AC-22:1  Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence [which I make] now unto

you.

AC-22:2  (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they

kept the more silence: and he saith,)

AC-22:3  I am verily a man [which am] a Jew, born in Tarsus, [a city] in

Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, [and] taught

according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous

toward God, as ye all are this day.

AC-22:4  And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into

prisons both men and women.

AC-22:5  As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of

the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to

Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be

punished.

AC-22:6  And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh

unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round

about me.

AC-22:7  And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul,

Saul, why persecutest thou me?

AC-22:8  And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of

Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

AC-22:9  And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but

they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.

AC-22:10  And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise,

and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are

appointed for thee to do.

AC-22:11  And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by

the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.

AC-22:12  And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good

report of all the Jews which dwelt [there],

AC-22:13  Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy

sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.

AC-22:14  And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou

shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of

his mouth.

AC-22:15  For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and

heard.

AC-22:16  And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy

sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

AC-22:17  And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even

while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;

AC-22:18  And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of

Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.

AC-22:19  And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every

synagogue them that believed on thee:

AC-22:20  And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was

standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that

slew him.

AC-22:21  And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the

Gentiles.

AC-22:22  And they gave him audience unto this word, and [then] lifted up their

voices, and said, Away with such a [fellow] from the earth: for it is not fit

that he should live.

AC-22:23  And as they cried out, and cast off [their] clothes, and threw dust

into the air,

AC-22:24  The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and

bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they

cried so against him.

AC-22:25  And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that

stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and

uncondemned?

AC-22:26  When the centurion heard [that], he went and told the chief captain,

saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.

AC-22:27  Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a

Roman? He said, Yea.

AC-22:28  And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this

freedom. And Paul said, But I was [free] born.

AC-22:29  Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined

him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman,

and because he had bound him.

AC-22:30  On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he

was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from [his] bands, and commanded the

chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set

him before them.

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