Acts 22
New Matthew Bible
Paul answers to the Jews, is scourged, and is put in prison again.
22 Men, brethren and fathers, hear my answer, which I make to you.
2 When they heard that he spoke in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence.
And he said, 3 I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and thoroughly taught in the law of the fathers. And I was fervent-minded toward God, as you all are this same day. 4 And I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prison both men and women, 5 as the chief priest bears me witness, and all the elders – from whom also I received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring those who were there as prisoners to Jerusalem, to be punished.
6 But it came to pass, as I made my journey and had come near to Damascus about noon, that suddenly a great light from heaven shone round about me. 7 And I fell to the earth and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? 8 And I answered, Who are you, Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute.
9 And those who were with me saw a light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of him who spoke with me. 10 And I said, What shall I do Lord? And the Lord said to me, Arise and go into Damascus, and there it will be told you all the things that are appointed for you to do.
11 And when I could not see anything due to the brightness of the light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus. 12 And one Ananias, a godly man, and as pertaining to the law having a good report among all the Jews who dwelt there, 13 came to me. And he stood and said to me, Brother Saul, look up! And that same hour I received my sight, and could see him. 14 And he said, The God of our fathers has fore-ordained you to know his will, and to see that which is rightful, and to hear the voice of his mouth. 15 For you shall be his witness to all people of those things that you have seen and heard. 16 And now, why tarry? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, in calling on the name of the Lord.
17 And it happened, when I returned again to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance, 18 and saw him saying to me, Make haste, and get quickly out of Jerusalem, for they will not receive the witness that you bear of me.
19 And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue those who believed on you. 20 And when the blood of your witness Stephen was shed, I also stood by and consented to his death, and minded the garments of those who slew him. 21 Then he said to me, Depart, for I will send you far from here, to the Gentiles.
22 The people listened to him until these words, and then lifted up their voices and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth! It is a pity that he should live! 23 And as they cried out and cast off their clothes and threw dust into the air, 24 the high captain ordered him to be brought into the castle, and commanded him to be scourged and examined in order to find out why the people cried out so against him. 25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and without a trial? 26 When the centurion heard that, he went and told the high captain, saying, What do you intend to do? This man is a Roman.
27 Then the high captain came and said to him, Tell me, are you a Roman? He said, Yes. 28 And the captain answered, With a great sum I obtained this freedom. And Paul said, I was free born.
29 Then the soldiers who were to have examined him straightaway drew back from him. And the high captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, because he had bound him.
30 On the day following, because he wanted to know exactly what Paul was accused of by the Jews, the captain released him from his bonds, and commanded the high priests and all the council to come together, and brought Paul and set him before them.
Acts 22
Living Bible
22 “Brothers and fathers, listen to me as I offer my defense.” 2 (When they heard him speaking in Hebrew, the silence was even greater.) 3 “I am a Jew,” he said, “born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, but educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel, at whose feet I learned to follow our Jewish laws and customs very carefully. I became very anxious to honor God in everything I did, just as you have tried to do today. 4 And I persecuted the Christians, hounding them to death, binding and delivering both men and women to prison. 5 The High Priest or any member of the Council can testify that this is so. For I asked them for letters to the Jewish leaders in Damascus, with instructions to let me bring any Christians I found to Jerusalem in chains to be punished.
6 “As I was on the road, nearing Damascus, suddenly about noon a very bright light from heaven shone around me. 7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Paul, Paul, why are you persecuting me?’
8 “‘Who is it speaking to me, sir?’ I asked. And he replied, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, the one you are persecuting.’ 9 The men with me saw the light but didn’t understand what was said.
10 “And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’
“And the Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told what awaits you in the years ahead.’
11 “I was blinded by the intense light and had to be led into Damascus by my companions. 12 There a man named Ananias, as godly a man as you could find for obeying the law and well thought of by all the Jews of Damascus, 13 came to me, and standing beside me said, ‘Brother Paul, receive your sight!’ And that very hour I could see him!
14 “Then he told me, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Messiah[a] and hear him speak. 15 You are to take his message everywhere, telling what you have seen and heard. 16 And now, why delay? Go and be baptized and be cleansed from your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’
17-18 “One day after my return to Jerusalem, while I was praying in the Temple, I fell into a trance and saw a vision of God saying to me, ‘Hurry! Leave Jerusalem, for the people here won’t believe you when you give them my message.’
19 “‘But Lord,’ I argued, ‘they certainly know that I imprisoned and beat those in every synagogue who believed on you. 20 And when your witness Stephen was killed, I was standing there agreeing—keeping the coats they laid aside as they stoned him.’
21 “But God said to me,
22 The crowd listened until Paul came to that word, then with one voice they shouted, “Away with such a fellow! Kill him! He isn’t fit to live!” 23 They yelled and threw their coats in the air and tossed up handfuls of dust.
24 So the commander brought him inside and ordered him lashed with whips to make him confess his crime. He wanted to find out why the crowd had become so furious!
25 As they tied Paul down to lash him, Paul said to an officer standing there, “Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been tried?”
26 The officer went to the commander and asked, “What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!”
27 So the commander went over and asked Paul, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”
“Yes, I certainly am.”
28 “I am too,” the commander muttered, “and it cost me plenty!”
“But I am a citizen by birth!”
29 The soldiers standing ready to lash him, quickly disappeared when they heard Paul was a Roman citizen, and the commander was frightened because he had ordered him bound and whipped.
30 The next day the commander freed him from his chains and ordered the chief priests into session with the Jewish Council. He had Paul brought in before them to try to find out what the trouble was all about.
Footnotes
- Acts 22:14 the Messiah, literally, “the Righteous One.”
Copyright © 2016 by Ruth Magnusson (Davis). Includes emendations to February 2022. All rights reserved.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.