off their kaftans and tossing dust into the air, [SHMUEL BAIS 16:13]
24. the Roman tribune directed him to be brought into the barracks, and ordered him to be examined by the flagellum's scourge, that the tribune might have da'as of the reason for the mob's shouting thus keneged (against, in opposition to) Rav Sha'ul.
25. And when the Roman soldiers stretched Rav Sha'ul out with the straps, he said to the centurion who was standing by, "If a man is a Roman citizen and uncondemned, it is lawful for you to scourge him?"
26. And having heard this, the centurion approached the tribune and reported, saying, "What are you about to do? For this man has Roman citizenship."
27. And having approached, the tribune said to Rav Sha'ul, "Tell me, are you a Roman?" And Rav Sha'ul said, "Etiam." [T.N. Latin: "Yes, certainly."]
28. And the tribune answered, "It cost me a large sum of money for me to acquire my Roman citizenship. " And Rav Sha'ul said, "But indeed I have been born a Roman citizen."
29. Ofen ort, then, the ones about to examine him drew back from Rav Sha'ul. Also the tribune did the same. For he was afraid, learning that Rav Sha'ul is a Roman and that he had bound him.
30. And on the next day, desiring to know something definite about why Rav Sha'ul was accused by the Yehudim, the tribune released him and ordered the Rashei Hakohanim and all the Sanhedrin to be assembled. Then, having brought down Rav Sha'ul, the tribune had him set before them.