Acts 22:17-29

English Standard Version

^17 (A)“When I had returned to Jerusalem and ^(B)was praying in the temple, I fell into ^(C)a trance ¹⁸ and saw him saying to me, ^(D)‘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 ^(E)I imprisoned and ^(F)beat those who believed in you. ²⁰ And when the blood of Stephen ^(G)your witness was being shed, ^(H)I myself was standing by and ^(I)approving and ^(J)watching over the garments of those who killed him.’ ²¹ And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you ^(K)far away to the Gentiles.’”

Paul and the Roman Tribune

²² Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, ^(L)“Away with such a fellow from the earth! For ^(M)he should not be allowed to live.” ²³ And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, ²⁴ the tribune ordered him to be brought into ^(N)the barracks, saying that he should be ^(O)examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this. 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 ^(P)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 ^(Q)to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also ^(R)was afraid, ^(S)for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that ^(T)he had bound him.