Acts 22

Worldwide English (New Testament)

22 Paul said, `Men, brothers, and fathers, listen while I tell you my side of this matter.'

^2-3hen the people heard him speak in the Jews' language, they were even more quiet. Then Paul said, `I am a Jew. I was born in the city of Tarsus in Cilicia. But I was raised here in this city. Gamaliel was my teacher. He taught me very well in the law of our fathers. I was trying hard to obey God, just as you all are today.

⁴I troubled very much the people who believed this Way. I even killed them. I had men and women tied and put into prison.

⁵The high priest and all the leaders know that this is true about me. They wrote letters for me to carry to the leaders of the Jews in the city of Damascus. I went to have the Christians there tied and brought to Jerusalem to be punished.'

⁶`I was on my way and was near Damascus. It was about midday. All at once a very bright light from the sky shone all around me.

⁷I fell to the ground and heard someone say to me, "Saul, Saul, why are you troubling me?"

⁸I said, "Who are you, Lord?" He answered, "I am Jesus of Nazareth. You are troubling me."

⁹The men who were with me saw the light. They were afraid. But they did not hear the one who spoke to me.

¹⁰Then I said, "Lord, what shall I do?" And the Lord said to me, "Get up and go to Damascus. There someone will tell you all you must do."

¹¹I could not see because the light was so bright. My friends led me by the hand to Damascus.

¹²`A man named Ananias was there. He obeyed the law of Moses, and all the Jews who lived there spoke well of him.

¹³He came to see me. He stood by my side and said to me, "Brother Saul, you can see again!" And right then I was able to see him.

¹⁴He said, "The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will. He chose you to see the One who is right and to hear him speak.

¹⁵You will speak for him. You will tell all the people what you have seen and heard.

¹⁶Now, why do you wait? Get up and be baptised. Wash away your wrong ways by calling on the name of the Lord!" '

¹⁷`After I went back to Jerusalem, I was talking to God in the temple one day. Something like a dream came over me.

¹⁸I heard the Lord say to me, "Leave Jerusalem quickly, right away. The people will not listen to the things you say about me."

¹⁹And I said, "Lord, they know that I put in prison those who believed in you. I beat them in all the meeting houses.

²⁰And I stood by and let people kill Stephen. He was one who talked for you. I looked after the clothes of the men who killed him."

²¹But the Lord said to me, "Go! I will send you far away to the people who are not Jews." '

²²The people listened to Paul until he said that. Then they shouted, `Kill him and get him off the earth. A man like that should not live!'

²³The people shouted. They waved their clothes about and threw dust in the air.

²⁴The man in charge of the soldiers ordered Paul to be brought into the army house. He said that he should be beaten hard to make him tell why the people shouted so much at him.

²⁵When they had tied him with ropes, Paul said to the captain who was standing by, `Is it right for you to beat a man who belongs to Rome without judging his case?'

²⁶When the captain heard this, he told the commanding officer. He said, `What are you going to do? This man is a Roman!'

²⁷Then the commanding officer came to Paul and said, `Tell me, are you a Roman?' `Yes, I am,' replied Paul.

²⁸Then the officer said, `I paid much money to become a Roman.' Paul said, `I was born a Roman.'

²⁹Then the men who were going to beat him left him. The officer was afraid when he knew Paul was a Roman, because he had tied him up.

³⁰The officer wanted to know the real reason why the Jewish leaders were angry with Paul. So the next day he had Paul untied. He called the chief priests and the leaders to hold a court meeting. Then he took Paul down and brought him in before them.

Деяния 22

Библия, синодално издание

22 Мъже братя и отци! Чуйте сега моето оправдание пред вас.

²А като чуха, че им говори на еврейски език, още повече утихнаха. Тогава той каза:

³^(A)аз съм човек иудеин, родом от Тарс Киликийски, но възпитан в тоя град при нозете Гамалиилови, изучен точно по закона отечески и изпълнен с ревност към Бога, както сте и вие всички днес.

⁴^(B)Аз гоних до смърт последователите на това учение, като вързвах и предавах на затвор мъже и жени,

⁵както свидетелствува за мене първосвещеникът и всички стареи, от които като бях взел и писма до братята, отивах в Дамаск да докарам вързани в Иерусалим и тамошните, за да бъдат наказани.

