Acts 21:37-22:21
English Standard Version
Paul Speaks to the People
37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek? 38 Are you not (A)the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out (B)into the wilderness?” 39 Paul replied, (C)“I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.” 40 And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, (D)motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in (E)the Hebrew language,[a] saying:
22 (F)“Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.”
2 And when they heard that he was addressing them in (G)the Hebrew language,[b] they became even more quiet. And he said:
3 (H)“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated (I)at the feet of (J)Gamaliel[c] (K)according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, (L)being zealous for God (M)as all of you are this day. 4 (N)I persecuted (O)this Way (P)to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, 5 as (Q)the high priest and (R)the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to (S)the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 (T)“As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone 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 (U)Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ 9 (V)Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand[d] the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10 And I said, (W)‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’ 11 And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.
12 “And (X)one Ananias, a devout man (Y)according to the law, (Z)well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13 (AA)came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And (AB)at that very hour I received my sight and saw him. 14 And he said, (AC)‘The God of our fathers (AD)appointed you to know his will, (AE)to see (AF)the Righteous One and (AG)to hear a voice from his mouth; 15 for (AH)you will be a witness for him to everyone of what (AI)you have seen and heard. 16 And now why do you wait? (AJ)Rise and be baptized and (AK)wash away your sins, (AL)calling on his name.’
17 (AM)“When I had returned to Jerusalem and (AN)was praying in the temple, I fell into (AO)a trance 18 and saw him saying to me, (AP)‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 19 And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another (AQ)I imprisoned and (AR)beat those who believed in you. 20 And when the blood of Stephen (AS)your witness was being shed, (AT)I myself was standing by and (AU)approving and (AV)watching over the garments of those who killed him.’ 21 And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you (AW)far away to the Gentiles.’”
Footnotes
- Acts 21:40 Or the Hebrew dialect (probably Aramaic)
- Acts 22:2 Or the Hebrew dialect (probably Aramaic)
- Acts 22:3 Or city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated
- Acts 22:9 Or hear with understanding
Acts 21:37-22:21
The Message
37-38 When they got to the barracks and were about to go in, Paul said to the captain, “Can I say something to you?”
He answered, “Oh, I didn’t know you spoke Greek. I thought you were the Egyptian who not long ago started a riot here, and then hid out in the desert with his four thousand thugs.”
39 Paul said, “No, I’m a Jew, born in Tarsus. And I’m a citizen still of that influential city. I have a simple request: Let me speak to the crowd.”
Paul Tells His Story
40 Standing on the barracks steps, Paul turned and held his arms up. A hush fell over the crowd as Paul began to speak. He spoke in Hebrew.
22 1-2 “My dear brothers and fathers, listen carefully to what I have to say before you jump to conclusions about me.” When they heard him speaking Hebrew, they grew even quieter. No one wanted to miss a word of this.
2-3 He continued, “I am a good Jew, born in Tarsus in the province of Cilicia, but educated here in Jerusalem under the exacting eye of Rabbi Gamaliel, thoroughly instructed in our religious traditions. And I’ve always been passionately on God’s side, just as you are right now.
4-5 “I went after anyone connected with this ‘Way,’ went at them with all my might, ready to kill for God. I rounded up men and women right and left and had them thrown in prison. You can ask the Chief Priest or anyone in the High Council to verify this; they all knew me well. Then I went off to our brothers in Damascus, armed with official documents authorizing me to hunt down the followers of Jesus there, arrest them, and bring them back to Jerusalem for sentencing.
6-7 “As I arrived on the outskirts of Damascus about noon, a blinding light blazed out of the skies and I fell to the ground, dazed. I heard a voice: ‘Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?’
8-9 “‘Who are you, Master?’ I asked.
“He said, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, the One you’re hunting down.’ My companions saw the light, but they didn’t hear the conversation.
10-11 “Then I said, ‘What do I do now, Master?’
“He said, ‘Get to your feet and enter Damascus. There you’ll be told everything that’s been set out for you to do.’ And so we entered Damascus, but nothing like the entrance I had planned—I was blind as a bat and my companions had to lead me in by the hand.
12-13 “And that’s when I met Ananias, a man with a sterling reputation in observing our laws—the Jewish community in Damascus is unanimous on that score. He came and put his arm on my shoulder. ‘Look up,’ he said. I looked, and found myself looking right into his eyes—I could see again!
14-16 “Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has handpicked you to be briefed on his plan of action. You’ve actually seen the Righteous Innocent and heard him speak. You are to be a key witness to everyone you meet of what you’ve seen and heard. So what are you waiting for? Get up and get yourself baptized, scrubbed clean of those sins and personally acquainted with God.’
17-18 “Well, it happened just as Ananias said. After I was back in Jerusalem and praying one day in the Temple, lost in the presence of God, I saw him, saw God’s Righteous Innocent, and heard him say to me, ‘Hurry up! Get out of here as quickly as you can. None of the Jews here in Jerusalem are going to accept what you say about me.’
19-20 “At first I objected: ‘Who has better credentials? They all know how obsessed I was with hunting out those who believed in you, beating them up in the meeting places and throwing them in jail. And when your witness Stephen was murdered, I was right there, holding the coats of the murderers and cheering them on. And now they see me totally converted. What better qualification could I have?’
21 “But he said, ‘Don’t argue. Go. I’m sending you on a long journey to outsider non-Jews.’”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson