Welcome to our website where we explore the Bible! Pleasure to meet you here!
May your journey into the world of the Holy Scriptures be engaging and inspiring!
You can change reading language: uk ru
Parallel
New International Version
New Living Translation
“Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.”
“Brothers and esteemed fathers,” Paul said, “listen to me as I offer my defense.”
When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet.
Then Paul said:
Then Paul said:
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.
Then Paul said, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. As his student, I was carefully trained in our Jewish laws and customs. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just like all of you today.
I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,
And I persecuted the followers of the Way, hounding some to death, arresting both men and women and throwing them in prison.
as the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.
The high priest and the whole council of elders can testify that this is so. For I received letters from them to our Jewish brothers in Damascus, authorizing me to bring the followers of the Way from there to Jerusalem, in chains, to be punished.
“About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.
“As I was on the road, approaching Damascus about noon, a very bright light from heaven suddenly shone down around me.
I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’
I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
“ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.
“ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied.
“ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied.
My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.
The people with me saw the light but didn’t understand the voice speaking to me.
“ ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked.
“ ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’
“ ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’
“I asked, ‘What should I do, Lord?’
“And the Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything you are to do.’
“And the Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything you are to do.’
My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.
“I was blinded by the intense light and had to be led by the hand to Damascus by my companions.
“A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.
A man named Ananias lived there. He was a godly man, deeply devoted to the law, and well regarded by all the Jews of Damascus.
He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him.
He came and stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ And that very moment I could see him!
“Then he said: ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth.
“Then he told me, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and hear him speak.
You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard.
For you are to be his witness, telling everyone what you have seen and heard.
And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’
What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.’
“When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance
“After I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the Temple and fell into a trance.
and saw the Lord speaking to me. ‘Quick!’ he said. ‘Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me.’
“ ‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you.
“‘But Lord,’ I argued, ‘they certainly know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you.
And I was in complete agreement when your witness Stephen was killed. I stood by and kept the coats they took off when they stoned him.’
“Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”
“But the Lord said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!’”
Paul the Roman Citizen
The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!”
The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!”
The crowd listened until Paul said that word. Then they all began to shout, “Away with such a fellow! He isn’t fit to live!”
As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air,
They yelled, threw off their coats, and tossed handfuls of dust into the air.
the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this.
Paul Reveals His Roman Citizenship
The commander brought Paul inside and ordered him lashed with whips to make him confess his crime. He wanted to find out why the crowd had become so furious.
As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?”
When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.”
When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and asked, “What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!”
The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”
“Yes, I am,” he answered.
“Yes, I am,” he answered.
So the commander went over and asked Paul, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”
“Yes, I certainly am,” Paul replied.
“Yes, I certainly am,” Paul replied.
Then the commander said, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.”
“But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied.
“But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied.
“I am, too,” the commander muttered, “and it cost me plenty!”
Paul answered, “But I am a citizen by birth!”
Paul answered, “But I am a citizen by birth!”
Those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.
The soldiers who were about to interrogate Paul quickly withdrew when they heard he was a Roman citizen, and the commander was frightened because he had ordered him bound and whipped.
Paul Before the Sanhedrin
The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews. So the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.
The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews. So the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.