< Acts 22 >

1 “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense before you.”
Brethren and fathers, hear my apology, which I make to you now.
2 When they heard him speak to them in Hebrew, they became even more silent. Then Paul declared,
And when they heard, that he addressed them in the Hebrew dialect, they rather kept silence;
3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but raised in this city. I was educated at the feet of Gamaliel in strict conformity to the law of our fathers. I am just as zealous for God as any of you here today.
and he said, I am, indeed, a Jew, born at Tarsus, in Cilicia, but educated in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel, accurately instructed in the law of our fathers; being zealous for God, as you all are at this day:
4 I persecuted this Way even to the death, detaining both men and women and throwing them into prison,
who persecuted this way to the death; binding both men and women, and delivering them into prisons:
5 as the high priest and the whole Council can testify about me. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way to apprehend these people and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.
as also the high priest is my witness, and all the national senate: from whom also having received letters to the brethren, I went to Damascus; to bring those that were there bound, to Jerusalem, that they might be punished.
6 About noon as I was approaching Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.
And it came to pass, that as I was on my journey, and was come nigh to Damascus, about noon, on a sudden a great light from heaven shone about me;
7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?’
and I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?
8 ‘Who are You, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ He replied.
But I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you persecute.
9 My companions saw the light, but they could not understand the voice of the One speaking to me.
And they that were with me saw the light, indeed, and were terrified; but they did not distinctly hear the voice of him that spoke to me.
10 Then I asked, ‘What should I do, Lord?’ ‘Get up and go into Damascus,’ He told me. ‘There you will be told all that you have been appointed to do.’
And I said, Lord, what shall I do? And the Lord said to me, Arise, and go to Damascus, and there it shall be told you of all things, which are appointed for you to do.
11 Because the brilliance of the light had blinded me, my companions led me by the hand into Damascus.
And as I could not see, by reason of the glory of that light; being led by those that were with me, I came to Damascus.
12 There a man named Ananias, a devout observer of the law who was highly regarded by all the Jews living there,
And one Ananias, a pious man according to the law, who had an honorable character amongst all the Jews at Damascus,
13 came and stood beside me. ‘Brother Saul,’ he said, ‘receive your sight.’ And at that moment I could see him.
coming to me, and standing by me, said to me, Brother Saul, look up. And in that very hour, I looked up on him.
14 Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear His voice.
And he said, The God of our fathers, has chosen you to know his will, and to see that righteous person, and to hear a voice from his mouth:
15 You will be His witness to everyone of what you have seen and heard.
because you shall be his witness, to all men, of those things, which you have seen and heard.
16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away, calling on His name.’
And now, why do you delay? Arise, and be immersed, and wash away your sins, invoking his name.
17 Later, when I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance
And it came to pass, that when I was returned to Jerusalem, and was praying in the temple, I was in a trance:
18 and saw the Lord saying to me, ‘Hurry! Leave Jerusalem quickly, because the people here will not accept your testimony about Me.’
and I saw him, saying to me, Make haste, and depart quickly from Jerusalem; for they will not receive your testimony concerning me.
19 ‘Lord,’ I answered, ‘they know very well that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in You.
And I said, Lord, they know I was imprisoning, and scourging in the synagogues, them that believed in thee;
20 And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’
and when the blood of Stephen thy martyr was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting, and kept the garments of those who slew him.
21 Then He said to me, ‘Go! I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
And he said to me, Go your way, for I will send you afar off to the Gentiles--
22 The crowd listened to Paul until he made this statement. Then they lifted up their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He is not fit to live!”
And they heard him to this word, and they lifted up their voices, saying, Away with this fellow from the earth, for it is not fit that he should live.
23 As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and tossing dust into the air,
And as they were crying out, and were rending their garments, and casting dust into the air,
24 the commander ordered that Paul be brought into the barracks. He directed that Paul be flogged and interrogated to determine the reason for this outcry against him.
the commander ordered that he should be brought into the castle, saying, that he should be put to the question by scourging, that he might know for what cause, they raised such an outcry against him.
25 But as they stretched him out to strap him down, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it lawful for you to flog a Roman citizen without a trial?”
And as they binding him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion, who stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man, who is Roman, and uncondemned.
26 On hearing this, the centurion went and reported it to the commander. “What are you going to do?” he said. “This man is a Roman citizen.”
And the centurion hearing this, went and addressed the commander, saying, What are you about to do? for this man is a Roman.
27 The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes,” he answered.
And the commander came, and said to him, Tell me, are you a Roman? And he said, Yes.
28 “I paid a high price for my citizenship,” said the commander. “But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied.
And the commander answered, I obtained this freedom with a considerable sum of money. And Paul replied, But I was free born.
29 Then those who were about to interrogate Paul stepped back, and the commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put a Roman citizen in chains.
They, therefore, who were about to have put him to the question, immediately departed from him: and the commander was afraid, when he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.
30 The next day the commander, wanting to learn the real reason Paul was accused by the Jews, released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul down and had him stand before them.
And on the next day, desiring to know certainly of what he was accused by the Jews, he loosed him; and commanded the chief priests, and all the Sanhedrim, to come together; and bringing Paul down, he set him before them.

< Acts 22 >