Acts 22

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

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

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

And when they heard, that he addressed them in the Hebrew dialect, they rather kept silence;

3 "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.

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 to death this new faith, continually binding 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 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.

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

and I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?

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

But I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you persecute.

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

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 "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.

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

And one Ananias, a pious man according to the law, who had an honorable character amongst all the Jews at Damascus,

13 came to me and standing at my side said, "'Brother Saul, recover your sight.' "I instantly regained my sight and looked up at 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 forefathers has appointed you to know His will, and to see the righteous One and hear Him speak.

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 For you shall be a witness for Him, to all men, 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 why delay? Rise, get yourself baptized, and wash off your sins, calling upon His name.'

And now, why do you delay? Arise, and be immersed, and wash away your sins, invoking his name.

17 "After my return to Jerusalem, and while praying in 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 I saw Jesus, and He said to me, "'Make haste and leave Jerusalem quickly, because they 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 replied, 'they themselves well know how active I was in imprisoning, and in flogging in synagogue after synagogue those who believe in Thee;

And I said, Lord, they know I was imprisoning, and scourging in the synagogues, them that believed in thee;

20 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.'

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

And he said to me, Go your way, for I will send you afar off to the Gentiles--

22 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."

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

And as they were crying out, and were rending their garments, and casting dust into the air,

24 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.

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, 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?"

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 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."

And the centurion hearing this, went and addressed the commander, saying, What are you about to do? for this man is a Roman.

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

And the commander came, and said to him, Tell me, are you a Roman? And he said, Yes.

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

And the commander answered, I obtained this freedom with a considerable sum of money. And Paul replied, But I was free born.

29 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.

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, 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.

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.