Acts 22
|
1 |
Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my
defense which I make now unto you.
|
2 |
(And when they heard that he spake in
the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he
saith,)
|
3 |
I am verily a man which am a
Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cili'cia, yet brought up in
this city at the feet of Gama'li-el, Acts 5.34-39 and taught according to the perfect manner of the law
of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this
day.
|
4 |
And I persecuted this way unto the death,
binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.
|
5 |
As also the high priest doth bear me
witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received
letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which
were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished. Acts 8.3 ; 26.9-11
|
Paul Tells of His
Conversion |
Acts 9.1-19 · 6.12-18 |
6 |
And it came to pass, that, as I made my
journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there
shone from heaven a great light round about me.
|
7 |
And I fell unto the ground, and heard a
voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
|
8 |
And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And
he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou
persecutest.
|
9 |
And they that were with me saw indeed the
light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that
spake to me.
|
10 |
And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And
the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it
shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to
do.
|
11 |
And when I could not see for the glory of
that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came
into Damascus.
|
12 |
And one Anani'as, a devout man
according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which
dwelt there,
|
13 |
came unto me, and stood, and said unto
me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up
upon him.
|
14 |
And he said, The God of our fathers hath
chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just
One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
|
15 |
For thou shalt be his witness unto all
men of what thou hast seen and heard.
|
16 |
And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be
baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the
Lord.
|
Paul's Call to the
Gentiles |
17 |
And it came to pass, that, when I was
come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in
a trance;
|
18 |
and saw him saying unto me, Make haste,
and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy
testimony concerning me.
|
19 |
And I said, Lord, they know that I
imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on
thee:
|
20 |
and when the blood of thy martyr Stephen
was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and
kept the raiment of them that slew him. Acts 7.58
|
21 |
And he said unto me, Depart: for I will
send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.
|
Paul in the Custody of
the Chief Captain |
22 |
And they gave him audience unto this
word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with
such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he
should live.
|
23 |
And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air,
|
24 |
the chief captain commanded him to be
brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by
scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against
him.
|
25 |
And as they bound him with thongs, Paul
said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to
scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?
|
26 |
When the centurion heard that, he
went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest;
for this man is a Roman.
|
27 |
Then the chief captain came, and said
unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.
|
28 |
And the chief captain answered, With a
great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free-born.
|
29 |
Then straightway they departed from him
which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was
afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound
him.
|
Paul before the
Council |
30 |
On the morrow, because he would have
known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed
him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all
their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before
them.
|