使徒行传 22
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
22 “各位父老兄弟，请听我解释！” 2 在场的人听见保罗讲的是希伯来话，更加安静了。保罗说： 3 “我是犹太人，生于基利迦的大数，在耶路撒冷长大，曾在迦玛列门下严格地按着我们祖先的律法接受教育，像你们今日一样热心事奉上帝。 4 我曾经把信奉这道的男女信徒抓进监狱，迫害他们，置他们于死地。 5 大祭司和众长老都可以为我作证。我还拿着他们写给大马士革的犹太人的信去拘捕那里的信徒，押回耶路撒冷受刑。
6 “当我快到大马士革的时候，大约中午时分，突然从天上有一道强光四面照着我。 7 我就扑倒在地，听见有声音对我说，‘扫罗！扫罗！你为什么迫害我？’ 8 我回答说，‘主啊，你是谁？’他说，‘我就是你迫害的拿撒勒人耶稣！’ 9 我的同伴虽然也看见那道强光，却听不懂那位说话者的声音。 10 接着我又问，‘主啊！我该怎么办？’主说，‘起来，到大马士革去，那里会有人将指派给你的事告诉你。’
11 “那道耀眼的光照得我双眼失明，于是同行的人拉着我的手，带我进了大马士革。 12 那里有一个严守律法的虔诚人名叫亚拿尼亚，深受当地所有犹太人的尊敬。 13 他来探望我，站在我身边说，‘扫罗弟兄，重见光明吧！’就在那一刻，我抬头看见了他。 14 他又说，‘我们祖先的上帝拣选了你，要你明白祂的旨意，又让你亲自看见那位公义者、听到祂的声音。 15 因为你将做祂的见证人，把所见所闻告诉万民。 16 现在你还等什么呢？起来求告祂的名，接受洗礼，洗净你的罪。’
17 “后来，我回到耶路撒冷，在圣殿里祷告的时候，进入异象， 18 看见主对我说，‘赶快离开耶路撒冷，因为这里的人不会接受你为我做的见证。’ 19 我说，‘主啊！他们都知道我从前搜遍各会堂，逮捕、毒打信你的人。 20 当你的见证人司提凡为你流血殉道时，我自己也站在旁边赞同杀他的人，还替他们保管衣服。’ 21 主却对我说，‘去吧！我要差遣你到遥远的外族人那里。’”
因罗马公民身份而免刑
22 众人一听到这里，就高喊：“从世上除掉这样的人！他不配活着！” 23 百姓咆哮着脱掉外衣，扬起尘土。 24 千夫长下令把保罗押回营房，预备鞭打拷问他，要查出众人向他咆哮的缘由。 25 他们把保罗绑起来正要鞭打，保罗问旁边的百夫长：“未经定罪就拷打罗马公民合法吗？”
26 百夫长一听，立刻去禀告千夫长说：“你看该怎么办？这人是罗马公民。”
27 千夫长就来问保罗：“告诉我，你是罗马公民吗？”
保罗说：“是的。”
28 千夫长说：“我花了很多钱才当上罗马公民！”
保罗说：“我生来就是。”
29 那些准备拷问保罗的士兵立刻退下了。千夫长也害怕起来，因为发现保罗是罗马公民，他却下令捆绑了保罗。
保罗在公会申辩
30 第二天，千夫长想知道保罗被犹太人指控的真相，就为保罗松了绑，并招聚了祭司长和全公会的人，然后将保罗带来，让他站在众人面前。
Acts 22
EasyEnglish Bible
Paul speaks to the crowd in Jerusalem
22 Paul said to the crowd, ‘Please, listen to me, you Jewish leaders and all you other people who are Jews like me. I want to explain to you what has happened here.’
2 The crowd heard Paul speaking to them in their own Hebrew language. So they became really quiet.
Paul continued to speak. He said, 3 ‘I am a Jew. I was born in Tarsus in the region of Cilicia. I lived here in Jerusalem when I was a boy. I studied God's Law for many years and Gamaliel was my teacher.[a] I learned very well how to obey the laws of our ancestors. I tried to obey God as carefully as all of you do today.
4 I caused great trouble to the disciples of Jesus. I even wanted to kill them. I took hold of them and I put them in prison. I did that to both men and women. 5 The most important priest and all the group of Jewish leaders can tell you that this is true. They gave me letters for the Jewish leaders in Damascus. So I travelled to Damascus to take hold of the believers in that city. I wanted to tie them up and bring them back to Jerusalem. Then the leaders here could punish them.’
Paul tells the crowd how he began to believe in Jesus
6 Paul continued to say, ‘As I was travelling, I came near to Damascus. About midday, a bright light from the sky suddenly shone round me. 7 I fell down to the ground. Then I heard a voice that said to me, “Saul, Saul, why do you fight against me?”
