Actuum Apostolorum 9
1 Saulus autem adhuc spirans minarum, et cædis in discipulos Domini, accessit ad principem sacerdotum,
Meanwhile Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest,
2 et petiit ab eo epistolas in Damascum ad synagogas: ut si quos invenisset huius Viæ viros, ac mulieres, vinctos perduceret in Ierusalem.
and asked him to give him letters to the Jewish congregations at Damascus, authorising him, if he found there any supporters of the Way, whether men or women, to have them put in chains and brought to Jerusalem.
3 Et cum iter faceret, contigit ut appropinquaret Damasco: et subito circumfulsit eum lux de cælo.
While on his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, suddenly a light from the heavens flashed around him.
4 Et cadens in terram audivit vocem dicentem sibi: Saule, Saule, quid me persequeris?
He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him – ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
5 Qui dixit: Quis es Domine? Et ille: Ego sum Iesus, quem tu persequeris. Durum est tibi contra stimulum calcitrare.
‘Who are you, Lord?’ he asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the voice answered;
6 Et tremens, ac stupens dixit: Domine, quid me vis facere? Et Dominus ad eum: Surge, et ingredere civitatem, et ibi dicetur tibi quid te oporteat facere.
‘Yet stand up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’
7 Viri autem illi, qui comitabantur cum eo, stabant stupefacti, audientes quidem vocem, neminem autem videntes.
The men traveling with Saul were meanwhile standing speechless; they heard the sound of the voice, but saw no one.
8 Surrexit autem Saulus de terra, apertisque oculis nihil videbat. Ad manus autem illum trahentes, introduxerunt Damascum.
When Saul got up from the ground, though his eyes were open, he could see nothing. So his men led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus;
9 Et erat ibi tribus diebus non videns, et non manducavit, neque bibit.
and for three days he was unable to see, and took nothing either to eat or to drink.
10 Erat autem quidam discipulus Damasci, nomine Ananias: et dixit ad illum in visu Dominus: Anania. At ille ait: Ecce ego, Domine.
Now there was at Damascus a disciple named Ananias, to whom, in a vision, the Lord said, ‘Ananias.’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ he answered.
11 Et Dominus ad eum: Surge, et vade in vicum, qui vocatur rectus: et quære in domo Iudæ Saulum nomine Tarsensem: ecce enim orat.
‘Go at once,’ said the Lord, ‘to the Straight Street, and ask at Judas’s house for a man named Saul, from Tarsus. He is at this moment praying,
12 (Et vidit virum Ananiam nomine, introeuntem, et imponentem sibi manus ut visum recipiat.)
and he has seen, in a vision, a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him, so that he may recover his sight.’
13 Respondit autem Ananias: Domine, audivi a multis de viro hoc, quanta mala fecerit sanctis tuis in Ierusalem:
‘Lord,’ exclaimed Ananias, ‘I have heard from many people about this man – how much harm he has done at Jerusalem to your people there.
14 et hic habet potestatem a principibus sacerdotum alligandi omnes, qui invocant nomen tuum.
And, here, too, he holds authority from the chief priests to put in chains all those who invoke your name.’
15 Dixit autem ad eum Dominus: Vade, quoniam vas electionis est mihi iste, ut portet nomen meum coram Gentibus, et regibus, et filiis Israel.
But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for this man is my chosen instrument to uphold my name before the Gentiles and their kings, and the people of Israel.
16 Ego enim ostendam illi quanta oporteat eum pro nomine meo pati.
I will myself show him all that he has to suffer for my name.’
17 Et abiit Ananias, et introivit in domum: et imponens ei manus, dixit: Saule frater, Dominus misit me Iesus, qui apparuit tibi in via, qua veniebas ut videas, et implearis Spiritu Sancto.
So Ananias went, entered the house, and, placing his hands on Saul, said, ‘Saul, my brother, I have been sent by the Lord – by Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here – so that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’
18 Et confestim ceciderunt ab oculis eius tamquam squamæ, et visum recepit: et surgens baptizatus est.
Instantly it seemed as if a film fell from Saul’s eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized,
19 Et cum accepisset cibum, confortatus est. Fuit autem cum discipulis, qui erant Damasci, per dies aliquot.
and, after he had taken food, he felt his strength return. Saul stayed for some days with the disciples who were at Damascus,
20 Et continuo in synagogis prædicabat Iesum, quoniam hic est Filius Dei.
and at once began in the synagogues to proclaim Jesus as the Son of God.
21 Stupebant autem omnes, qui audiebant, et dicebant: Nonne hic est, qui expugnabat in Ierusalem eos, qui invocabant nomen istud: et huc ad hoc venit ut vinctos illos duceret ad principes sacerdotum?
All who heard him were amazed. ‘Is not this,’ they asked, ‘the man who worked havoc in Jerusalem among those that invoke this name, and who had also come here for the express purpose of having such persons put in chains and taken before the chief priests?’
22 Saulus autem multo magis convalescebat, et confundebat Iudæos, qui habitabant Damasci, affirmans quoniam hic est Christus.
Saul’s influence, however, kept steadily increasing, and he confounded the Jewish people who lived in Damascus by the proofs that he gave that Jesus was the Christ.
