1. “Brothers and esteemed fathers,” Paul said, “listen to me as I offer my defense.”
2. When they heard him speaking in their own language, the silence was even greater.
3. Then Paul said, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. As his student, I was carefully trained in our Jewish laws and customs. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just like all of you today.
4. And I persecuted the followers of the Way, hounding some to death, arresting both men and women and throwing them in prison.