22"Brothers and esteemed fathers," Paul said, "listen to me as I offer my defense."G435G80G2532G3962G191G3450G627G3568G4314G5209 2When they heard him speaking in their own language
, the silence was even greater.G1161G191G3754G4377G1446G1258G846G3930G3123G2271G2532G5346 3Then Paul said, "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. As his student, I was carefully trained in our Jewish laws and customs. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just like all of you today.G1473G1510G3303G435G2453G1080G1722G5019G2791G1161G397G1722G5026G4172G3844G4228G1059G3811G2596G195G3551G3971G5225G2207G2316G2531G5210G3956G2075G4594 4And I persecuted the followers of the Way, hounding some to death, arresting both men and women and throwing them in prison.G3739G1377G5026G3598G891G2288G1195G2532G3860G1519G5438G5037G435G2532G1135 5The high priest and the whole council of elders can testify that this is so. For I received letters from them to our Jewish brothers in Damascus, authorizing me to bring the Christians from there to Jerusalem, in chains, to be punished.G5613G2532G749G3140G3427G3140G2532G3956G4244G3844G3739G2532G1209G1992G4314G80G2532G4198G1519G1154G71G5607G1566G1210G1519G2419G2443G5097 6"As I was on the road, approaching Damascus about noon, a very bright light from heaven suddenly shone down around me.G1161G1096G4198G3427G4198G2532G1448G1154G4012G3314G1810G4015G1537G3772G2425G5457G4015G4012G1691 7I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'G5037G4098G1519G1475G2532G191G5456G3004G3427G4549G4549G5101G1377G3165 8"'Who are you, lord?' I asked. "And the voice replied, 'I am Jesus the Nazarene, the one you are persecuting.'G1161G1473G611G5101G1488G2962G5037G2036G4314G3165G1473G1510G2424G3480G3739G4771G1377 9The people with me saw the light but didn't understand the voice speaking to me.G1161G5607G4862G1698G2300G3303G5457G2532G1096G1719G1161G191G3756G5456G2980G3427 10"I asked, 'What should I do, Lord?' "And the Lord told me, 'Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything you are to do.'G1161G2036G5101G4160G2962G1161G2962G2036G4314G3165G450G4198G1519G1154G2546G2980G4671G4012G3956G3739G5021G4671G4160 11"I was blinded by the intense light and had to be led by the hand to Damascus by my companions.G1161G5613G1689G3756G1689G575G1391G1565G5457G5496G5259G4895G3427G2064G1519G1154 12A man named Ananias lived there. He was a godly man, deeply devoted to the law, and well regarded by all the Jews of Damascus.G1161G5100G367G2152G435G2596G3551G3140G5259G3956G2453G2730 13He came and stood beside me and said, 'Brother Saul, regain your sight.' And that very moment I could see him!G2064G4314G3165G2532G2186G2036G3427G80G4549G308G2504G846G5610G2504G308G1519G846 14"Then he told me, 'The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and hear him speak.G1161G2036G2316G2257G3962G4400G4571G1097G846G2307G2532G1492G1342G2532G191G5456G1537G846G4750 15For you are to be his witness, telling everyone what you have seen and heard.G3754G2071G846G3144G4314G3956G444G3739G3708G2532G191 16What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.'G2532G3568G5101G3195G450G907G2532G628G4675G266G1941G3686G2962 17"After I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the Temple and fell into a trance.G1161G1096G3427G5290G1519G2419G2532G3450G4336G1722G2411G3165G1096G1722G1611 18I saw a vision of Jesus saying to me, 'Hurry! Leave Jerusalem, for the people here won't accept your testimony about me.'G2532G1492G846G3004G3427G4692G2532G1831G5034G1722G1537G2419G1360G3858G3756G3858G4675G3141G4012G1700 19"'But Lord,' I argued, 'they certainly know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you.G2504G2036G2962G846G1987G3754G1473G2252G5439G2532G1194G2596G4864G4100G1909G4571 20And I was in complete agreement when your witness Stephen was killed. I stood by and kept the coats they took off when they stoned him.'G2532G3753G129G4675G3144G4736G1632G846G2532G2252G2186G2532G4909G846G336G2532G5442G2440G337G846 21"But the Lord said to me, 'Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!'"G2532G2036G4314G3165G4198G3754G1473G1821G4571G3112G1519G1484 22The crowd listened until Paul said that word. Then they all began to shout, "Away with such a fellow! He isn't fit to live!"G1161G191G846G191G891G5127G3056G2532G1869G846G5456G3004G142G5108G575G1093G1063G2520G3756G2520G846G2198 23They yelled, threw off their coats, and tossed handfuls of dust into the air.G1161G846G2905G2532G4495G2440G2532G906G2868G1519G109 G2753G846G71G1519G3925G2036G846G426G3148G2443G1921G1223G3739G156G2019G3779G2019G846 25When they tied Paul down to lash him, Paul said to the officer standing there, "Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn't even been tried?"G1161G5613G4385G4385G846G2438G3972G2036G4314G1543G2476G1487G1832G5213G3147G444G4514G2532G178 26When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and asked, "What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!"G1161G1543G191G4334G518G5506G3004G3708G5101G3195G4160G1063G3778G444G2076G4514 27So the commander went over and asked Paul, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes, I certainly am," Paul replied.G1161G5506G4334G2036G846G3004G3427G1487G1488G4771G4514G1161G5346G3483 28"I am, too," the commander muttered, "and it cost me plenty!" Paul answered, "But I am a citizen by birth!"G5037G5506G611G4183G2774G2932G1473G5026G4174G1161G3972G5346G1161G1473G2532G1080 29The soldiers who were about to interrogate Paul quickly withdrew when they heard he was a Roman citizen, and the commander was frightened because he had ordered him bound and whipped.G3767G2112G868G575G846G3588G3195G426G846G1161G5506G2532G5399G1921G3754G2076G4514G2532G3754G2258G1210G846 . He wanted to find out what the trouble was all about, so he released Paul to have him stand before them.G1161G1887G1014G1097G804G5101G2723G3844G2453G3089G846G575G1199G2532G2753G749G2532G3650G846G4892G2064G2532G2609G3972G2609G2476G1519G846
, the silence was even greater.G1161, the one you are persecuting.'G1161 saying to me, 'Hurry! Leave Jerusalem, for the people here won't accept your testimony about me.'G2532Paul Reveals His Roman Citizenship
24The commander brought Paul inside and ordered him lashed with whips to make him confess his crime. He wanted to find out why the crowd had become so furious.G5506 standing there, "Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn't even been tried?"G1161Paul before the High Council
30The next day the commander ordered the leading priests into session with the Jewish high council. He wanted to find out what the trouble was all about, so he released Paul to have him stand before them.G1161
