﻿Acts.
Chapter 22.
“Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense before you.” 
When they heard him addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even quieter. Then he said, 
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict requirements of the law of our fathers. I was zealous for God, as all of you are today. 
I persecuted this Way to the death, binding both men and women and handing them over to prison, 
as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. I received letters from them to the brothers and was traveling to Damascus, intending to bring those there too to Jerusalem in bonds to be punished. 
As I was traveling and approaching Damascus about noon, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. 
I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 
I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ 
Those who were with me saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of the one speaking to me. 
I said, ‘What should I do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go to Damascus. There you will be told everything you have been appointed to do.’ 
Since I could not see because of the brilliance of that light, I came to Damascus led by the hand of those with me. 
A man named Ananias, devout according to the law and well spoken of by all the Jews living there, 
came to me, stood beside me, and said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ At that very moment I regained my sight and looked at him. 
He said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from his mouth, 
for you will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard. 
And now, why do you delay? Get up, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’ 
When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance 
and saw him saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 
I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in the synagogues I used to imprison and beat those who believed in you. 
And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself stood by, approving it and guarding the clothes of those killing him.’ 
He said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’” 
They listened to him until these words, then raised their voices, saying, “Away with such a man from the earth! He ought not to live!” 
As they shouted, threw off their clothes, and tossed dust into the air, 
the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks and said that he should be examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this. 
When they stretched him out with the straps, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it lawful for you to flog a Roman citizen who has not been condemned?” 
When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it, saying, “What are you about to do? This man is a Roman citizen.” 
The commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” He said, “Yes.” 
The commander replied, “I acquired this citizenship for a large sum.” Paul said, “But I was born a citizen.” 
Immediately those about to examine him withdrew from him. The commander too was afraid when he learned that he was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him. 
The next day, wanting to know for certain what the Jews were accusing him of, he unbound him and ordered the chief priests and the whole council to assemble. He brought Paul down and stood him before them. 
