Acts 22

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

“Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense which I am about to make.”

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

When they heard that he was speaking to them in Hebrew, they were still more quiet; and Paul went on:

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, from Tarsus in Cilicia, but I was brought up in this city under the teaching of Gamaliel, and educated in accordance with the strict system of our ancestral Law. I was as zealous in God’s service as any of you who are here today.

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

In my persecution of this Way I did not stop even at the taking of life. I put in chains, and imprisoned, men and women alike –

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.

And to that the high priest himself and all the council of elders can testify. For I had letters of introduction from them to our fellow Jews at Damascus, and I was on my way to that place, to bring those whom I might find there prisoners to Jerusalem for punishment.

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

While I was still on my way, just as I was getting close to Damascus, about midday, suddenly there flashed from the heavens a great light all around me.

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

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

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

‘Who are you, Lord?’ I replied. Then the voice said ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.’

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.

The men with me saw the light, but did not hear the speaker’s voice.

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.’

Then I said ‘What am I to do, Lord?’ ‘Get up and go into Damascus,’ The Lord said to me, ‘and there you will be told all that you have been appointed 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.

In consequence of that dazzling light I could not see, but my companions held me by the hand, until I reached Damascus.

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

There a man named Ananias, a strict observer of our Law, well spoken of by all the Jewish inhabitants, came to see me.

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

Standing close to me, he said ‘Saul, my brother, recover your sight.’ And then and there I recovered my sight and looked up at 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.

Then he said ‘The God of our ancestors has appointed you to learn his will, and to see the righteous one, and to hear words from his lips;

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

for you will be a witness for him to all the world of what you have just 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 wait any longer, Be baptized at once, wash away your sins, and invoke 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

After my return to Jerusalem, while I was praying one day in the Temple, I fell into a trance,

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 Jesus saying to me ‘Make haste and leave Jerusalem at once, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’

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

‘Lord,’ I answered, ‘these people know that I used to imprison and scourge, in synagogue after synagogue, those who believed in you;

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 your martyr, Stephen, was being shed, I was myself standing by, approving of his death, and took charge of the clothes of those who were murdering him.’

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

But Jesus said to me ‘Go; for I will send you to the Gentiles far away’.”

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!”

Up to this point the people had been listening to Paul, but at these words they called out, “Kill him! A fellow like this ought not to have been allowed to live!”

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

As they were shouting, tearing off their clothes, and throwing dust in 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 commanding officer ordered Paul to be taken into the Fort, and directed that he should be examined under the lash so that he might find out the reason for their outcry 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 just as they had tied him up to be scourged, Paul said to the centurion standing near, “Is it legal for you to scourge a Roman citizen, unconvicted?”

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!”

On hearing this, the centurion went and reported it to the commanding officer. “Do you know what you are doing?” he said. “This man is a Roman citizen.”

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

So the commanding officer went up to Paul and said, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes,” replied Paul.

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

“I had to pay a heavy price for my position as citizen,” said the officer. “I am one by birth,” rejoined Paul.

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.

The men who were to have examined Paul immediately drew back, and the officer, finding that Paul was a Roman citizen, was alarmed at having put him in chains.

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.

On the next day the commanding officer, wishing to find out the real reason why Paul was denounced by the Jewish leaders, had his chains taken off, and directed the chief priests and the whole of the High Council to assemble, and then took Paul down and brought him before them.