Hechos 22
Reina Valera Actualizada
22 —Hermanos y padres, oigan ahora mi defensa ante ustedes.
2 Cuando oyeron que Pablo les hablaba en lengua hebrea, guardaron aún mayor silencio. Entonces dijo:
3 —Soy un hombre judío, nacido en Tarso de Cilicia pero criado en esta ciudad, instruido a los pies de Gamaliel en la estricta observancia de la ley de nuestros padres, siendo celoso de Dios como lo son todos ustedes hoy. 4 Yo perseguí este Camino hasta la muerte, tomando presos y entregando en las cárceles a hombres y también a mujeres, 5 como aun el sumo sacerdote es mi testigo, y todos los ancianos de quienes también recibí cartas para los hermanos. Y fui a Damasco para traer presos a Jerusalén a los que estaban allí, para que fueran castigados. 6 Pero me sucedió[a], cuando viajaba y llegaba cerca de Damasco, como a mediodía, que de repente me rodeó de resplandor una gran luz del cielo. 7 Yo caí al suelo y oí una voz que me decía: “Saulo, Saulo, ¿por qué me persigues?”. 8 Entonces yo respondí: “¿Quién eres, Señor?”. Y me dijo: “Yo soy Jesús de Nazaret, a quien tú persigues”. 9 A la verdad, los que estaban conmigo vieron la luz[b], pero no entendieron la voz del que hablaba conmigo. 10 Yo dije: “¿Qué haré, Señor?”. Y el Señor me dijo: “Levántate y ve a Damasco, y allí se te dirá todo lo que te está ordenado hacer”.
11 »Como no podía ver a causa del resplandor de aquella luz, fui guiado de la mano por los que estaban conmigo, y entré en Damasco. 12 Entonces un tal Ananías, hombre piadoso conforme a la ley, que tenía buen testimonio de todos los judíos que moraban allí, 13 vino a mí y puesto de pie me dijo: “Hermano Saulo, recibe la vista”. Y yo le vi en aquel instante. 14 Y él me dijo: “El Dios de nuestros padres te ha designado de antemano para que conozcas su voluntad y veas al Justo, y oigas la voz de su boca. 15 Porque serás su testigo ante todos los hombres de lo que has visto y oído. 16 Ahora, pues, ¿por qué te detienes? Levántate y bautízate, y lava tus pecados, invocando su nombre”.
17 »Entonces, cuando volví a Jerusalén, mientras oraba en el templo, sucedió que caí en éxtasis 18 y vi al Señor que me decía: “Date prisa y sal de inmediato de Jerusalén, porque no recibirán tu testimonio acerca de mí”. 19 Y yo dije: “Señor, ellos saben bien que yo andaba encarcelando y azotando a los que creían en ti en todas las sinagogas; 20 y cuando se derramaba la sangre de tu testigo Esteban, yo también estaba presente, aprobaba su muerte y guardaba la ropa de los que le mataban”[c]. 21 Pero él me dijo: “Anda, porque yo te enviaré lejos, a los gentiles”.
Pablo ante el tribuno
22 Le escucharon hasta esta palabra. Entonces alzaron la voz diciendo:
—¡Quita de la tierra a tal hombre, porque no conviene que viva!
23 Como ellos daban voces, arrojaban sus ropas y echaban polvo al aire, 24 el tribuno mandó que metieran a Pablo en la fortaleza y ordenó que le sometieran a interrogatorio mediante azotes, para saber por qué causa daban voces así contra él. 25 Pero apenas lo estiraron con las correas, Pablo dijo al centurión que estaba presente:
—¿Es lícito a ustedes azotar a un ciudadano romano que no ha sido condenado?
26 Cuando el centurión oyó esto, fue e informó al tribuno diciendo:
—¿Qué vas a hacer? Pues este hombre es romano.
27 Vino el tribuno y le dijo:
—Dime, ¿eres tú romano?
Y él dijo:
—Sí.
