Acts 22
22
Paul’s Defense
1“Ladies and gentlemen, fellow believers and elders # 22:1 Or “fathers” (or “parents”). —please listen to me as I offer my defense.” # 22:1 The Aramaic is literally “Listen to my soul’s outburst.” 2(Now, when everyone realized he was speaking to them in their Judean Aramaic language, # 22:2 Or “Hebrew.” Throughout the Middle East, Assyria, and Babylon, Aramaic was the lingua franca, the language of the people of that day. Greek and Latin were also spoken but were not as prevalent as Aramaic. the crowd became all the more attentive.)
3Then Paul said, “I am a Jewish man who was born in Tarsus, a city of Turkey. # 22:3 Or “Cilicia,” which was known as Asia Minor. However, I grew up in this city and was properly trained in the Mosaic law and tutored by Rabbi Gamaliel according to our ancestral customs. I’ve been extremely passionate in my desire to please God, just as all of you are today. 4I’ve hunted down and killed the followers of this Way. I have seized them and thrown them into prison, both men and women. 5All of this can be verified by the high priest and the Supreme Council of Elders. For they even wrote letters to our fellow Jews of Damascus, authorizing me to arrest them and bring them back to Jerusalem as prisoners to be punished.
6“As I was on the road approaching Damascus, about noon, a brilliant heavenly light suddenly appeared, flashing all around me. 7As I fell to the ground I heard a voice say, ‘Saul, Saul . . . why are you persecuting me?’
8“I answered, ‘Who are you, my Lord?’
“He said to me, ‘I am Jesus, the Victorious. # 22:8 Or “Jesus the Nazarene.” The word Nazarene means “the branch” or “Scion.” The Aramaic word implies the title of an heir of a powerful family, or one who is victorious (“Jesus, the Victorious”). Believers are now grafted-in branches of his family tree, victorious ones in Christ. I am the one you are persecuting.’
9“Those who were with me saw the brilliant light, but they didn’t hear the voice of the one who spoke to me. # 22:9 Some Greek manuscripts add “and they were afraid.”
10“So I asked, ‘Lord, what am I to do?’
“And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told about all that you are destined to do.’
11“Because of the dazzling glory of the light, I couldn’t see—I was left blind. So they had to lead me by the hand the rest of the way into Damascus.
12“A Jewish man living there named Ananias came to see me. He was a godly man who lived according to the law of Moses and was highly esteemed by the Jewish community. 13He stood beside me and said, ‘Saul! My brother, Saul—open your eyes and see again!’ At that very instant I opened my eyes and I could see! 14Then he said to me, ‘The God of our ancestors has destined you # 22:14 The Aramaic is “raised you up.” to know his plan and for you to see the Holy One # 22:14 Or “the Righteous One” or “the Just One.” and to hear his voice. 15For you will be his witness # 22:15 Or “martyr.” to every race of people and will share with them everything that you’ve seen and heard. 16So now, what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and wash away your sins as you call upon his name.’
17“Then I returned to Jerusalem. And while I was praying in the temple, I entered another realm # 22:17 Or “fell into a trance.” The Greek word for trance (ekstasis, from which we get the word ecstasy) literally means “to be taken to another place” (state or realm). (See Strong’s Concordance, Gr. 1611.) He was actually taken into another realm as a trance came over him. 18and saw him. He said to me, ‘Hurry and depart from Jerusalem quickly, for the people here will not receive the truths you share about me.’
19“ ‘But Lord,’ I argued, ‘they all know that I’m the one who went into our Jewish meetings to find those who believe in you and had them beaten # 22:19 Or “beat with a whip” (flogged). and imprisoned. 20When the blood of your witness # 22:20 Or “martyr.” Stephen was shed, I stood nearby in full approval of what was happening. I even guarded the cloaks of those who stoned him to death.’
21“Then he said to me, ‘Go at once, for I am sending you to preach to the non-Jewish nations.’ ” # 22:21 The Aramaic is “the far-away nations.” See also Rom. 11:13.
22The crowd listened attentively to Paul up to this point. But when they heard this, all at once they erupted with loud shouts, saying, “Get rid of this man! Kill him! He doesn’t deserve to live!”