8 “Lord, who are you?” I asked.
He said to me, “I am Jesus from Nazareth. And you are fighting against me.” 9 The men who travelled with me saw the light. But they did not understand the voice that spoke to me.
10 I asked, “Lord, what must I do?” He said to me, “Get up now and go into Damascus. When you arrive in the city, someone will come to you. He will tell you what God wants you to do.” 11 The bright light hurt my eyes so that I could not see. So the men who were with me held my hand. They led me into Damascus.
12 In Damascus, there was a man called Ananias. He worshipped God and he obeyed our Law. All the Jews in Damascus said good things about him. 13 Ananias came to see me. He stood near to me and he said, “Brother Saul, see again!” Then immediately I could see again. I could look at him.
14 Then Ananias said to me, “The God that we worship and our ancestors worshipped has chosen you. He will tell you what he wants you to do. God has let you see his special servant, who is completely good. You have heard this servant's message to you. 15 You will tell people everywhere about the things that you have seen and heard. That is what God wants you to do. 16 So now you do not need to wait any longer. Stand up and I will baptize you. Believe in the Lord Jesus so that God will forgive you for your sins.”
17 So then I returned to Jerusalem. I went into the temple and I was praying there. I had a vision. 18 In the vision, I saw the Lord and he spoke to me. He said, “Hurry. Leave Jerusalem quickly. The people here will not believe what you say to them about me.”
19 I replied, “Lord, the people here know what I have been doing. They know that I wanted to take hold of all the people who believed in you. I went to all our Jewish meeting places to look for the believers. When I found them, I put them in prison and I hit them with sticks. 20 I myself was there when the people killed Stephen. He was your servant who told people your message. But I agreed that it was right to kill him. I even held the coats of the people while they killed him.”
21 But the Lord said to me, “Go! I will now send you a long way away. You must go to the Gentiles and tell them my message.” ’
The people in the crowd become very angry with Paul
22 The people listened carefully to Paul until he spoke about the Gentiles. Then they began to shout loudly, ‘Take him away! Kill him! It is not right that he should live any longer!’
23 While they were shouting this, they were taking off their coats. They also threw dirt from the ground up into the air.[b]
24 The leader of the soldiers said to his men, ‘Take this man into our building. Then hit him with whips. We must find out what he has done. He must tell us why the Jews are shouting so loudly against him.’[c]
25 So the soldiers tied Paul's arms and they were ready to hit him. But Paul spoke to the soldiers' officer who stood near to him. He said, ‘I am a citizen of Rome. So it is not right for you to hit me like that. No judge has agreed that I have done anything wrong.’
26 The officer heard what Paul said. So he went to the leader of the soldiers and he said, ‘That man is a citizen of Rome! Be careful what you do to him!’
27 So the soldiers' leader went to speak to Paul. He asked him, ‘Tell me. Are you really a citizen of Rome?’
Paul answered, ‘Yes, I am.’
28 The soldiers' leader said, ‘I paid a lot of money to the government so that I could become a citizen of Rome.’
Paul replied, ‘But I was already a citizen of Rome when I was born.’
29 Immediately, the men who wanted to hit Paul with whips moved away from him. The leader of the soldiers was also very afraid. He had tied chains around Paul's arms and legs. He knew that he should not have done that to a citizen of Rome.[d]
30 The soldiers' leader wanted to find the reason why the Jews had said bad things against Paul. He wanted to know what was really true. So the next day, he told his soldiers to remove the chains from Paul. He sent a message to the most important priest and to all the group of Jewish leaders. He told them to meet together with him. Then he took Paul to their meeting. He made Paul stand in front of them.
Footnotes
- 22:3 Gamaliel was a Pharisee. He taught Jewish boys and young men about God's Law. He was a very good teacher.
- 22:23 The Jews did this when someone had said bad things about God. They thought that Paul had done that, so they were very angry.
- 22:24 The soldiers would hit a person so that he would give them a true answer. A whip was a stick with long pieces of strong material fixed at one end.
- 22:29 The leader of the soldiers could hold a citizen of Rome in prison. But he should not put chains on the arms and legs of the citizen.
Acts 22
King James Version
22 Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.
2 (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)
3 I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.
4 And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.
5 As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.
6 And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.
7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.
9 And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.
10 And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.
11 And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.
12 And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,
13 Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.
14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
15 For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
17 And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;
18 And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.
19 And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:
20 And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.
21 And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.
22 And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live.
23 And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air,
24 The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him.
25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?
26 When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.
27 Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.
28 And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.
29 Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.
30 On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.
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