28 El tribuno respondió:
—Yo logré esta ciudadanía con una gran suma.
Entonces Pablo dijo:
—Pero yo la tengo por nacimiento.
29 Así que, en seguida se retiraron de él los que le iban a interrogar. También el tribuno tuvo temor cuando supo que Pablo era ciudadano romano y que le había tenido atado.
Defensa de Pablo ante el Sanedrín
30 Al día siguiente, queriendo saber con certeza la verdadera razón por la que era acusado por los judíos, le desató y mandó reunir a todos los principales sacerdotes y a todo el Sanedrín de ellos. Y sacando a Pablo, lo presentó delante de ellos.
Footnotes
- Hechos 22:6 Cf. Hech. 9:1-22; 26:12-18.
- Hechos 22:9 Algunos mss. antiguos incluyen y se espantaron.
- Hechos 22:20 Cf. Hech. 7:58; 8:1.
Acts 22
International Standard Version
22 “Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense that I am now making before you.” 2 When they heard him speaking to them in Hebrew, they became even more quiet, and he continued:
3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia but raised in this city and educated at the feet of Gamaliel in the strict ways of our ancestral Law. I am as zealous for God as all of you are today. 4 I persecuted this Way, even executing people,[a] and kept tying up both men and women and putting them in prison, 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. I also received letters from them to the brothers in Damascus, and I was going there to tie up those who were there and bring them back to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 “But while I was on my way and approaching Damascus about noon, a bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?’
8 “I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’[b]
“He told me, ‘I’m Jesus from Nazareth,[c] whom you are persecuting.’ 9 The men who were with me saw the light but didn’t understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me.
10 “Then I asked, ‘What am I to do, Lord?’
“The Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything you are destined to do.’ 11 Since I could not see because of the brightness of the light, the men who were with me took me by the hand and led me into Damascus.
12 “A certain Ananias, who was a devout man with respect to the Law and who was highly regarded by all the Jews living there, 13 came to me. He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ At that moment I could see him.
14 “Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear his own voice,[d] 15 because you will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard. 16 So now, what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away as you call on his name.’
17 “Then I returned to Jerusalem. While I was praying in the Temple, I fell into a trance 18 and saw the Lord[e] saying to me, ‘Hurry up and get out of Jerusalem at once, because the people[f] won’t accept your testimony about me.’
19 “I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in every synagogue I kept imprisoning and beating those who believe in you. 20 Even when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I was standing there, approving it and guarding the coats of those who were killing him.’
21 “Then he told me, ‘Go, because I’ll send you far away to the gentiles.’”
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[g] to be taken into the barracks and told the soldiers[h] to beat and question him in order to find out why the people[i] were yelling at him like this.
25 But when they had tied him up with the straps, Paul asked the centurion[j] 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,[k] “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[l] was a Roman citizen and that he had tied him up.
Paul is Brought before the Jewish Council
30 The next day, since the tribune[m] wanted to find out exactly what Paul[n] was being accused of by the Jews, he released him and ordered the high priests and the entire Council[o] to meet. Then he brought Paul down and had him stand before them.
Footnotes
- Acts 22:4 The Gk. lacks people
- Acts 22:8 Or Sir
- Acts 22:8 Or Jesus the Nazarene; the Gk. Nazoraios may be a word play between Heb. netser, meaning branch (cf. Isa 11:1), and the name Nazareth.
- Acts 22:14 Lit. the voice of his mouth
- Acts 22:18 Lit. him
- Acts 22:18 Lit. they
- Acts 22:24 Lit. him
- Acts 22:24 Lit. them
- Acts 22:24 Lit. why they
- Acts 22:25 A Roman centurion commanded about 100 men.
- Acts 22:27 Lit. him
- Acts 22:29 Lit. he
- Acts 22:30 Lit. he
- Acts 22:30 Lit. he
- Acts 22:30 Or Sanhedrin
Version Reina Valera Actualizada, Copyright © 2015 by Editorial Mundo Hispano
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