⁶^(C)Но, когато бях на път и наближавах до Дамаск, около пладне, изведнъж от небето ме огря силна светлина.

⁷Аз паднах на земята и чух глас, който ми думаше: Савле, Савле, що Ме гониш?

⁸Аз пък отговорих: кой си Ти, Господине? А Той ми рече: Аз съм Иисус Назорей, Когото ти гониш.

⁹Ония, които бяха с мене, видяха светлината и се уплашиха; но гласа на Оногова, Който ми говореше, не чуха.

¹⁰Тогава рекох: какво да правя, Господи? А Господ ми рече: стани та иди в Дамаск, и там ще ти бъде казано всичко, що ти е наредено да сториш.

¹¹И понеже от блясъка на оная светлина не можех да виждам, поведоха ме за ръка ония, които бяха с мене, и тъй дойдох в Дамаск.

¹²А някой си Анания, мъж благочестив по Закона, с добро име между всички иудеи в Дамаск,

¹³дойде при мене, застана и ми рече: брате Савле, прогледай! И аз тозчас прогледах и погледнах към него.

¹⁴^(D)А той ми каза: Бог на нашите отци те е отредил да познаеш волята Му, да видиш Праведника и да чуеш глас от устата Му,

¹⁵защото ще Му бъдеш свидетел пред всички човеци за онова, що си видял и чул.

¹⁶И сега що се бавиш? Стани, кръсти се и умий греховете си, като призовеш името на Господа Иисуса.

¹⁷А когато се върнах в Иерусалим и се молех в храма, унесох се

¹⁸^(E)и Го видях да ми казва: побързай та излез скоро от Иерусалим, защото няма да приемат твоето свидетелство за Мене.

¹⁹Аз пък отговорих: Господи, те знаят, че аз затварях и биех по синагогите ония, които вярваха в Тебе;

²⁰^(F)и когато се проливаше кръвта на Стефана, Твоя свидетел, там стоях и аз и одобрявах неговото убиване, като пазех дрехите на ония, които го убиваха.

²¹^(G)И каза ми: иди! Аз ще те пратя далеко – при езичниците.

²²До тая дума го слушаха, но след това издигнаха гласа си и викаха: премахни от земята един такъв! Той не бива да живее!

²³И понеже те крещяха, размятваха си дрехите и хвърляха прах във въздуха,

²⁴хилядникът заповяда да го водят в стана и поръча да го разпитват с бичуване, за да узнае, по коя причина викаха тъй против него.

²⁵Но, когато го разтегнаха с ремъци, Павел рече на стотника, който стоеше там: нима ви е позволено да бичувате римски гражданин, и то неосъден?

²⁶Като чу това стотникът, отиде та обади на хилядника и рече: гледай, какво правиш, защото тоя човек е римски гражданин.

²⁷Тогава хилядникът се приближи до него и рече: кажи ми, ти римски гражданин ли си? Той отговори: да.

²⁸А хилядникът каза: аз съм придобил това гражданство за много пари. Павел рече: аз пък съм се и родил такъв.

²⁹И начаса отстъпиха от него тия, които щяха да го разпитват. А и хилядникът, като узна, че той е римски гражданин, се уплаши, задето го бе вързал.

³⁰На другия ден, като желаеше да узнае навярно, в какво го обвиняват иудеите, освободи го от оковите и заповяда да дойдат първосвещениците и целият им синедрион, па доведе долу Павла и го изправи пред тях.

Acts 22

New King James Version

Paul’s Defense at Jerusalem

22 “Brethren^(A) and fathers, hear my defense before you now.” ²And when they heard that he spoke to them in the ^(B)Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent.

Then he said: ³^(C)“I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city ^(D)at the feet of ^(E)Gamaliel, taught ^(F)according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and ^(G)was zealous toward God ^(H)as you all are today. ⁴^(I)I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, ⁵as also the high priest bears me witness, and ^(J)all the council of the elders, ^(K)from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus ^(L)to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished.

⁶“Now ^(M)it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. ⁷And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ ⁸So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’

⁹“And ^(N)those who were with me indeed saw the light ^[a]and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me. ¹⁰So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.’ ¹¹And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.

