1Ye men, brethren and Fathers, heare my defence nowe towards you. 2(And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrewe tongue to them, they kept the more silence, and he sayd) 3I am verily a man [which am] a Jew, born in Tarsus, [a city] in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, [and] taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. 4And I persecuted this way vnto the death, binding and deliuering into prison both men and women. 5As also ye chiefe Priest doeth beare me witnes, & al the company of the Elders: of whom also I receiued letters vnto the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring them which were there, bound vnto Hierusalem, that they might be punished. 6And so it was, as I iourneyed and was come neere vnto Damascus about noone, that suddenly there shone from heauen a great light round about me. 7So I fell vnto the earth, and heard a voyce, saying vnto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou mee? 8Then I answered, Who art thou, Lorde? And he said to me, I am Iesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. 9Moreouer they that were with me, sawe in deede a light and were afraide: but they heard not the voyce of him that spake vnto me. 10Then I sayd, What shall I doe, Lord? And the Lorde sayde vnto me, Arise, and goe into Damascus: and there it shall be tolde thee of all things, which are appointed for thee to doe. 11So when I could not see for the glory of that light, I was led by the hand of them that were with me, and came into Damascus. 12And one Ananias a godly man, as perteining to the Lawe, hauing good report of all the Iewes which dwelt there, 13Came vnto me, and stoode, and sayd vnto me, Brother Saul, receiue thy sight: and that same houre I looked vpon him. 14And he sayd, The God of our fathers hath appointed thee, that thou shouldest knowe his wil, and shouldest see that Iust one, and shouldest heare the voyce of his mouth. 15For thou shalt be his witnes vnto all men, of the things which thou hast seene and heard. 16Now therefore why tariest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sinnes, in calling on the Name of the Lord. 17And it came to passe, that when I was come againe to Hierusalem, and prayed in the Temple, I was in a traunce, 18And saw him saying vnto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Hierusalem: for they will not receiue thy witnes concerning me. 19Then I sayd, Lord, they know that I prisoned, and beat in euery Synagogue them that beleeued in thee. 20And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. 21Then he sayd vnto me, Depart: for I will send thee farre hence vnto the Gentiles. 22And they gave him audience unto this word, and [then] lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a [fellow] from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live. 23And as they cried out, and cast off [their] clothes, and threw dust into the air, 24The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him. 25And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned? 26Nowe when the Centurion heard it, hee went, and tolde the chiefe captaine, saying, Take heede what thou doest: for this man is a Romane. 27Then the chiefe captaine came, and sayd to him, Tel me, art thou a Romane? And he said, Yea. 28And the chiefe captaine answered, With a great summe obtained I this freedome. Then Paul sayd, But I was so borne. 29Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him. 30On the next day, because hee would haue knowen the certaintie wherefore he was accused of the Iewes, he loosed him from his bonds, and commaunded the hie Priests and all their Councill to come together: and he brought Paul, and set him before them.