Acts 22:22-29

International Standard Version

²² Up to this point they listened to him, but then they began to shout, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! He’s not fit to go on living!” ²³ While they were yelling, tossing their coats around, and throwing dirt into the air, ²⁴ the tribune ordered Paul^[a] to be taken into the barracks and told the soldiers^[b] to beat and question him in order to find out why the people^[c] were yelling at him like this.

²⁵ But when they had tied him up with the straps, Paul asked the centurion^[d] who was standing there, “Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn’t been condemned?”

²⁶ When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and told him, “What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!”

²⁷ So the tribune went and asked Paul,^[e] “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”

“Yes,” he said.

²⁸ Then the tribune replied, “I paid a lot of money for this citizenship of mine.”

Paul said, “But I was born a citizen.” ²⁹ Immediately those who were about to examine him stepped back, and the tribune was afraid when he found out that Paul^[f] was a Roman citizen and that he had tied him up.