¹²“Then ^(O)a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, ^(P)having a good testimony with all the ^(Q)Jews who dwelt there, ¹³came to me; and he stood and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that same hour I looked up at him. ¹⁴Then he said, ^(R)‘The God of our fathers ^(S)has chosen you that you should ^(T)know His will, and ^(U)see the Just One, ^(V)and hear the voice of His mouth. ¹⁵^(W)For you will be His witness to all men of ^(X)what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, ^(Y)and wash away your sins, ^(Z)calling on the name of the Lord.’

¹⁷“Now ^(AA)it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance ¹⁸and ^(AB)saw Him saying to me, ^(AC)‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.’ ¹⁹So I said, ‘Lord, ^(AD)they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and ^(AE)beat those who believe on You. ²⁰^(AF)And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by ^(AG)consenting ^[b]to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’ ²¹Then He said to me, ‘Depart, ^(AH)for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.’ ”

Paul’s Roman Citizenship

²²And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, ^(AI)“Away with such a fellow from the earth, for ^(AJ)he is not fit to live!” ²³Then, as they cried out and ^[c]tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air, ²⁴the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and said that he should be examined under scourging, so that he might know why they shouted so against him. ²⁵And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, ^(AK)“Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?”

²⁶When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, “Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman.”

²⁷Then the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?”

He said, “Yes.”

²⁸The commander answered, “With a large sum I obtained this citizenship.”

And Paul said, “But I was born a citizen.”

²⁹Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.

The Sanhedrin Divided

³⁰The next day, because he wanted to know for certain why he was accused by the Jews, he released him from his bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down and set him before them.

Footnotes

Acts 22:9 NU omits and were afraid
Acts 22:20 NU omits to his death
Acts 22:23 Lit. threw

Acts 22

New International Version

22 ¹“Brothers and fathers,^(A) listen now to my defense.”

²When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic,^(B) they became very quiet.

Then Paul said: ³“I am a Jew,^(C) born in Tarsus^(D) of Cilicia,^(E) but brought up in this city. I studied under^(F) Gamaliel^(G) and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors.^(H) I was just as zealous^(I) for God as any of you are today. ⁴I persecuted^(J) the followers of this Way^(K) to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,^(L) ⁵as the high priest and all the Council^(M) can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates^(N) in Damascus,^(O) and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.

⁶“About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.^(P) ⁷I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’

⁸“‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.

“ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth,^(Q) whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. ⁹My companions saw the light,^(R) but they did not understand the voice^(S) of him who was speaking to me.

¹⁰“‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked.

“ ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’^(T) ¹¹My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.^(U)

¹²“A man named Ananias came to see me.^(V) He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.^(W) ¹³He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him.

¹⁴“Then he said: ‘The God of our ancestors^(X) has chosen you to know his will and to see^(Y) the Righteous One^(Z) and to hear words from his mouth. ¹⁵You will be his witness^(AA) to all people of what you have seen^(AB) and heard. ¹⁶And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized^(AC) and wash your sins away,^(AD) calling on his name.’^(AE)

¹⁷“When I returned to Jerusalem^(AF) and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance^(AG) ¹⁸and saw the Lord speaking to me. ‘Quick!’ he said. ‘Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me.’

¹⁹“‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison^(AH) and beat^(AI) those who believe in you. ²⁰And when the blood of your martyr^[a] Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’^(AJ)

²¹“Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”^(AK)

Paul the Roman Citizen

²²The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him!^(AL) He’s not fit to live!”^(AM)

²³As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks^(AN) and flinging dust into the air,^(AO) ²⁴the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks.^(AP) He directed^(AQ) that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. ²⁵As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?”^(AR)

²⁶When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.”

²⁷The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”

“Yes, I am,” he answered.

²⁸Then the commander said, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.”

“But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied.

²⁹Those who were about to interrogate him^(AS) withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen,^(AT) in chains.^(AU)

Paul Before the Sanhedrin

³⁰The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews.^(AV) So the next day he released him^(AW) and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin^(AX) to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.

Footnotes

Acts 22:20 Or witness

Worldwide English (New Testament) (WE)

Библия, синодално издание (BOB)

New King James Version (NKJV)

New International Version (NIV)

Acts 22

Worldwide English (New Testament)

Деяния 22

Библия, синодално издание

Cross references