The Roman Commander Interrogates Paul
23While the crowd was screaming and yelling, removing their outer garments, and throwing handfuls of dust in the air in protest, 24the commander had Paul brought back into the compound. He ordered that he be whipped with a lash and interrogated to find out what he said that so infuriated the crowd.
25When the soldiers stretched Paul out with ropes, he said to the captain, who was standing nearby, “Is it legal for you to torture a Roman citizen like this, without a proper trial?”
26When the officer heard this, he immediately went to his commander and reported it, saying, “This man is a Roman citizen. What should we do now?”
27The commander came to Paul and asked him, “Tell me the truth, are you a Roman citizen?”
“Yes I am,” he replied.
28The commander said, “I had to purchase my citizenship with a great sum of money.”
Paul replied, “I was born as a citizen!”
29All of the soldiers who were about to whip Paul backed away, because they were afraid of the consequences for tying up and holding a Roman citizen against his will.
30The next day the commander ordered that the high priest and the supreme Jewish council # 22:30 Or “Sanhedrin,” a council of seventy of the elders of Israel. be convened, because he wanted to find out exactly why the Jews were accusing Paul. So he had him untied and brought out to stand before them all.
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Acts 22: TPT
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Learn More About The Passion TranslationActs 22
22
1“Brothers and fathers,” Paul began, “listen to me now. I want to give you reasons for my actions.”
2When they heard that he was speaking to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet.
Then Paul said, 3“I am a Jew. I was born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but I grew up here in Jerusalem. I studied with Gamaliel. I was well trained by him in the law given to our people long ago. I wanted to serve God as much as any of you do today. 4I hurt the followers of the Way of Jesus. I sent many of them to their death. I arrested men and women. I threw them into prison. 5The high priest and the whole Council can be witnesses of this themselves. I even had some official letters they had written to their friends in Damascus. So I went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.
6“I had almost reached Damascus. About noon a bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around me. 7I fell to the ground and heard a voice speak to me. ‘Saul! Saul!’ it said. ‘Why are you opposing me?’
8“ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.
“ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth,’ he replied. ‘I am the one you are opposing.’ 9The light was seen by my companions. But they didn’t understand the voice of the one speaking to me.
10“ ‘What should I do, Lord?’ I asked.
“ ‘Get up,’ the Lord said. ‘Go into Damascus. There you will be told everything you have been given to do.’ 11The brightness of the light had blinded me. So my companions led me by the hand into Damascus.
12“A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a godly Jew who obeyed the law. All the Jews living there respected him very much. 13He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ At that very moment I was able to see him.
14“Then he said, ‘The God of our people has chosen you. He wanted to tell you his plans for you. You have seen the Blameless One. You have heard words from his mouth. 15Now you will tell everyone about what you have seen and heard. 16So what are you waiting for? Get up and call on his name. Be baptized. Have your sins washed away.’
17“I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple. Then it seemed to me that I was dreaming. 18I saw the Lord speaking to me. ‘Quick!’ he said. ‘Leave Jerusalem at once. The people here will not accept what you tell them about me.’
19“ ‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these people know what I used to do. I went from one synagogue to another and put believers in prison. I also beat them. 20Stephen was a man who told other people about you. I stood there when he was killed. I had agreed that he should die. I even guarded the coats of those who were killing him.’
21“Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go. I will send you far away to people who are not Jews.’ ”
Paul the Roman Citizen
22The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they shouted, “Kill him! He isn’t fit to live!”
23They shouted and threw off their coats. They threw dust into the air. 24So the commanding officer ordered that Paul be taken into the fort. He gave orders for Paul to be whipped and questioned. He wanted to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. 25A commander was standing there as they stretched Paul out to be whipped. Paul said to him, “Does the law allow you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?”
26When the commander heard this, he went to the commanding officer and reported it. “What are you going to do?” the commander asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.”
27So the commanding officer went to Paul. “Tell me,” he asked. “Are you a Roman citizen?”
“Yes, I am,” Paul answered.
28Then the officer said, “I had to pay a lot of money to become a citizen.”
“But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied.
29Right away those who were about to question him left. Even the officer was alarmed. He realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.
Paul Is Taken to the Sanhedrin
30The commanding officer wanted to find out exactly what the Jews had against Paul. So the next day he let Paul out of prison. He ordered a meeting of the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin. Then he brought Paul and had him stand in front of them.
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