Acts 22
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1"Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense."1"Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense before you."
2When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Then Paul said:2When they heard that he was addressing them in Aramaic, they became even quieter.
3"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.3He continued, "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the law of our ancestors. I was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.
4I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,4I persecuted this Way to the death, arresting and putting both men and women in jail,
5as the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.5as both the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. After I received letters from them to the brothers, I traveled to Damascus to arrest those who were there and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.
6"About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.6"As I was traveling and approaching Damascus, about noon an intense light from heaven suddenly flashed around me.
7I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, 'Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?'7I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'
8"'Who are you, Lord?' I asked. "'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,' he replied.8"I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' "He said to me, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, the one you are persecuting.'
9My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.9Now those who were with me saw the light, but they did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.
10"'What shall I do, Lord?' I asked. " 'Get up,' the Lord said, 'and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.'10"I said, 'What should I do, Lord?' "The Lord told me, 'Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything that you have been assigned to do.'
11My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.11"Since I couldn't see because of the brightness of the light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and went into Damascus.
12"A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.12Someone named Ananias, a devout man according to the law, who had a good reputation with all the Jews living there,
13He stood beside me and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very moment I was able to see him.13came and stood by me and said, 'Brother Saul, regain your sight.' And in that very hour I looked up and saw him.
14"Then he said: 'The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth.14And he said, 'The God of our ancestors has appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the words from his mouth,
15You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard.15since you will be a witness for him to all people of what you have seen and heard.
16And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.'16And now, why are you delaying? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.'
17"When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance17"After I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance
18and saw the Lord speaking to me. 'Quick!' he said. 'Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me.'18and saw him telling me, 'Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.'
19"'Lord,' I replied, 'these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you.19"But I said, 'Lord, they know that in synagogue after synagogue I had those who believed in you imprisoned and beaten.
20And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.'20And when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I stood there giving approval and guarding the clothes of those who killed him.'
21"Then the Lord said to me, 'Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'"21"He said to me, 'Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.' "
22The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, "Rid the earth of him! He's not fit to live!"22They listened to him up to this point. Then they raised their voices, shouting, "Wipe this man off the face of the earth! He should not be allowed to live!"
23As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air,23As they were yelling and flinging aside their garments and throwing dust into the air,
24the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this.24the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, directing that he be interrogated with the scourge to discover the reason they were shouting against him like this.
25As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, "Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn't even been found guilty?"25As they stretched him out for the lash, Paul said to the centurion standing by, "Is it legal for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen and is uncondemned?"
26When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. "What are you going to do?" he asked. "This man is a Roman citizen."26When the centurion heard this, he went and reported to the commander, saying, "What are you going to do? For this man is a Roman citizen."
27The commander went to Paul and asked, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes, I am," he answered.27The commander came and said to him, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes," he said.
28Then the commander said, "I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship." "But I was born a citizen," Paul replied.28The commander replied, "I bought this citizenship for a large amount of money." "But I was born a citizen," Paul said.
29Those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.29So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately. The commander too was alarmed when he realized Paul was a Roman citizen and he had bound him.
30The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews. So the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.30The next day, since he wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and instructed the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to convene. He brought Paul down and placed him before them.
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The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.
Acts 21
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