Acts 22:13-30 ▼

13 came and stood beside me. ‘Brother Saul (asked for), he said, ‘receive your sight. And at that moment I could see him.

14 Then he said, ‘The God {Theos} of our fathers {paterōn} has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear His voice.

15 You will be His witness to everyone of what you have seen and heard.

16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized (submerged), and wash your sins away, calling on His name.

17 Later, when I had returned to Jerusalem (city of peace) and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance

18 and saw the Lord \saw Him/ saying to me, ‘Hurry! Leave Jerusalem (city of peace) quickly, because the people here will not accept your testimony about Me.

19 ‘Lord {Kyrie}, I answered, ‘they know very well that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in You.

20 And when the blood of Your witness (martyr) Stephen (that which surrounds) was shed, I stood there giving my approval and watching over the garments of those who killed him.

21 Then He said to me, ‘Go! I will send you far away to the Gentiles {ethnē}.

22 The crowd listened to Paul until he made this statement. Then they lifted up their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He is not fit to live!

23 As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and tossing dust into the air,

24 the commander (of a thousand men) ordered that Paul be brought into the barracks. He directed that Paul be flogged and interrogated to determine the reason for this outcry against him.

25 But as they stretched him out to strap him down, Paul (humble) said to the centurion (commander of a hundred) standing there, “Is it lawful for you⁺ to flog a Roman citizen without a trial?

26 On hearing this, the centurion (commander of a hundred) went and reported it to the commander (of a thousand men). “What are you going to do? he said. “This man is a Roman citizen.

27 The commander (of a thousand men) went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen? “Yes, he answered.

28 “I paid a high price for my citizenship, said the commander (of a thousand men). “But I was born a citizen, Paul (humble) replied.

29 At once those who were about to interrogate Paul stepped back, and the commander (of a thousand men) himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put a Roman citizen in chains.

30 The next day the commander, wanting to learn the real reason Paul was accused by the Jews (people of praise), released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin (the whole Council) to assemble. Then he brought Paul down and had him stand before them.