Chapter 21, verse 29 - Chapter 23, verse 6
29
For they had seen Trophimus, the Ephesian, with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.
30
All the city was moved, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple. Immediately the doors were shut.
31
As they were trying to kill him, news came up to the commanding officer of the regiment that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.
32
Immediately he took soldiers and centurions, and ran down to them. They, when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, stopped beating Paul.
33
Then the commanding officer came near, arrested him, commanded him to be bound with two chains, and inquired who he was and what he had done.
34
Some shouted one thing, and some another, among the crowd. When he couldn’t find out the truth because of the noise, he commanded him to be brought into the barracks.
35
When he came to the stairs, it happened that he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd
36
for the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, “Away with him!”
37
As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he asked the commanding officer, “May I speak to you?”. He said, “Do you know Greek?
38
Aren’t you then the Egyptian, who before these days stirred up to sedition and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the Assassins?”
39
But Paul said, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city. I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.”
40
When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the stairs, beckoned with his hand to the people. When there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, saying,
Chapter 22
1
“Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense which I now make to you.”
2
When they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they were even more quiet. He said,
3
“I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict tradition of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you all are this day.
4
I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.
5
As also the high priest and all the council of the elders testify, from whom also I received letters to the brothers, and traveled to Damascus to bring them also who were there to Jerusalem in bonds to be punished.
6
It happened that, as I made my journey, and came close to Damascus, about noon, suddenly there shone from the sky a great light 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?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute.’
9
“Those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they didn’t understand the voice of him who spoke to me.
10
I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Arise, and go into Damascus. There you will be told about all things which are appointed for you to do.’
11
When I couldn’t see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.
12
One Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well reported of by all the Jews who lived in Damascus,
13
came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ In that very hour I looked up at him.
14
He said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from his mouth.
15
For you will be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and heard.
16
Now why do you wait? Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’
17
“It happened that, when I had returned to Jerusalem, and while I prayed in the temple, I fell into a trance,
18
and saw him saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not receive testimony concerning me from you.’
19
I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue those who believed in you.
20
When the blood of Stephen, your witness, was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting to his death, and guarding the cloaks of those who killed him.’
21
“He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you out far from here to the Gentiles.’”
22
They listened to him until he said that
23
As they cried out, and threw off their cloaks, and threw dust into the air,
24
the commanding officer commanded him to be brought into the barracks, ordering him to be examined by scourging, that he might know for what crime they shouted against him like that.
25
When they had tied him up with thongs, Paul asked the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and not found guilty?”
26
When the centurion heard it, he went to the commanding officer and told him, “Watch what you are about to do, for this man is a Roman!”
27
The commanding officer came and asked him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?”. He said, “Yes.”
28
The commanding officer answered, “I bought my citizenship for a great price.” Paul said, “But I was born a Roman.”
29
Immediately those who were about to examine him departed from him, and the commanding officer also was afraid when he realized that he was a Roman, because he had bound him.
30
But on the next day, desiring to know the truth about why he was accused by the Jews, he freed him from the bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all the council to come together, and brought Paul down and set him before them.
Chapter 23
1
Paul, looking steadfastly at the council, said, “Brothers, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this day.”
2
The high priest, Ananias, commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.
3
Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to judge me according to the law, and command me to be struck contrary to the law?”
4
Those who stood by said, “Do you malign God’s high priest?”
5
Paul said, “I didn’t know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”
6
But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. Concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!”
