22 1 "Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense before you." 2 When they heard him speaking to them in Hebrew, they grew even more quiet. And he said:
3 I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, raised in this city, trained at Gamaliel's feet in the strict law of our ancestors, as eager for God as all of you are today. 4 "I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify. From them I received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and went to bring those there as prisoners to Jerusalem for punishment.
6 Traveling and nearing Damascus about noon, a great light from heaven suddenly flashed around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' 8 I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' He replied, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you're persecuting.'
9 Those with me saw the light but didn't understand the voice of the one speaking to me. 10 I said, 'What should I do, Lord?' The Lord replied, 'Get up and go into Damascus. There you'll be told all you've been appointed to do.' 11 Since that light's brightness blinded me, my companions led me by the hand into Damascus. 12 A man named Ananias, devout by the law, well spoken of by all the Jews living there, 13 came and stood by me and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight.' At that very hour I looked up and saw him. 14 He said, 'The Father of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from his mouth; a a v14 "The Righteous One" is one of the New Testament's titles for Jesus — the sinless one Paul met on the Damascus road. 15 for you will be his witness to everyone of what you have seen and heard." 16 And now, why wait? Get up, be baptized, wash away your sins, calling on his name.
17 "When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance" 18 and saw him saying to me, 'Hurry and leave Jerusalem quickly, because they won't accept your testimony about me.' 19 I said, 'Lord, they themselves know that I went from synagogue to synagogue imprisoning and beating those who believed in you.' 20 When the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I stood by, approving and guarding the cloaks of those killing him.
21 "And he said to me, 'Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'"
22 Up to that point they listened, then shouted, 'Erase such a man from the earth, for he shouldn't be allowed to live!'
23 And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, 24 The commander ordered him taken into the barracks and whipped, to learn why they were shouting against him like this. 25 As they stretched him out for the straps, Paul said to the centurion standing there, "Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn't been condemned?"
26 Hearing this, the centurion went to the commander and reported it: "What are you about to do? This man is a Roman citizen."
27 So the commander came and asked, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes," he said.
28 The commander said, "I paid a large sum for this citizenship." But Paul said, "I was born a citizen."
29 So those about to question him withdrew at once; the commander was afraid, realizing he had bound a Roman citizen. 30 The next day, wanting to know exactly why the Jews accused him, the commander freed Paul, ordered the chief priests and the whole council to assemble, brought Paul down, and set him before them.
