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v1
“Men—brothers and fathers—listen to my defense to you now!“
v2
And when they ^[Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal] heard that he was addressing them in the Aramaic language, they became even more silent. ^[Literally “they showed even more silence”] And he said,
v3
“I am a Jewish man born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated according to the exactness of the law received from our fathers, being zealous for God, just as all of you are today.
v4
I ^[Literally “who”] persecuted this Way to the death, tying up and delivering to prison both men and women,
v5
as indeed the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me, from whom also I received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and ^[Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“received”) has been translated as a finite verb] was traveling there ^[Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation] to lead away those who were there also tied up to Jerusalem so that they could be punished.
v6
“And it happened that as ^[Here “as” is supplied as a component of the participle (“was traveling”) which is understood as temporal] I was traveling and approaching Damascus around noon, suddenly a very bright light from heaven flashed around me,
v7
and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?‘
v8
And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene whom you are persecuting.‘
v9
(Now those who were with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.)
v10
So I said, ‘What should I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and ^[Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“get up”) has been translated as a finite verb] proceed to Damascus, and there it will be told to you about all the things that have been appointed for you to do.‘
v11
And as I could not see as a result of the brightness of that light, I arrived in Damascus led by the hand of those who were with me.
v12
And a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who live there,
v13
came to me and stood by me ^[Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation] and ^[Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“stood by”) has been translated as a finite verb] said to me, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ And at that same time I looked up at him and saw him. ^[*The words “and saw him” are not in the Greek text but are supplied in the translation for clarity]
v14
And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will, and to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth,
v15
because you will be a witness for him ^[Or “to him”] to all people of what you have seen and heard.
v16
And now why are you delaying? Get up, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name!‘
v17
“And it happened that when ^[Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“returned”) which is understood as temporal] I returned to Jerusalem and I was praying in the temple courts, ^[*Here “courts” is supplied to distinguish this area from the interior of the temple building itself] I was in a trance,
v18
and saw him saying to me, ‘Hurry and depart quickly ^[Literally “with quickness”] from Jerusalem, because they will not accept your testimony about me.‘
v19
And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that from synagogue to synagogue I was imprisoning and beating those who believed in you.
v20
And when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I myself also was standing near and was approving, and was guarding the cloaks of those who were killing him.‘
v21
And he said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles!‘“
v22
Now they were listening to him until this word, and they raised their voices, saying, “Away with such a man from the earth! For it is not fitting for him to live!“
v23
And while ^[Here “while” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“were screaming”)] they were screaming and throwing off their ^[Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun] cloaks and throwing dust into the air,
v24
the military tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, ^[Or “headquarters”] saying he was to be examined with a lash so that he could find out for what reason they were crying out against him in this way.
v25
But when they had stretched him out for the lash, ^[Or “with straps” (in order to lash him)] Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it permitted for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?“
v26
And when ^[Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal] the centurion heard this, ^[*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation] he went to the military tribune and ^[Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“went to”) has been translated as a finite verb] reported it, ^[*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation] saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen!“
v27
So the military tribune came and ^[Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“came”) has been translated as a finite verb] said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” And he said, “Yes.”
v28
And the military tribune replied, “I acquired this citizenship for a large sum of money.” And Paul said, “But I indeed was born a citizen. ^[*The words “a citizen” are not in the Greek text but are implied]
v29
Then immediately those who were about to examine him kept away from him, and the military tribune also was afraid when he ^[Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“realized”) which is understood as temporal] realized that he was a Roman citizen and that he had tied him up. ^[Literally “he was having tied him up”]
v30
But on the next day, because he ^[Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“wanted”) which is understood as causal] wanted to know the true reason why he was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to assemble, and he brought down Paul and ^[Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“brought down”) has been translated as a finite verb] had him ^[Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation] stand before them.