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Acts 22 :: New American Standard Bible 2020 (NASB20)

Paul’s Defense before the Jews

Act 22:1

[fn]Brothers and fathers, hear my defense which I now offer to you.”

Act 22:2

And when they heard that he was addressing them in the [fn]Hebrew dialect, they became even more quiet; and he *said,

Act 22:3

“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated [fn]under Gamaliel, [fn]strictly according to the Law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today.

Act 22:4“I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons,
Act 22:5as also the high priest and all the Council of the elders [fn]can testify. From them I also received letters to the brothers, and started off for Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem [fn]as prisoners to be punished.
Act 22:6

“But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus at about noon, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me,

Act 22:7and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’
Act 22:8“And I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’
Act 22:9“And those who were with me saw the light, but did not [fn]understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me.
Act 22:10“And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told about everything that has been appointed for you to do.’
Act 22:11“But since I could not see because of the [fn]brightness of that light, I came into Damascus being led by the hand by those who were with me.
Act 22:12

“Now a certain Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,

Act 22:13came to me, and standing nearby he said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And [fn]at that very moment I looked up at him.
Act 22:14“And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear a [fn]message from His mouth.
Act 22:15‘For you will be a witness for Him to all people of what you have seen and heard.
Act 22:16‘Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins by calling on His name.’
Act 22:17

“It happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I fell into a trance,

Act 22:18and I saw Him saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.’
Act 22:19“And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in You.
Act 22:20‘And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing nearby and approving, and watching over the cloaks of those who were killing him.’
Act 22:21“And He said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’
Act 22:22

They listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a man from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live!”

Act 22:23And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and tossing dust into the air,
Act 22:24the commander ordered that he be brought into the barracks, saying that he was to be interrogated by flogging so that he would find out the reason why they were shouting against him that way.
Act 22:25But when they stretched him out [fn]with straps, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it [fn]lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?”
Act 22:26When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and told him, saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.”
Act 22:27The commander came and said to [fn]Paul, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.”
Act 22:28The commander answered, “I acquired this citizenship for a large sum of money.” And Paul said, “But I was actually born a citizen.
Act 22:29Therefore, those who were about to interrogate him immediately backed away from him; and the commander also was afraid when he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had [fn]put him in chains.
Act 22:30

Now on the next day, wanting to know for certain why Paul had been accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the [fn]Council to assemble, and he brought Paul down and placed him before them.

NASB20 Footnotes
Lit Men, brothers
I.e., Jewish Aramaic
Lit at the feet of
Lit according to the strictness of the ancestral law
Lit testifies for me
Lit having been bound
Or hear (with comprehension)
Lit glory
Or instantly; lit at the very hour
Lit voice
Or for the whip
Interrogation by torture was a procedure used with slaves
Lit him
Lit bound him
Or Sanhedrin
*
See the NASB20 Preface for an explanation on the use of the asterisk.
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For more information on this translation, see the NASB20 Preface.