Acts 22

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

“Brothers and Father, listen to the defence which I am about to make.”

2 And on hearing him address them in Hebrew, they kept all the 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 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.

“I am a Jew, a native of 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 to-day.

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

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

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.

And to that the High Priest himself and all the Council 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 "But on my way, when I was now not far from Damascus, about noon a sudden blaze of light from Heaven shone round me.

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

7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice say 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 "'Who art thou, Lord?' I asked. "'I am Jesus, the Nazarene,' He replied, 'whom you are persecuting.'

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

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

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

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.'

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

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

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

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 what you have seen and heard.

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

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

And now why wait any longer: Be baptized at once, wash away your sins, and invoke his Name.

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

After my return to Jerusalem, while I was praying one day in the Temple, I fell into 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 saw Jesus saying to me ‘Make haste and leave Jerusalem at once, because they will not accept your testimony about 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;

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

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

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."

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

As they were shouting, tearing off their clothes, and throwing dust in 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 Commanding Officer ordered Paul to be taken into the Fort, and directed that he should be examined under the lash, that he might find out the reason for their 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?"

But just as they had tied him up to be scourged, Paul said to the Captain standing near: “Is it legal for you to scourge a Roman citizen, unconvicted?”

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."

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

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

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

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

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.

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 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.

On the next day the Commanding Officer, wishing to find out the real reason why Paul was denounced by the Jews, 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.