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“Brothers and esteemed fathers,” Paul said, “listen to me as I offer my defense.”
Paul's Defense to the Crowd
Brethren and fathers, hear my defence which I now make to you.
Brethren and fathers, hear my defence which I now make to you.
And hearing that he addressed them in the Hebrew tongue, they kept the more quiet; and he says,
Then Paul said, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. As his student, I was carefully trained in our Jewish laws and customs. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just like all of you today.
*I* am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel, educated according to [the] exactness of the law of [our] fathers, being zealous for God, as *ye* are all this day;
And I persecuted the followers of the Way, hounding some to death, arresting both men and women and throwing them in prison.
who have persecuted this way unto death, binding and delivering up to prisons both men and women;
The high priest and the whole council of elders can testify that this is so. For I received letters from them to our Jewish brothers in Damascus, authorizing me to bring the followers of the Way from there to Jerusalem, in chains, to be punished.
as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the elderhood: from whom also, having received letters to the brethren, I went to Damascus to bring those also who were there, bound, to Jerusalem, to be punished.
“As I was on the road, approaching Damascus about noon, a very bright light from heaven suddenly shone down around me.
And it came to pass, as I was journeying and drawing near to Damascus, that, about mid-day, there suddenly shone out of heaven a great light round about me.
I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
And I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
And *I* answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said to me, *I* am Jesus the Nazaraean, whom *thou* persecutest.
The people with me saw the light but didn’t understand the voice speaking to me.
But they that were with me beheld the light, [and were filled with fear], but heard not the voice of him that was speaking to me.
“I asked, ‘What should I do, Lord?’
“And the Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything you are to do.’
“And the Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything you are to do.’
And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me, Rise up, and go to Damascus, and there it shall be told thee of all things which it is appointed thee to do.
“I was blinded by the intense light and had to be led by the hand to Damascus by my companions.
And as I could not see, through the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came to Damascus.
A man named Ananias lived there. He was a godly man, deeply devoted to the law, and well regarded by all the Jews of Damascus.
And a certain Ananias, a pious man according to the law, borne witness to by all the Jews who dwelt [there],
He came and stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ And that very moment I could see him!
coming to me and standing by me, said to me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And *I*, in the same hour, received my sight and saw him.
“Then he told me, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and hear him speak.
And he said, The God of our fathers has chosen thee beforehand to know his will, and to see the just one, and to hear a voice out of his mouth;
For you are to be his witness, telling everyone what you have seen and heard.
for thou shalt be a witness for him to all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.’
And now why lingerest thou? Arise and get baptised, and have thy sins washed away, calling on his name.
“After I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the Temple and fell into a trance.
And it came to pass when I had returned to Jerusalem, and as I was praying in the temple, that I became in ecstasy,
and saw him saying to me, Make haste and go quickly out of Jerusalem, for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.
“‘But Lord,’ I argued, ‘they certainly know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you.
And *I* said, Lord, they themselves know that *I* was imprisoning and beating in every synagogue those that believe on thee;
And I was in complete agreement when your witness Stephen was killed. I stood by and kept the coats they took off when they stoned him.’
and when the blood of thy witness Stephen was shed, I also myself was standing by and consenting, and kept the clothes of them who killed him.
“But the Lord said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!’”
And he said to me, Go, for *I* will send thee to the nations afar off.
The crowd listened until Paul said that word. Then they all began to shout, “Away with such a fellow! He isn’t fit to live!”
Paul the Roman Citizen
And they heard him until this word, and lifted up their voice, saying, Away with such a one as that from the earth, for it was not fit he should live.
And they heard him until this word, and lifted up their voice, saying, Away with such a one as that from the earth, for it was not fit he should live.
They yelled, threw off their coats, and tossed handfuls of dust into the air.
And as they were crying, and throwing away their clothes, and casting dust into the air,
Paul Reveals His Roman Citizenship
The commander brought Paul inside and ordered him lashed with whips to make him confess his crime. He wanted to find out why the crowd had become so furious.
the chiliarch commanded him to be brought into the fortress, saying that he should be examined by scourging, that he might ascertain for what cause they cried thus against him.
But as they stretched him forward with the thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood [by], Is it lawful for you to scourge a man [who is] a Roman and uncondemned?
When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and asked, “What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!”
And the centurion, having heard it, went and reported it to the chiliarch, saying, What art thou going to do? for this man is a Roman.
So the commander went over and asked Paul, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”
“Yes, I certainly am,” Paul replied.
“Yes, I certainly am,” Paul replied.
And the chiliarch coming up said to him, Tell me, Art *thou* a Roman? And he said, Yes.
“I am, too,” the commander muttered, “and it cost me plenty!”
Paul answered, “But I am a citizen by birth!”
Paul answered, “But I am a citizen by birth!”
And the chiliarch answered, *I*, for a great sum, bought this citizenship. And Paul said, But *I* was also [free] born.
The soldiers who were about to interrogate Paul quickly withdrew when they heard he was a Roman citizen, and the commander was frightened because he had ordered him bound and whipped.
Immediately therefore those who were going to examine him left him, and the chiliarch also was afraid when he ascertained that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.
And on the morrow, desirous to know the certainty [of the matter] why he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him, and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and having brought Paul down set him before them.