23 Cum autem implerentur dies multi, consilium fecerunt in unum Iudæi ut eum interficerent.
After some time some of them laid a plot to kill Saul,
24 Notæ autem factæ sunt Saulo insidiæ eorum. Custodiebant autem et portas die ac nocte, ut eum interficerent.
but it became known to him. They even watched the gates day and night, to kill him;
25 Accipientes autem eum discipuli nocte, per murum dimiserunt eum, submittentes in sporta.
but his disciples let him down by night through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.
26 Cum autem venisset in Ierusalem, tentabat se iungere discipulis, et omnes timebant eum, non credentes quod esset discipulus.
On his arrival in Jerusalem, Saul attempted to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, as they did not believe that he was really a disciple.
27 Barnabas autem apprehensum illum duxit ad Apostolos: et narravit illis quomodo in via vidisset Dominum, et quia locutus est ei, et quomodo in Damasco fiducialiter egerit in nomine Iesu.
Barnabas, however, taking him by the hand, brought him to the apostles, and told them the whole story of how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord, and how the Lord had talked to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out fearlessly in the name of Jesus.
28 Et erat cum illis intrans, et exiens in Ierusalem, et fiducialiter agens in nomine Domini.
After that, Saul remained in Jerusalem, in close contact with the apostles; and he spoke fearlessly in the name of the Lord,
29 Loquebatur quoque Gentibus, et disputabat cum Græcis: illi autem quærebant occidere eum.
talking and arguing with the Jews of foreign birth, who, however, made attempts to kill him.
30 Quod cum cognovissent fratres, deduxerunt eum Cæsaream, et dimiserunt Tarsum.
But, when the followers found this out, they took him down to Caesarea, and sent him on his way to Tarsus.
31 Ecclesia quidem per totam Iudæam, et Galilæam, et Samariam habebat pacem, et ædificabatur ambulans in timore Domini, et consolatione Sancti Spiritus replebatur.
And so it came about that the church, throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, enjoyed peace and became firmly established; and, ordering its life by respect for the Lord and the help of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
32 Factum est autem, ut Petrus dum pertransiret universos, deveniret ad sanctos, qui habitabant Lyddæ.
Peter, while traveling from place to place throughout the country, went down to visit the people of Christ living at Lydda.
33 Invenit autem ibi hominem quendam, nomine Æneam, ab annis octo iacentem in grabato, qui erat paralyticus.
There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years with paralysis.
34 Et ait illi Petrus: Ænea, sanat te Dominus Iesus Christus: surge, et sterne tibi. Et continuo surrexit.
‘Aeneas,’ Peter said to him, ‘Jesus Christ cures you. Get up, and make your bed.’ Aeneas got up at once;
35 Et viderunt eum omnes, qui habitabant Lyddæ, et Saronæ: qui conversi sunt ad Dominum.
and all the inhabitants of Lydda and of the Plain of Sharon saw him, and came over to the Lord’s side.
36 In Ioppe autem fuit quædam discipula, nomine Tabitha, quæ interpretata dicitur Dorcas. Hæc erat plena operibus bonis, et eleemosynis, quas faciebat.
At Joppa there lived a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which is in Greek “Dorcas” – a Gazelle. Her life was spent in doing kind and charitable actions.
37 Factum est autem in diebus illis, ut infirmata moreretur. Quam cum lavissent, posuerunt eam in cœnaculo.
Just at that time she was taken ill, and died; and they had washed her body and laid it out in an upstairs room.
38 Cum autem prope esset Lydda ad Ioppen, discipuli audientes quia Petrus esset in ea, miserunt duos viros ad eum, rogantes: Ne pigriteris venire ad nos.
Joppa was near Lydda, and the disciples, having heard that Peter was at Lydda, sent two men with the request that he come to them without delay.
39 Exurgens autem Petrus venit cum illis. Et cum advenisset, duxerunt illum in cœnaculum: et circumsteterunt illum omnes viduæ flentes, et ostendentes ei tunicas, et vestes, quas faciebat illis Dorcas.
Peter returned with them at once. On his arrival, he was taken upstairs, and all the widows came round him in tears, showing the coats and other clothing which Dorcas had made while she was among them.
40 Eiectis autem omnibus foras: Petrus ponens genua oravit: et conversus ad corpus, dixit: Tabitha, surge. At illa aperuit oculos suos: et viso Petro, resedit.
But Peter sent everybody out of the room, and knelt down and prayed. Then, turning to the body, he said, ‘Tabitha! Stand up.’ She opened her eyes, and, seeing Peter, sat up.
41 Dans autem illi manum, erexit eam. Et cum vocasset sanctos, et viduas, assignavit eam vivam.
Giving her his hand, Peter raised her up, and, calling in the widows and others of Christ’s people, presented her to them alive.
42 Notum autem factum est per universam Ioppen: et crediderunt multi in Domino.
This became known all through Joppa, and numbers of people came to believe in the Lord.
43 Factum est autem ut dies multos moraretur in Ioppe, apud Simonem quendam coriarium.
And Peter stayed some days at Joppa with a tanner named Simon.
