1Paul declareth at large the manner of his conversion and call to the apostleship. 22At the very mentioning of the Gentiles the people exclaim furiously against him: whereupon the chief captain ordereth to examine him by scourging: 25which he avoideth by pleading the privilege of a Roman citizen. 30He is brought before the Jewish council.
1 1MEN, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.
2 (and when they heard that he 1spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)
3 1I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city 2at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught 3according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.
4 1And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.
5 1As 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.
6 1And 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.
7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.
9 1And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they 2heard not the voice of him that spake to me.
10 1And 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.
11 1And 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.
12 1And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, 2having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,
13 1Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.
14 And he said, 1The God of our fathers 2hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and 3see that 4Just One, and shouldest hear the 5voice of his mouth.
15 For thou shalt be 1his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
16 And now why tarriest thou? 1arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
17 And it came to pass, that, 1when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a 2trance;
18 And 1saw him saying unto me, 2Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.
19 And I said, Lord, they know 1that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:
20 1And 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.
21 And he said unto me, Depart: for 1I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.
22 And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, 1Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live.
23 And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air,
24 1The chief captain commanded him to be brought into 2the castle, and bade 3that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him.
25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, 1Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?
26 When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, 1Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.
27 Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.
28 And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.
29 Then straightway they departed from him which should have aexamined him: and the chief captain also 1was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.
30 On the morrow, 1because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and 2commanded the chief priests and all their 3council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.
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