Acts 22

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

"Brethren and fathers," he said, "listen to my defence which I now make before you."

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

And on hearing him address them in Hebrew, they kept all the more quiet; and he said,

3 “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.

"I am a Jew, born at Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I was carefully trained at the feet of Gamaliel in the Law of our forefathers, and, like all of you to-day, was zealous for God.

4 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 –

I persecuted to death this new faith, continually binding both men and women and throwing them into prison;

5 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.

as the High Priest also and all the Elders can bear me witness. It was, too, from them that I received letters to the brethren in Damascus, and I was already on my way to Damascus, intending to bring those also who had fled there, in chains to Jerusalem, to be punished.

6 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.

"But on my way, when I was now not far from Damascus, about noon a sudden blaze of light from Heaven shone round 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 say to me, "'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?'

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

"'Who art thou, Lord?' I asked. "'I am Jesus, the Nazarene,' He replied, 'whom you are persecuting.'

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

"Now the men who were with me, though they saw the light, did not hear the words of Him who spoke to me.

10 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.’

And I asked, "'What am I to do, Lord?' "And the Lord said to me, "'Rise, and go into Damascus. There you shall be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.'

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

"And as I could not see because the light had been so dazzling, those who were with me had to lead me by the arm, and so I came to Damascus.

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

"And a certain Ananias, a pious man who obeyed the Law and bore a good character with all the Jews of the city,

13 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.

came to me and standing at my side said, "'Brother Saul, recover your sight.' "I instantly regained my sight and looked up at him.

14 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;

Then he said, 'The God of our forefathers has appointed you to know His will, and to see the righteous One and hear Him speak.

15 for you will be a witness for him to all the world of what you have just seen and heard.

For you shall be a witness for Him, to all men, of what you have seen and heard.

16 And now why wait any longer, Be baptized at once, wash away your sins, and invoke his name.’

And now why delay? Rise, get yourself baptized, and wash off your sins, calling upon His name.'

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

"After my return to Jerusalem, and while praying in the Temple, I fell into a trance.

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

I saw Jesus, and He said to me, "'Make haste and leave Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.'

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

"'Lord,' I replied, 'they themselves well know how active I was in imprisoning, and in flogging in synagogue after synagogue those who believe in Thee;

20 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.’

and when they were shedding the blood of Stephen, Thy witness, I was standing by, fully approving of it, and I held the clothes of those who were killing him.'

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

"'Go,' He replied; 'I will send you as an Apostle to nations far away.'"

22 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!”

Until they heard this last statement the people listened to Paul, but now with a roar of disapproval they cried out, "Away with such a fellow from the earth! He ought not to be allowed to live."

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

And when they continued their furious shouts, throwing their clothes into the air and flinging dust about,

24 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.

the Tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and be examined by flogging, in order to ascertain the reason why they thus cried out against him.

25 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?”

But, when they had tied him up with the straps, Paul said to the Captain who stood by, "Does the Law permit you to flog a Roman citizen--and one too who is uncondemned?"

26 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.”

On hearing this question, the Captain went to report the matter to the Tribune. "What are you intending to do?" he said. "This man is a Roman citizen."

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

So the Tribune came to Paul and asked him, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes," he said.

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

"I paid a large sum for my citizenship," said the Tribune. "But I was born free," said Paul.

29 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.

So the men who had been on the point of putting him under torture immediately left him. And the Tribune, too, was frightened when he learnt that Paul was a Roman citizen, for he had had him bound.

30 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.

The next day, wishing to know exactly what charge was being brought against him by the Jews, the Tribune ordered his chains to be removed; and, having sent word to the High Priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble, he brought Paul down and made him stand before them.