Acts 22 — NETB

22Verse 1“Brothers and fathers, listen to my defense that I now make to you.”^{Verse 2}(When they heard that he was addressing them in Aramaic, they became even quieter.) Then Paul said,^{Verse 3}“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated with strictness under Gamaliel according to the law of our ancestors, and was zealous for God just as all of you are today.^{Verse 4}I persecuted this Way even to the point of death, tying up both men and women and putting them in prison,^{Verse 5}as both the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. From them I also received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way to make arrests there and bring the prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.^{Verse 6}As I was en route and near Damascus, about noon a very bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around me.^{Verse 7}Then I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’^{Verse 8}I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’^{Verse 9}Those who were with me saw the light, but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me.^{Verse 10}So I asked, ‘What should I do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go to Damascus; there you will be told about everything that you have been designated to do.’^{Verse 11}Since I could not see because of the brilliance of that light, I came to Damascus led by the hand of those who were with me.^{Verse 12}A man named Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who live there,^{Verse 13}came to me and stood beside me and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ And at that very moment I looked up and saw him.^{Verse 14}Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has already chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear a command from his mouth,^{Verse 15}because you will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard.^{Verse 16}And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on his name.’^{Verse 17}When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance^{Verse 18}and saw the Lord saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’^{Verse 19}I replied, ‘Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat those in the various synagogues who believed in you.^{Verse 20}And when the blood of your witness Stephen was shed, I myself was standing nearby, approving, and guarding the cloaks of those who were killing him.’^{Verse 21}Then he said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

The Roman Commander Questions Paul

^{Verse 22}The crowd was listening to him until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Away with this man from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live!”^{Verse 23}While they were screaming and throwing off their cloaks and tossing dust in the air,^{Verse 24}the commanding officer ordered Paul to be brought back into the barracks. He told them to interrogate Paul by beating him with a lash so that he could find out the reason the crowd was shouting at Paul in this way.^{Verse 25}When they had stretched him out for the lash, Paul said to the centurion standing nearby, “Is it legal for you to lash a man who is a Roman citizen without a proper trial?”^{Verse 26}When the centurion heard this, he went to the commanding officer and reported it, saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.”^{Verse 27}So the commanding officer came and asked Paul, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” He replied, “Yes.”^{Verse 28}The commanding officer answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” “But I was even born a citizen,” Paul replied.^{Verse 29}Then those who were about to interrogate him stayed away from him, and the commanding officer was frightened when he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had had him tied up.

Paul Before the Sanhedrin

^{Verse 30}The next day, because the commanding officer wanted to know the true reason Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole council to assemble. He then brought Paul down and had him stand before them.