Acts 22

1 “Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense which I now make to you.”

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

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

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

3 “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict tradition of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you all are 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 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women,

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

5 as also the high priest and all the council of the elders testify, from whom also I received letters to the brothers, and traveled to Damascus to bring them also who were there to Jerusalem in bonds to be punished.

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 “As I made my journey and came close to Damascus, about noon suddenly a great light shone around me from the sky.

"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 I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute.’

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

9 “Those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they didn’t understand the voice of him who spoke to me.

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

10 I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Arise, and go into Damascus. There you will be told about all things which are appointed for you 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 When I couldn’t see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into 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 “One Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well reported of by all the Jews who lived in Damascus,

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

13 came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ In that very hour I 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 He said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from his mouth.

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 men of what you have seen and heard.

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

16 Now why do you wait? Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’

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

17 “When I had returned to Jerusalem and while I prayed 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 him saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not receive testimony concerning me from you.’

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

19 I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat in every 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 When the blood of Stephen, your witness, was shed, I also was standing by, consenting to his death, and guarding the cloaks of those who killed 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 “He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you out far from here to the Gentiles.’”

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

22 They listened to him until he said that; then they lifted up their voice and said, “Rid the earth of this fellow, for he isn’t fit 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 cried out, threw off their cloaks, and threw dust into the air,

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

24 the commanding officer commanded him to be brought into the barracks, ordering him to be examined by scourging, that he might know for what crime they shouted against him like that.

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 When they had tied him up with thongs, Paul asked the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and not found guilty?”

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 When the centurion heard it, he went to the commanding officer and told him, “Watch what you are about to do, for this man is a Roman!”

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 The commanding officer came and asked him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” He said, “Yes.”

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

28 The commanding officer answered, “I bought my citizenship for a great price.” Paul said, “But I was born a Roman.”

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

29 Immediately those who were about to examine him departed from him, and the commanding officer also was afraid when he realized that he was a Roman, because he had bound him.

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 But on the next day, desiring to know the truth about why he was accused by the Jews, he freed him from the bonds and commanded the chief priests and all the council to come together, and brought Paul down and set 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.