Acts 22 - Prayer Tents

22"Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense that I am now making before you."G435G80G2532G3962G191G3450G627G3568G4314G5209 2When they heard him speaking to them in Hebrew, they became even more quiet, and he continued:G1161G191G3754G4377G1446G1258G846G3930G3123G2271G2532G5346 3"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia but raised in this city and educated at the feet of Gamaliel in the strict ways of our ancestral law. I am as zealous for God as all of you are today.G1473G1510G3303G435G2453G1080G1722G5019G2791G1161G397G1722G5026G4172G3844G4228G1059G3811G2596G195G3551G3971G5225G2207G2316G2531G5210G3956G2075G4594 4I persecuted this Way, even executing people, and kept tying up both men and women and putting them in prison,G3739G1377G5026G3598G891G2288G1195G2532G3860G1519G5438G5037G435G2532G1135 5as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. From them I also received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I was going there to tie up those who were there and bring them back to Jerusalem to be punished.G5613G2532G749G3140G3427G3140G2532G3956G4244G3844G3739G2532G1209G1992G4314G80G2532G4198G1519G1154G71G5607G1566G1210G1519G2419G2443G5097 6"But while I was on my way and approaching Damascus about noon, a bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around me.G1161G1096G4198G3427G4198G2532G1448G1154G4012G3314G1810G4015G1537G3772G2425G5457G4015G4012G1691 7I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?'G5037G4098G1519G1475G2532G191G5456G3004G3427G4549G4549G5101G1377G3165 8"I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' "He said to me, 'I am Jesus from Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.'G1161G1473G611G5101G1488G2962G5037G2036G4314G3165G1473G1510G2424G3480G3739G4771G1377 9The men who were with me saw the light but didn't understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me.G1161G5607G4862G1698G2300G3303G5457G2532G1096G1719G1161G191G3756G5456G2980G3427 10"Then I asked, 'What am I to do, Lord?' "The Lord told me, 'Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything you are destined to do.'G1161G2036G5101G4160G2962G1161G2962G2036G4314G3165G450G4198G1519G1154G2546G2980G4671G4012G3956G3739G5021G4671G4160 11Since I could not see because of the brightness of the light, the men who were with me took me by the hand and led me into Damascus.G1161G5613G1689G3756G1689G575G1391G1565G5457G5496G5259G4895G3427G2064G1519G1154 12"A certain Ananias, who was a devout man with respect to the law and who was highly regarded by all the Jews living there,G1161G5100G367G2152G435G2596G3551G3140G5259G3956G2453G2730 13came to me. He stood beside me and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' At that moment I could see him.G2064G4314G3165G2532G2186G2036G3427G80G4549G308G2504G846G5610G2504G308G1519G846 14"Then he said, 'The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear his own voice,G1161G2036G2316G2257G3962G4400G4571G1097G846G2307G2532G1492G1342G2532G191G5456G1537G846G4750 15because you will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard.G3754G2071G846G3144G4314G3956G444G3739G3708G2532G191 16What are you waiting for now? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away as you call on his name.'G2532G3568G5101G3195G450G907G2532G628G4675G266G1941G3686G2962 17"Then I returned to Jerusalem. While I was praying in the temple, I fell into a tranceG1161G1096G3427G5290G1519G2419G2532G3450G4336G1722G2411G3165G1096G1722G1611 18and saw the Lord saying to me, 'Hurry up and get out of Jerusalem at once, because the people won't accept your testimony about me.'G2532G1492G846G3004G3427G4692G2532G1831G5034G1722G1537G2419G1360G3858G3756G3858G4675G3141G4012G1700 19"I said, 'Lord, they themselves know that in every synagogue I kept imprisoning and beating those who believe in you.G2504G2036G2962G846G1987G3754G1473G2252G5439G2532G1194G2596G4864G4100G1909G4571 20Even when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I was standing there approving it and guarding the coats of those who were killing him.'G2532G3753G129G4675G3144G4736G1632G846G2532G2252G2186G2532G4909G846G336G2532G5442G2440G337G846 21"Then he said to me, 'Go, because I will send you far away to the gentiles.'"G2532G2036G4314G3165G4198G3754G1473G1821G4571G3112G1519G1484 22Up to this point they listened to him, but then they began to shout, "Away with such a fellow from the earth! He's not fit to go on living!"G1161G191G846G191G891G5127G3056G2532G1869G846G5456G3004G142G5108G575G1093G1063G2520G3756G2520G846G2198 23While they were yelling, tossing their coats around, and throwing dirt into the air,G1161G846G2905G2532G4495G2440G2532G906G2868G1519G109 24the tribune ordered Paul to be taken into the barracks and told the soldiers to beat and question him in order to find out why the people were yelling at him like this.G5506G2753G846G71G1519G3925G2036G846G426G3148G2443G1921G1223G3739G156G2019G3779G2019G846 25But when they had tied him up with the straps, Paul asked the centurion who was standing there, "Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn't been condemned?"G1161G5613G4385G4385G846G2438G3972G2036G4314G1543G2476G1487G1832G5213G3147G444G4514G2532G178 26When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, "What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!"G1161G1543G191G4334G518G5506G3004G3708G5101G3195G4160G1063G3778G444G2076G4514 27So the tribune went and asked Paul, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes," he said.G1161G5506G4334G2036G846G3004G3427G1487G1488G4771G4514G1161G5346G3483 28Then the tribune replied, "I paid a lot of money for this citizenship of mine." Paul said, "But I was born a citizen."G5037G5506G611G4183G2774G2932G1473G5026G4174G1161G3972G5346G1161G1473G2532G1080 29Immediately those who were about to examine him stepped back, and the tribune was afraid when he found out that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had tied him up.23G3767G2112G868G575G846G3588G3195G426G846G1161G5506G2532G5399G1921G3754G2076G4514G2532G3754G2258G1210G846 30The next day, since the Tribune wanted to find out exactly what Paul was being accused of by the Jews, he released him and ordered the high priests and the entire Council to meet. Then he brought Paul down and had him stand before them.G1161G1887G1014G1097G804G5101G2723G3844G2453G3089G846G575G1199G2532G2753G749G2532G3650G846G4892G2064G2532G2609G3972G2609G2476G1519G846