1Rav Sha'ul said, Anashim, Achim, Avot, listen now to my hitstaddekut (defense).

2And when they heard that Rav Sha'ul was addressing them in the language of the Hebrews, they were even more quiet. And Rav Sha'ul said:

3I am an ish Yehudi, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but having been brought up in a yeshiva in this city of Yerushalayim at the feet of Rabban Gamli'el, having learned with irreproachable frumkeit according to all machmir chumra strictness the Torah of Avoteinu, and I have a kinat Hashem just as all of you do today; ²⁴³

4I brought redifah on this “Derech,” even to the point of mavet, binding and delivering both anashim and nashim over to the beis hasohar,

5As even the Kohen Gadol and all the Zekenim of the Sanhedrin could give solemn eidus for me. For from them I also was authorized with iggrot to the Achim in Damascus, and I was going there to lead away also the ones who were there in order to bring them bound back to Yerushalayim to have them punished.

6And it happened to me while traveling and drawing near to Damascus, lav davka (approximately) noon, suddenly from Shomayim, a very bright ohr (light) shone around me;

7And I fell to the ground. Then I heard a bat kol saying to me, Sha'ul, Sha'ul, why are you bringing redifah on me?

8And I answered, Who are you, Adoni? And he said to me, I am Yehoshua of Natzeret, upon whom you are bringing redifah.

9And the ones with me saw the ohr (light) but they did not have real hearing (understanding) of the voice speaking to me.

10And I said, What shall I do, Adoni? And HaAdon said to me, Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told about everything which has been appointed for you to do.

11And because I had been blinded from the kavod (glory) of that ohr (light), I was led by the hand by the ones who were with me and who led me into Damascus.

12A 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,

13Came 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.

14And he said, Elohei Avoteinu has chosen and appointed you to have da'as of His ratzon (will) and to see the Tzaddik ²⁴⁴and to hear the kol (voice) from His mouth.

15For you will be an eidus (witness) to him to all anashim of what you have seen and heard.

16And now what do you intend to do? Get up and receive Moshiachʼs tevilah of teshuva and wash away your averos (sins) by calling upon SHMO. ²⁴⁵

17And it happened that after I had returned to Yerushalayim and as I was davening in the Beis Hamikdash, that I fell into a trance,

18And saw Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach saying to me, Hurry and get out quickly from Yerushalayim, because they will not receive your edut (testimony) concerning me.

19And I said, Adoni, they themselves have da'as that in every shul I was imprisoning and beating the ones with emunah in you.

20And 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.

21And Moshiach said to me, Go! For I will send you out, far away to the Goyim.

22And 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!

23And while they were crying out, while they were throwing off their kaftans and tossing dust into the air, ²⁴⁶

24the Roman tribune directed him to be brought into the barracks, and ordered him to be examined by the flagellumʼs scourge, that the tribune might have da'as of the reason for the mobʼs shouting thus keneged (against, in opposition to) Rav Sha'ul.

25And 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?

26And having heard this, the centurion approached the tribune and reported, saying, What are you about to do? For this man has Roman citizenship.

27And having approached, the tribune said to Rav Sha'ul, Tell me, are you a Roman? And Rav Sha'ul said, Etiam. ²⁴⁷

28And 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.

29Ofen 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.

30And 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.