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Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.
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And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)
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I 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.
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And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.
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As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.
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And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.
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And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
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And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.
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And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.
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And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.
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And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.
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And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,
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Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.
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And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
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For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
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And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
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And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;
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And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.
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And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:
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And 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.
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And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.
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And 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.
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And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air,
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The 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.
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And 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?
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When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.
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Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.
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And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.
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Then 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.
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On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.
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Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
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And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:
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Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,
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Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
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To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
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I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
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Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
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But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
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As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
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For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
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But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
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For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
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For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:
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And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.
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But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,
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To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:
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Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
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Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.
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But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.
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Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.
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Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia;
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And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ:
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But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.
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And they glorified God in me.
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Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also.
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And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.
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But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised:
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And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:
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To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
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But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man's person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me:
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But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;
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For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)
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And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
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Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.
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But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.
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For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.
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And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.
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But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
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We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,
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Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
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But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
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For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
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For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
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I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
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I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
