Acts 22 — AAB

Paul’s Defense to the Crowd

22Verse 1“Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense before you.”^{Verse 2}When they heard him speak to them in Hebrew,⁺they became even more silent.
Then Paul declared,^{Verse 3}“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but raised in this city. I was educated at the feet of Gamaliel in strict conformity to the law of our fathers. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.^{Verse 4}I persecuted this Way even to the death, detaining both men and women and throwing them into prison,^{Verse 5}as the high priest and the whole Council can testify about me. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way to apprehend these people and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.^{Verse 6}About noon as I was approaching Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.^{Verse 7}I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?’^{Verse 8}‘Who are You, Lord?’ I asked.
‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ He replied.^{Verse 9}My companions saw the light, but they could not understand the voice of the One speaking to me.^{Verse 10}Then I asked, ‘What should I do, Lord?’
‘Get up and go into Damascus,’ He told me. ‘There you will be told all that you have been appointed to do.’^{Verse 11}Because the brilliance of the light had blinded me, my companions led me by the hand into Damascus.^{Verse 12}There a man named Ananias, a devout observer of the law who was highly regarded by all the Jews living there,^{Verse 13}came and stood beside me. ‘Brother Saul,’ he said, ‘receive your sight.’ And at that moment I could see him.^{Verse 14}Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear His voice.^{Verse 15}You will be His witness to everyone of what you have seen and heard.^{Verse 16}And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away, calling on His name.’^{Verse 17}Later, when I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance^{Verse 18}and saw the Lord⁺saying to me, ‘Hurry! Leave Jerusalem quickly, because the people here will not accept your testimony about Me.’^{Verse 19}‘Lord,’ I answered, ‘they know very well that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in You.^{Verse 20}And when the blood of Your witness⁺Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’^{Verse 21}Then He said to me, ‘Go! I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

Paul the Roman Citizen

^{Verse 22}The crowd listened to Paul until he made this statement. Then they lifted up their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He is not fit to live!”^{Verse 23}As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and tossing dust into the air,^{Verse 24}the commander ordered that Paul be brought into the barracks. He directed that Paul be flogged and interrogated to determine the reason for this outcry against him.^{Verse 25}But as they stretched him out to strap him down, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it lawful for you to flog a Roman citizen without a trial?”^{Verse 26}On hearing this, the centurion went and reported it to the commander. “What are you going to do?” he said. “This man is a Roman citizen.”^{Verse 27}The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”
“Yes,” he answered.^{Verse 28}“I paid a high price for my citizenship,” said the commander.
“But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied.^{Verse 29}At once those who were about to interrogate Paul stepped back, and the commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put a Roman citizen in chains.^{Verse 30}The next day the commander, wanting to learn the real reason Paul was accused by the Jews, released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin⁺to assemble. Then he brought Paul down and had him stand before them.