ACTS 22
- Men, brothers and fathers, hear my defense which I now make to you.
- And when they heard that he addressed them in the Hebrew dialect, they became more quiet. And he said,
- I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city and trained at the feet of Gamaliel, according to the strictness of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you all are today.
- And I persecuted this Way unto death, binding and delivering to prisons both men and women,
- As also the high priest and all the assembly of the elders testify for me; from whom I also received letters to the brothers and went to Damascus to bring those also who were there bound to Jerusalem that they might be punished.
- And as I journeyed and drew near to Damascus about midday, suddenly a great light flashed out of heaven around me;
- And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?
- And I answered, Who are You, Lord? And He said to me, I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you persecute.
- And those who were with me beheld the light, but did not hear the voice of the One who was speaking to me.
- And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me, Rise up and go into Damascus, and there it will be told to you concerning all the things which have been appointed to you to do.
- And as I could not see because of the glory of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and came into Damascus.
- And a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well attested to by all the Jews dwelling there,
- Came to me, and standing by, said to me, Brother Saul, receive your sight! And in that very hour I looked up at him.
- And he said, The God of our fathers has previously appointed you to know His will and to see the righteous One and to hear the voice from His mouth;
- For you will be a witness to Him unto all men of the things which you have seen and heard.
- And now, why do you delay? Rise up and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on His name.
- And when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I went into a trance;
- And I saw Him saying to me, Hurry, and go quickly out of Jerusalem, because they will not accept your testimony concerning Me.
- And I said, Lord, they know that I was imprisoning and beating from synagogue to synagogue those who believe on You;
- And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I myself also was standing by and approving and keeping the garments of those who did away with him.
- And He said to me, Go, for I will send you forth far away to the Gentiles.
- And they listened to him up to this word, and then they lifted up their voice, saying, Away from the earth with such a man, for it is not fitting for him to live!
- And as they were crying out and casting off their garments and throwing dust in the air,
- The commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, saying that he should be examined by scourging in order that he might ascertain for what cause they were shouting against him so.
- But as they stretched him out with the thongs, Paul said to the centurion standing by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?
- And when the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported, saying, What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.
- And the commander came and said to him, Tell me, are you a Roman? And he said, Yes.
- And the commander answered, With a large sum of money I acquired this citizenship. And Paul said, But I was even born a Roman.
- Immediately therefore those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander also was afraid, realizing that he was a Roman and that he had bound him.
- And on the next day he, intending to find out for certain why he was accused by the Jews, released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to come together; and having brought Paul down, he had him stand before them.
