Acts 22

1 “Men, brothers and fathers, listen to my defense before you now.”

Brethren and fathers, hear my defence which I now make to you.

2 When they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they were even more quiet, and he said:

And hearing that he addressed them in the Hebrew tongue, they kept the more quiet; and he says,

3 “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, just as you all are today.

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 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women,

who have persecuted this way unto death, binding and delivering up to prisons both men and women;

5 as also the high priest and all the council of elders can bear me witness. I even obtained letters from them to the brothers in Damascus, to bring those also who were there bound to Jerusalem to be punished.

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 Now it happened, as I was going and approaching Damascus, about noon, suddenly a strong light from heaven shone around me.

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 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’

And I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

8 So I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Natsorean, whom you are persecuting.’

And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus the Nazaraean, whom thou persecutest.

9 Those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not understand the voice of the One speaking to me.

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 So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told about all that has been appointed to you to do.’

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 And since I could not see, because of the brightness of that light, I entered Damascus being led by the hand of those who were with me.

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 Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived in Damascus,

And a certain Ananias, a pious man according to the law, borne witness to by all the Jews who dwelt [there],

13 came to me, and standing by me said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I looked up at him.

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 Then he said: ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you to know His will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear words from His mouth.

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 For you shall be a witness for Him to all men of the things that you have seen and heard.

for thou shalt be a witness for him to all men of what thou hast seen and heard.

16 And now, why hesitate? Get up, be baptized and wash away your sins, invoking the name of the Lord.’

And now why lingerest thou? Arise and get baptised, and have thy sins washed away, calling on his name.

17 “Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I came to be in a trance

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 and saw Him saying to me, ‘Hurry up and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not receive your testimony concerning me.’

and saw him saying to me, Make haste and go quickly out of Jerusalem, for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.

19 So I said: ‘Lord, they know that I used to imprison and beat those believing into you, from one synagogue to another;

And I said, Lord, they themselves know that I was imprisoning and beating in every synagogue those that believe on thee;

20 and when the blood of your witness Stephen was shed, I myself was standing there and agreeing to his murder, even guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’

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 And He said to me, ‘Get going, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

And he said to me, Go, for I will send thee to the nations afar off.

22 Well they kept listening to him until this statement, and then they raised their voice and shouted, “Rid the earth of this fellow, for it isn't fitting for him to live!”

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 As they were shouting, tearing off clothes and throwing dust into the air,

And as they were crying, and throwing away their clothes, and casting dust into the air,

24 the commander ordered him to be taken into the barracks, directing that he be interrogated with lashes, in order to learn for what crime they kept shouting against him like that.

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 But as they stretched him out 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?”

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 Well when the centurion heard that, he went and reported to the commander saying, “Consider what you are about to do, because this man is a Roman!”

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 So the commander went and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” So he said, “Yes.”

And the chiliarch coming up said to him, Tell me, Art thou a Roman? And he said, Yes.

28 The commander replied, “I acquired this citizenship at considerable cost.” And Paul said, “But I was so born.”

And the chiliarch answered, I, for a great sum, bought this citizenship. And Paul said, But I was also [free] born.

29 So those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately; and even the commander was apprehensive when he realized that he had put chains on a Roman.

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 But the next day, desiring to know for certain why he was accused by the Jews, he freed him from the bonds and ordered the chief priests and all their council to come, and brought Paul down and set him before them.

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.