1. And Agrippa said to Rav Sha'ul, "It is permitted for you to speak concerning yourself." Then Rav Sha'ul, having stretched out his hand, was making his hitstaddekut (defense), saying,
2. "I have considered myself fortunate that it is before you, Agrippa HaMelech, that I am able to make my hitstaddekut today concerning everything of which I am accused by Yehudim.
3. "Most of all, you are a bukki (expert, meivin) in all the minhagim and issues of the Yehudim; therefore, I beg you to listen patiently to me.
4. "All the Yehudim have da'as of my Yiddishkeit from my earliest youth, a life spent from the beginning among my own people and in Yerushalayim.
5. "They have had da'as of this for a long time, if they are willing to bear edut, that according to the most machmir kat of our Orthodox Jewish faith my life has been lived out as a Parush.
6. "And now I stand here on trial on account of my tikvah in the havtacha made to Avoteinu,
7. "A havtacha Sheneym Asar Shevateinu have tikvah to attain, as they with earnestness worship Hashem yomam valailah. It if for this tikvah, your Excellency, that I am accused by Yehudim!
8. "Why is it considered incredible by any of you that Hashem makes the Mesim to stand up alive?
9. "Indeed, I myself thought it necessary to do many opposing things against ha-Shem of Yehoshua from Natzeret.
10. "And this I also did in Yerushalayim; and armed with samchut received from the Rashei Hakohanim, many of the kadoshim I locked up in the beis hasohar; and I cast my vote keneged (against) them when they received the death penalty.
11. "And throughout all the shuls I often punished them, forcing them to commit Chillul Hashem gidduf (blasphemy), and since I was so enraged against them, I was bringing redifah on them even as far as foreign cities.
12. "This it was, that as I was traveling to Damascus with authorization and permission from the Rashei Hakohanim,
13. "At noon on the derech, O Melech, I saw from Shomayim an ohr, more brilliant than the shemesh, shining around me and around the ones traveling with me.