ACT 22

1 "Brothers and fathers, please listen to the defence I now present to you."

2 When the crowd heard Paul addressing them in their native Hebrew tongue, they became even more silent. He continued:

3 "I am a Jew by birth, originally from Tarsus in Cilicia, but I grew up here in this city. Under the tutelage of Gamaliel, I received thorough training in our ancestral Law, and I was passionately devoted to God, just as each of you is today.

4 I hunted down the followers of this Way with such intensity that I pursued them to their deaths, chaining and imprisoning both men and women alike.

5 The high priest and the entire council of elders can verify this, for they gave me official letters addressed to our fellow Jews in Damascus. I was travelling there to arrest believers and bring them back to Jerusalem in chains to face punishment.

6 As I was travelling and approaching Damascus around noon, an extraordinarily brilliant light from heaven suddenly blazed around me.

7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice asking me, 'Saul, Saul, why do you keep persecuting Me?'

8 I asked, 'Who are You, Lord?' The voice answered, 'I am Jesus the Nazarene, the One you are persecuting.'

9 My travelling companions saw the intense light, but they could not understand the words spoken by the voice addressing me.

10 I asked, 'Lord, what do You want me to do?' The Lord instructed me, 'Stand up and continue into Damascus, where you will receive complete instructions about everything assigned to you.'

11 Because the radiance of that light had blinded me, my companions had to guide me by hand into Damascus.

12 A man named Ananias, who lived according to the Law and was highly regarded by all the Jewish residents there,

13 came to visit me. Standing beside me, he said, 'Brother Saul, receive back your sight!' Instantly, I could see again and looked at him.

14 Then he told me, 'The God of our ancestors has designated you to understand His will, to witness the Righteous One, and to hear His voice directly.

15 You will serve as His witness to all humanity, testifying about everything you have witnessed and heard.

16 Why are you hesitating now? Stand up, be baptised, and let your sins be cleansed as you call on His name.'

17 When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple courts, I experienced a visionary trance

18 and saw the Lord telling me, 'Leave Jerusalem quickly, because the people here will reject your witness concerning Me.'

19 I protested, 'Lord, these very people know that I went throughout the synagogues imprisoning and beating those who trusted in You.

20 When Your witness Stephen was being murdered, I was standing right there, approving of his execution and watching over the coats of those who stoned him.'

21 But He told me, 'Depart now, because I am commissioning you to go far away to the Gentile nations.'"

Paul and the Military Tribune

22 The crowd had been listening to everything Paul said up to this point. When he spoke this last statement, they erupted in shouts, screaming, "Eliminate this man from the earth! He has no right to remain alive!"

23 As they were shouting, violently throwing off their outer garments and hurling dust into the air,

24 the Roman commander ordered Paul to be taken into the military barracks. He instructed his men to interrogate Paul under the lash to discover why the crowd was demonstrating such hostility towards him.

25 As the soldiers were binding Paul with leather straps in preparation for the flogging, Paul asked the centurion supervising the procedure, "Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who has not been tried and convicted?"

26 When the centurion heard this, he immediately went to the commander and reported, "What are you planning to do? This prisoner is a Roman citizen."

27 The commander approached Paul and questioned him, "Tell me truthfully, are you actually a Roman citizen?" Paul confirmed, "Yes, I am."

28 The commander responded, "I paid an enormous sum of money to obtain my citizenship." Paul replied, "But I was born with citizenship."

29 The soldiers who had been preparing to torture Paul immediately backed away. The commander himself became alarmed when he realised he had already placed a Roman citizen in chains.

Paul's Apologia Before the Sanhedrin

30 The following day, determined to discover the exact nature of the accusations the Jews were making against Paul, the commander released him from his chains and ordered the chief priests and the entire Jewish council to convene. He then brought Paul before them.

Currently Selected:

ACT 22: AFINT

Highlight

Copy

Compare