Acts 22

¹Brethren and fathers, hear my defence, which I now make to you.

²And on hearing him speak to them in the Hebrew tongue, they kept the more silence. And he saith:

³I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, hut brought up in this city, taught at the feet of Gamaliel in the strictness of the Law of our fathers, being zealous for God, as ye all are this day.

⁴And I persecuted this way [of belief] even to death, binding and putting into prisons both men and women,

⁵as also the high-priest beareth me witness, and all the elderhood; from whom I received letters to the brethren, and was on my way to Damascus to bring those also that were there, bound, to Jerusalem, that they might be punished.

⁶But it came to pass, as I was on my way, and approaching Damascus, that about noon there suddenly shone around me a great light from heaven;

⁷and I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why dost thou persecute me?

⁸And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom thou persecutest.

⁹And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but the voice of him that spoke to me they did not hear.

¹⁰And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there thou wilt be told of all which it hath been appointed thee to do.

¹¹And as I could not see by reason of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand of those that were with me, and came into Damascus.

¹²But one Ananias, a devout man according to the Law, well spoken of by all the Jews who dwelt there,

¹³came to me, and standing over me said, Brother Saul, receive sight. And I immediately looked up upon him.

¹⁴And he said, The God of our fathers chose thee to know his will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from his mouth;

¹⁵for thou shalt be a witness for him to all men of what thou hast seen and heard.

¹⁶And now why dost thou delay? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on his name.

¹⁷And it came to pass after my return to Jerusalem, while I was praying in the temple, that I fell into a trance,

¹⁸and saw him saying to me, Make haste, and go quickly out of Jerusalem; for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.

¹⁹And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned, and beat in every synagogue, those that believed in thee;

²⁰and when the blood of Stephen, thy witness, was shed, I myself was standing by and consenting, and keeping the garments of those who slew him.

²¹And he said to me, Depart; for I will send thee far hence to the gentiles.

²²And they listened to him as far as this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth! for it was not fit that he should live.

²³And as they were crying out, and shaking their garments, and throwing dust into the air,

²⁴the chief captain ordered him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might ascertain for what cause they were thus crying out against him.

²⁵But when they had stretched him out with the cords, Paul said to the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?

²⁶When the centurion heard this, he went and told the chief captain, saying, What art thou about to do? For this man is a Roman.

²⁷Then the chief captain came and said to him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yes.

²⁸The chief captain answered, For a great sum I obtained this citizenship. And Paul said, But I was born a Roman.

²⁹They therefore who were about to examine him left him immediately. And the chief captain also was alarmed when he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.

³⁰On the morrow, wishing to have certain knowledge why he was accused by the Jews, he released him, and ordered the chief priests and all the council to assemble; and bringing Paul down, he set him before them.

Acts 22

¹Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.

²(And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)

³I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.

⁴And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.

⁵As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.

⁶And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.

⁷And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

⁸And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

⁹And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.

¹⁰And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.

¹¹And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.

¹²And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,

¹³Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.

¹⁴And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.

¹⁵For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.

¹⁶And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

¹⁷And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;

¹⁸And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.

¹⁹And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:

²⁰And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.

²¹And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.

²²And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live.

²³And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air,

²⁴The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him.

²⁵And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?

²⁶When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.

²⁷Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.

²⁸And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.

²⁹Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.

³⁰On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.