Acts 22

ABU^{(i) 1} BRETHREN, and fathers, hear my defense, which I now make to you. ² And hearing that he spoke to them in the Hebrew tongue, they kept the more silence. ³ And he says: I am a Jew, born indeed in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, taught at the feet of Gamaliel, according to the strictness of the law of the fathers, being zealous for God, as ye all are this day. ⁴ And I persecuted this Way unto death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. ⁵ As also the high priest bears me witness, and all the eldership; from whom, moreover, I received letters to the brethren, and was journeying to Damascus, to bring also those who were there bound to Jerusalem, that they might be punished. ⁶ And it came to pass, that as I journeyed, and came near to Damascus, about midday, there suddenly flashed around me a great light out of heaven. ⁷ And I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? ⁸ And I answered: Who art thou, Lord? And he said to me: I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom thou persecutest. ⁹ And they who were with me beheld indeed the light, and were afraid; but the voice of him who spoke to me they heard not. ¹⁰ And I said: What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me: Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee concerning all things which it is appointed thee to do. ¹¹ And as I could not see, for the glory of that light, being led by the hand by those who were with me, I came into Damascus. ¹² And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report from all the Jews who dwelt there, ¹³ came to me, and standing by me said to me: Brother Saul, receive sight. And I, in that very hour, looked up upon him. ¹⁴ And he said: The God of our fathers appointed thee to know his will, and to see the Just One, and to hear a voice out of his mouth. ¹⁵ For thou shalt be a witness for him to all men, of what thou hast seen, and didst hear. ¹⁶ And now why tarriest thou? Arise, be immersed and wash away thy sins, calling on his name. ¹⁷ And it came to pass, when I had returned to Jerusalem, and as I was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance, ¹⁸ and saw him saying to me: Make haste, and go forth quickly out of Jerusalem; for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me. ¹⁹ And I said: Lord, they well know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue those who believe on thee; ²⁰ and when the blood of thy witness Stephen was shed, then I myself was standing by, and consenting, and keeping the garments of those who slew him. ²¹ And he said to me: Depart; for I will send thee far hence to the Gentiles. ²² And they heard him unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said: Away with such a one from the earth; for it was not fit that he should live. ²³ And as they were crying out, and throwing up their garments, and casting 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 for what charge they were thus crying out against him. ²⁵ And as they stretched him forth with the thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by: Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned? ²⁶ The centurion, hearing it, he went and told the chief captain, saying: What art thou about to do? For this man is a Roman. ²⁷ And the chief captain came, and said to him: Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said: Yes. ²⁸ And the chief captain answered: For a great sum I obtained this freedom. And Paul said: But I was born free. ²⁹ Immediately, therefore, they departed from him who were about to examine him; and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him. ³⁰ On the morrow, wishing to know the certainty, wherefore he was accused by the Jews, he released him, and commanded the chief priests and all the council to come together; and he brought Paul down, and set him before them.