Actes 22
1 Hommes, mes frères et mes pères, écoutez ma défense que je vais entreprendre devant vous.
Brethren and fathers, hear my defence which I now make to you.
2 Quand ils entendirent qu’il leur parlait en langue hébraïque, il se fit encore un plus grand silence.
And hearing that he addressed them in the Hebrew tongue, they kept the more quiet; and he says,
3 Il dit donc: Je suis Juif, né à Tarse en Cilicie, élevé dans cette ville aux pieds de Gamaliel, instruit selon la vérité de la loi de nos pères, zélateur de cette loi, comme vous l’êtes vous tous aujourd’hui;
I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel, educated according to [the] exactness of the law of [our] fathers, being zealous for God, as ye are all this day;
4 C’est moi qui ai poursuivi jusqu’à la mort ceux de cette voie, les chargeant de liens, hommes et femmes, et les jetant en prison,
who have persecuted this way unto death, binding and delivering up to prisons both men and women;
5 Comme le prince des prêtres m’en est témoin ainsi que tous les anciens; et même, ayant reçu d’eux des lettres pour nos frères de Damas, j’y allais pour les amener enchaînés à Jérusalem, afin qu’ils fussent punis.
as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the elderhood: from whom also, having received letters to the brethren, I went to Damascus to bring those also who were there, bound, to Jerusalem, to be punished.
6 Or il arriva que lorsque j’étais en chemin, et que j’approchais de Damas au milieu du jour, soudain brilla du ciel autour de moi une abondante lumière;
And it came to pass, as I was journeying and drawing near to Damascus, that, about mid-day, there suddenly shone out of heaven a great light round about me.
7 Et tombant par terre, j’entendis une voix qui me disait: Saul, Saul, pourquoi me persécutes-tu?
And I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
8 Et moi je répondis: Qui êtes-vous. Seigneur? Et il me dit: Je suis Jésus de Nazareth, que tu persécutes.
And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus the Nazaraean, whom thou persecutest.
9 Et ceux qui étaient avec moi virent la lumière, mais ils n’entendirent pas la voix de celui qui me parlait.
But they that were with me beheld the light, [and were filled with fear], but heard not the voice of him that was speaking to me.
10 Alors je demandai: Que ferai-je, Seigneur? Et le Seigneur me répondit: Lève-toi, va à Damas; et là on te dira tout ce qu’il faut que tu fasses.
And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me, Rise up, and go to Damascus, and there it shall be told thee of all things which it is appointed thee to do.
11 Et comme je ne voyais point, à cause de l’éclat de cette lumière, conduit par la main de mes compagnons, je vins à Damas.
And as I could not see, through the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came to Damascus.
12 Or un certain Ananie, homme selon la loi, ayant le témoignage de tous les Juifs qui habitaient dans cette ville,
And a certain Ananias, a pious man according to the law, borne witness to by all the Jews who dwelt [there],
13 Venant à moi, et s’approchant, me dit: Saul, mon frère, regarde. Et moi, au même instant, je le regardai.
coming to me and standing by me, said to me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And I, in the same hour, received my sight and saw him.
14 Et lui reprit: Le Dieu de nos pères t’a préordonné pour connaître sa volonté, voir le Juste, et entendre la voix de sa bouche;
And he said, The God of our fathers has chosen thee beforehand to know his will, and to see the just one, and to hear a voice out of his mouth;
15 Parce que tu lui seras témoin devant tous les hommes, de ce que tu as vu et entendu.
for thou shalt be a witness for him to all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
16 Et maintenant, que tardes-tu? Lève-toi, reçois le baptême et lave tes péchés en invoquant son nom.
And now why lingerest thou? Arise and get baptised, and have thy sins washed away, calling on his name.
17 Et il arriva qu’étant de retour à Jérusalem, et priant dans le temple, je tombai dans un ravissement d’esprit,
And it came to pass when I had returned to Jerusalem, and as I was praying in the temple, that I became in ecstasy,
18 Et je vis le Seigneur qui me disait: Hâte-toi, et sors vite de Jérusalem; car ils ne recevront pas le témoignage que tu rends de moi.
and saw him saying to me, Make haste and go quickly out of Jerusalem, for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.
19 Et moi je répondis: Seigneur, ils savent eux-mêmes que c’est moi qui enfermais en prison et déchirais de coups dans les synagogues ceux qui croyaient en vous;
And I said, Lord, they themselves know that I was imprisoning and beating in every synagogue those that believe on thee;
20 Et que, lorsqu’on versait le sang d’Etienne, votre témoin, j’étais là, et j’y consentais, et je gardais les vêtements de ses meurtriers.
and when the blood of thy witness Stephen was shed, I also myself was standing by and consenting, and kept the clothes of them who killed him.
21 Et il me dit: Va, parce que je t’enverrai bien loin vers les nations.
And he said to me, Go, for I will send thee to the nations afar off.
22 Ils l’avaient écouté jusqu’à ce mot; mais alors ils élevèrent leur voix, disant: Ôte de la terre un pareil homme, car ce serait un crime de le laisser vivre.
And they heard him until this word, and lifted up their voice, saying, Away with such a one as that from the earth, for it was not fit he should live.
23 Eux donc, poussant de grands cris, jetant leurs vêtements, et lançant de la poussière en l’air,
And as they were crying, and throwing away their clothes, and casting dust into the air,
24 Le tribun ordonna de le conduire dans le camp, de le déchirer de verges, et de le mettre à la question, afin de savoir pourquoi ils criaient ainsi contre lui.
the chiliarch commanded him to be brought into the fortress, saying that he should be examined by scourging, that he might ascertain for what cause they cried thus against him.
25 Mais lorsqu’ils l’eurent lié avec des courroies, Paul dit au centurion qui était près de lui: Vous est-il permis de flageller un citoyen romain non condamné?
But as they stretched him forward with the thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood [by], Is it lawful for you to scourge a man [who is] a Roman and uncondemned?
26 Ce qu’ayant entendu, le centurion se rendit auprès du tribun, et l’avertit, disant: Qu’allez-vous faire? car cet homme est citoyen romain.
And the centurion, having heard it, went and reported it to the chiliarch, saying, What art thou going to do? for this man is a Roman.
27 Et le tribun venant à lui, demanda: Dis-moi, es-tu Romain? Et Paul répondit: Oui.
And the chiliarch coming up said to him, Tell me, Art thou a Roman? And he said, Yes.
28 Le tribun repartit: C’est avec beaucoup d’argent que j’ai acquis ce droit de cité. Et Paul répliqua: Moi, je suis né citoyen.
And the chiliarch answered, I, for a great sum, bought this citizenship. And Paul said, But I was also [free] born.
29 Aussitôt donc s’éloignèrent de lui ceux qui devaient lui donner la question; le tribun lui-même eut peur, après qu’il eut appris qu’il était citoyen romain, parce qu’il l’avait fait lier.
Immediately therefore those who were going to examine him left him, and the chiliarch also was afraid when he ascertained that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.
30 Le lendemain, voulant savoir plus exactement de quoi il était accusé par les Juifs, il lui ôta ses liens, et ordonna aux prêtres, et à tout le conseil de s’assembler, puis il amena Paul, et le plaça au milieu d’eux.
And on the morrow, desirous to know the certainty [of the matter] why he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him, and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and having brought Paul down set him before them.
