1„Mine ærede landsmænd, hør, hvad jeg har at sige til mit forsvar!” begyndte Paulus.2Da de hørte, at han talte hebraisk, blev der stille i den store forsamling. Han fortsatte:3„Jeg er jøde, født i Tarsos i Kilikien, men jeg er opvokset her i byen og uddannet under Gamaliel. Han har lært mig at følge alle de jødiske love og forfædrenes traditioner til punkt og prikke. Jeg var lige så fanatisk i min gudsdyrkelse, som I er her i dag.4Jeg forfulgte dem, som kalder sig ‚Vejen’, og ville have dem slået ihjel. Jeg fik dem arresteret og smidt i fængsel, både mænd og kvinder.5Både ypperstepræsten og alle medlemmerne i Det jødiske Råd kan bevidne, at jeg taler sandt. For det var dem, der skrev de breve, som jeg fik med til de jødiske ledere i Damaskus med tilladelse til at arrestere folk også dér og føre dem til Jerusalem, så de kunne blive straffet.6Men så skete der noget, bedst som jeg var på vej til Damaskus. Jeg var næsten nået frem til byen. Det var midt på dagen. Pludselig kom der et blændende lys fra himlen, og det omsluttede mig.7Jeg faldt på knæ med ansigtet mod jorden og hørte en stemme sige: ‚Saul, Saul, hvorfor forfølger du mig?’8‚Hvem er du, herre?’ spurgte jeg. Stemmen svarede: ‚Jeg er nazaræeren Jesus, ham du forfølger.’9De mænd, der var med mig, så lyset, men hørte ikke, hvad der blev sagt.10Jeg spurgte: ‚Hvad skal jeg gøre, Herre?’ Og Herren svarede: ‚Rejs dig og gå ind til Damaskus. Der vil du få mere at vide om de planer, jeg har for dig.’11Jeg var blevet blind på grund af det skarpe lys, så mine ledsagere måtte tage mig ved hånden og føre mig ind til Damaskus.12I byen boede der en mand, som hed Ananias. Han var en gudfrygtig mand, der efterlevede vores jødiske lov, og han var meget respekteret af alle byens jøder.13Han kom hen til mig og sagde: ‚Bror Saul, få synet tilbage!’ I det samme kunne jeg se igen.14Videre sagde han: ‚Gud, vores forfædres Gud, har udvalgt dig til at kende hans vilje. Du skal få lov at se Den Retfærdige og høre ham tale til dig,15for du skal fortælle hele verden alt, hvad du har set og hørt.16Hvad er der nu mere at vente på? Rejs dig op, lad dig døbe og få dine synder renset bort ved at tro på og bede om Herrens tilgivelse.’17Senere var jeg tilbage i Jerusalem. En dag, mens jeg bad i templet, var jeg pludselig som i en anden verden,18og i et syn så jeg Herren, som sagde til mig: ‚Skynd dig at forlade Jerusalem, for folk her vil ikke tage imod det, du fortæller om mig.’19‚Jamen, Herre,’ svarede jeg, ‚de ved jo alle sammen, at det var mig, som fik arresteret alle dem, der troede på dig, og jeg sørgede for, at de blev pisket i synagogerne.20Dengang Stefanus blev dræbt, stod jeg lige ved siden af og godkendte, hvad de gjorde, ja, det var mig, der passede på tøjet for dem, der slog ham ihjel.’21Men Herren sagde til mig: ‚Tag af sted! For jeg vil sende dig til de folkeslag, der er langt borte.’ ”22Op til det punkt havde folkemængden lyttet opmærksomt til Paulus, men nu begyndte hylekoret igen. „Han skal dø!” råbte de. „Sådan en skal ikke have lov til at leve!”23De skreg og krængede deres kapper af og kastede støv op i luften.24Kommandanten gav derfor ordre til, at Paulus skulle føres ind i kasernen, og at han skulle forhøres under piskeslag, for at man kunne finde ud af, hvad han havde gjort, som kunne gøre mængden så rasende.25Da de var i færd med at spænde ham fast for at piske ham, vendte han sig til den nærmeste officer og spurgte: „Er det tilladt at piske en romersk statsborger, der ikke engang har været for retten?”26Officeren gik til kommandanten og sagde: „Er du klar over, hvad du er ved at gøre? Manden er romersk statsborger!”27Kommandanten kom hen til Paulus og spurgte: „Sig mig, er du romersk statsborger?” „Ja, det er jeg,” svarede han.28„Det er jeg også,” udbrød kommandanten, „men det har kostet mig en formue at blive det.” „Jeg er født romersk statsborger,” sagde Paulus.29Da de soldater, der stod parate til at piske ham, hørte det, trak de sig hurtigt tilbage. Kommandanten blev også bange, da det gik op for ham, at han havde ladet en romersk statsborger lægge i lænker.30Men han ville gerne finde ud af, hvad det var, jøderne anklagede Paulus for. Næste dag lod han derfor lænkerne blive taget af Paulus og befalede, at han skulle fremstilles for ypperstepræsterne og Det jødiske Råd. Derpå blev Paulus ført frem for Rådet.
English Standard Version
1“Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.”2And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language,* they became even more quiet. And he said:3“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel* according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day.4I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women,5as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.6“As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me.7And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’8And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’9Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand* the voice of the one who was speaking to me.10And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’11And 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“And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,13came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him.14And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth;15for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard.16And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’17“When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance18and saw him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’19And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you.20And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’21And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
Paul and the Roman Tribune
22Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.”23And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air,24the tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, saying that he should be examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this.25But when they had stretched him out for the whips,* Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?”26When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.”27So the tribune came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” And he said, “Yes.”28The tribune answered, “I bought this citizenship for a large sum.” Paul said, “But I am a citizen by birth.”29So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him.
Paul Before the Council
30But on the next day, desiring to know the real reason why he was being accused by the Jews, he unbound him and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and he brought Paul down and set him before them.
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