Act 22 | ABEn | STEP | Men, brethren, and fathers, hear my [ 2 to 3 you 4 now 1 defense]!

Acts 22

CHAPTER 22 Paul's Defense

1 Men, brethren, and fathers, hear my [²to ³you ⁴now ¹defense]! 2 And hearing that in the Hebrew dialect he called out to them, the more they made rest. 3 And he says, I indeed am a man, a Jew, being born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but being reared in this city by the feet of Gamaliel, being instructed according to the exactness of the paternal law, [²zealous ¹being] of God, as all you are today; 4 one who [²this ³way ¹persecuted] unto death, binding and delivering up unto prisons both men and women; 5 as also the chief priest bears witness to me, and all the council of elders; by whom also letters having received, [²to ³the ⁴brethren ⁵in ⁶Damascus ¹I went], for leading also the ones at that place being bound unto Jerusalem, that they should be punished. 6 And it happened to me going and approaching to Damascus around midday, suddenly from out of the heaven flashed about a light, a fit amount around me. 7 And I fell onto the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? 8 And I answered, Who are you, O Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you persecute. 9 And the ones [²with ³me ¹being] indeed [²a light ¹saw], and [²thrown into fear ¹became]; [⁴the ¹but ⁵voice ²they did not ³hear] of the one speaking to me. 10 And I said, What shall I do, O Lord? And the Lord said to me, Having risen up, go unto Damascus! and there it shall be told to you concerning all the things which is arranged for you to do. 11 And as I did not look at anything because of the glory of that light, being led by the hand by the ones being with me, I came unto Damascus. 12 [³Ananias ¹And ²a certain], [²man ¹a pious] according to the law, borne witness to by all the [²dwelling ³in ⁴Damascus ¹Jews], 13 having come to me, and having stood by, said to me, O brother Saul, look up! And I the same hour looked up on him. 14 And he said, The God of our fathers handpicked you to know his will, and to behold the just one, and to hear the voice from out of his mouth; 15 for you will be a witness to him to all men of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now, why be about to? Having arisen, be immersed and wash off your sins, calling upon the name of the Lord. 17 And it happened to me in returning unto Jerusalem, and my praying in the temple, there took place in me a change of state, 18 and beholding him saying to me, Hasten and go forth quickly from Jerusalem! because they will not welcome your testimony concerning me. 19 And I said, O Lord, they know that I was casting into prison and flaying against the synagogues of the ones believing upon you. 20 And when [⁵was poured out ¹the ²blood ³of Stephen ⁴your witness], also I myself was standing by, and assenting with his removal, guarding the garments of the ones doing away with him. 21 And he said to me, Go! for I [³unto ⁴nations ⁵far off ¹shall send ²you]! 22 And they heard him until this word, and they lifted up their voice, saying, Take [²from ³the ⁴earth ¹such a one]! for it is not fit for him to live. 23 [³crying out ¹And ²of their], and tossing their garments, and [²dust ¹throwing] into the air, 24 [³bid ⁴him ¹the ²commander] to be led unto the camp, having said, [³with whips ¹Investigate ²him], that we should know for what reason thus they sounded out against him. 25 And as they stretched him forward with the straps, [²said ³to ⁴the ⁶standing ⁵centurion ¹Paul], Is it [⁴a Roman man ⁵and ⁶uncondemned ¹allowed ²for you ³to crack the whip on]? 26 And hearing, the centurion came forward to report to the commander, saying, Look to what you are about to do! for this man is a Roman. 27 And having come forward, the commander said to him, Tell me if you are a Roman? And he said, Yes. 28 [⁴responded ¹And ²the ³commander], I by a great sum [²this citizenship ¹acquired]. And Paul said, But I even was born to it. 29 Then immediately [⁴abstained ⁵from ⁶him ¹the ones ²being about ³to investigate him]. And the commander also feared, realizing that he is a Roman, and that he was tied up by him. 30 And the next day, wanting to know safely why he is charged by the Jews, he loosed him from the bonds, and bid [³to come ¹the ²chief priests] and all their sanhedrin; and leading down Paul, he stood him among them.