³⁹ Paul replied, ^(A)“I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.”

^3 (A)“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated ^(B)at the feet of ^(C)Gamaliel^{[a] (D)}according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, ^(E)being zealous for God ^(F)as all of you are this day.

¹¹ And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man ^(A)of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying,

⁹ Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen.

¹⁵ But ^(A)let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or ^(B)as a meddler. ¹⁶ Yet ^(C)if anyone suffers as a ^(D)Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God ^(E)in that name.

¹⁵ but ^(A)in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, ^(B)always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and ^(C)respect,

³⁴ On reading the letter, he asked what ^(A)province he was from. And when he learned ^(B)that he was from Cilicia,

^27 (A)This man was seized by the Jews and ^(B)was about to be killed by them ^(C)when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, ^(D)having learned that he was a Roman citizen.

²⁵ But when they had stretched him out for the whips,^[a] Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to flog ^(A)a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?” ²⁶ When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.” ²⁷ So the tribune came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” And he said, “Yes.” ²⁸ The tribune answered, “I bought this citizenship for a large sum.” Paul said, “But I am a citizen by birth.” ²⁹ So those who were about ^(B)to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also ^(C)was afraid, ^(D)for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that ^(E)he had bound him.