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Paul, a Citizen of Rome

22 And they were listening to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, “(A)Away with such a fellow from the earth, for (B)he should not be allowed to live!” 23 And as they were crying out and (C)throwing off their garments and (D)tossing dust into the air, 24 the [a]commander ordered him to be brought into (E)the barracks, stating that he should be (F)examined by flogging so that he might find out the reason why they were shouting against him that way. 25 But when they stretched him out [b]with leather straps, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it [c]lawful for you to flog (G)a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?” 26 And when the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported to him, saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.” 27 And the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.” 28 And the commander answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” And Paul said, “But I have been born a citizen.” 29 Therefore those who were about to (H)examine him immediately withdrew from him; and the commander also (I)was afraid when he learned that he was a Roman, and because he had (J)bound him.

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 22:24 Military leader over 1,000 soldiers
  2. Acts 22:25 Or for the whip
  3. Acts 22:25 Interrogation by torture was a procedure used with slaves

22 They were listening to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices, shouting, “Rid the earth of this fellow, for he is not fit to live!”

23 When they started shouting and throwing off their cloaks and throwing dust into the air, 24 the commander ordered that Paul be brought into the barracks. He directed that Paul be interrogated by whipping, in order to learn why the people were shouting at him like this. 25 As they stretched him for the whipping, Paul asked the centurion standing by, “Is it legal for you to whip a man who is a Roman citizen and who has not been found guilty by a proper trial?”

26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and said, “What are you about to do?[a] This man is a Roman citizen!”

27 The commander came and asked him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”

He answered, “Yes.”

28 Then the commander answered, “I acquired this citizenship for a large sum of money.”

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

29 Immediately, those who were about to interrogate him moved away from him. The commander was also alarmed when he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen, because he had tied him up.

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 22:26 Some witnesses to the text read Pay attention to what you are going to do.