1 “AActs 7:2Brethren and fathers, hear my defense which I now offer to you.”

2 And when they heard that he was addressing them in the 1I.e. Jewish AramaicAActs 21:40Hebrew dialect, they became even more quiet; and he *said,

3 “AActs 9:1-22; 22:3-16; 26:9-18I am BActs 21:39a Jew, born in CActs 9:11Tarsus of DActs 6:9Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated 1Lit at the feet ofunder EActs 5:34Gamaliel, 2Lit according to the strictness of the ancestral lawFActs 23:6; 26:5; Phil 3:6strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as GActs 21:20you all are today. 4  “AActs 8:3; 22:19f; 26:9-11I persecuted this BActs 9:2Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons, 5 as also AActs 9:1the high priest and all BLuke 22:66; Acts 5:21; 1 Tim 4:14the Council of the elders 1Lit testifies for mecan testify. From them I also CActs 9:2received letters to DActs 2:29; 3:17; 13:26; 23:1; 28:17, 21; Rom 9:3the brethren, and started off for CActs 9:2Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem 2Lit having been boundas prisoners to be punished.

6 “AActs 22:6-11: Acts 9:3-8; 26:12-18But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus about noontime, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me, 7 and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ 8  “And I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am AActs 26:9Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’ 9  “And those who were with me AActs 26:13saw the light, to be sure, but BActs 9:7did not 1Or hear (with comprehension)understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me. 10  “And I said, ‘AActs 16:30What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.’ 11  “But since I AActs 9:8could not see because of the 1Lit glorybrightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and came into Damascus.

12 “A certain AActs 9:10Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law, and BActs 6:3; 10:22well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13 came to me, and standing near said to me, ‘AActs 9:17Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And 1Or instantly; lit at the very hourBActs 9:18at that very time I looked up at him. 14  “And he said, ‘AActs 3:13The God of our fathers has BActs 9:15; 26:16appointed you to know His will and to CActs 9:17; 26:16; 1 Cor 9:1; 15:8see the DActs 7:52Righteous One and to hear an 1Or message; lit voiceutterance from His mouth. 15  ‘For you will be AActs 23:11; 26:16a witness for Him to all men of BActs 22:14what you have seen and heard. 16  ‘Now why do you delay? AActs 9:18Get up and be baptized, and BActs 2:38; 1 Cor 6:11; Eph 5:26; Heb 10:22wash away your sins, CActs 7:59calling on His name.’

17 “It happened when I AActs 9:26; 26:20returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I BActs 10:10fell into a trance, 18 and I saw Him saying to me, ‘AActs 9:29Make haste, and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.’ 19  “And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue after another AActs 8:3; 22:4I used to imprison and BMatt 10:17; Acts 26:11beat those who believed in You. 20  ‘And AActs 7:58f; 8:1; 26:10when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing by approving, and watching out for the coats of those who were slaying him.’ 21  “And He said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away AActs 9:15to the Gentiles.’”

22 They listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, “AActs 21:36; 1 Thess 2:16Away with such a fellow from the earth, for BActs 25:24he should not be allowed to live!” 23 And as they were crying out and AActs 7:58throwing off their cloaks and B2 Sam 16:13tossing dust into the air, 24 the 1I.e. chiliarch, in command of one thousand troopscommander ordered him to be brought into AActs 21:34the barracks, stating that he should be BActs 22:29examined by scourging so that he might find out the reason why they were shouting against him that way. 25 But when they stretched him out 1Or for the whipwith thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it 2Interrogation by torture was a procedure used with slaveslawful for you to scourge AActs 16:37a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?” 26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the 1V 24, note 1commander and told him, saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.” 27 The 1V 24, note 1commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.” 28 The 1V 24, note 1commander answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” And Paul said, “But I was actually born a citizen.” 29 Therefore those who were about to AActs 22:24examine him immediately 1Lit withdrew fromlet go of him; and the 2V 24, note 1commander also BActs 16:38was afraid when he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had 3Lit bound himCActs 21:33put him in chains.

30 But on the next day, AActs 23:28wishing to know for certain why he had been accused by the Jews, he BActs 21:33released him and ordered the chief priests and all CMatt 5:22the 1Or SanhedrinCouncil to assemble, and brought Paul down and set him before them.