Acts 22

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

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

2 When the crowd heard Paul speak to them in the Hebrew language, they became quiet. 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 in Tarsus of Cilicia, but educated in this city at the feet of Gamaliel. I was instructed according to the strict ways of the law of our fathers. I am zealous for God, just as all of you are today.

“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 this Way to the death, binding up and delivering them to prison both men and women,

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 and all the elders can bear witness. I received letters from them for the brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring them back in bonds to Jerusalem in order for them 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 It happened that when I was traveling and nearing Damascus, about noon suddenly a great light from heaven began to shine around 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 I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' He said to me, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, 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 saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who spoke to me.

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

10 I said, 'What should I do, Lord?' The Lord said to me, 'Arise and go into Damascus; there you will be told everything that you must 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 I could not see because of that light's brightness, and being led by the hands of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.

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

12 There I met a man named Ananias, a devout man according to the law and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there.

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

13 He came to me, stood by me, and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight.' In that very hour I saw 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, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the voice coming from his own 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 about 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 Now why are you waiting? Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.'

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

17 After I had returned to Jerusalem, and while I was praying in the temple, it happened that I was given a vision.

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

18 I saw him say to me, 'Hurry 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 I said, 'Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you in every synagogue.

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

20 When the blood of Stephen your witness was spilled, I also was standing by and agreeing, and I was guarding the cloaks of those who killed 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 But he said to me, 'Go, 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 They listened to him until he said this. Then they shouted and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for it is not right that he should 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, throwing off their cloaks, and throwing dust into the air,

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

24 the chief captain commanded Paul to be brought into the fortress. He ordered that he should be questioned with scourging, so that he himself might know why they were 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, that he might find out the reason for their outcry against him.

25 When they had tied him up with the thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman and who has not been put on trial?”

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 When the centurion heard this, he went to the chief captain and told him, saying, “What are you about to do? For 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 The chief captain came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” Paul said, “Yes.”

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

28 The chief captain answered, “It was only with a large amount of money that I acquired citizenship.” But Paul said, “I was born a Roman citizen.”

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

29 Then the men who were going to question him left him immediately. The chief captain also was afraid, when he learned that Paul was a Roman citizen, because he had tied him up.

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 On the next day, the chief captain wanted to know the truth about the Jews' accusations against Paul. So he untied his bonds and ordered the chief priests and all the council to meet. Then he brought Paul down and placed him in their midst.

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.