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Acts

Describes the early Christian church's formation and spread, from Jerusalem to Rome, focusing on the work of the Holy Spirit.

Chapter 22

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1 Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.

*Men, brothers, and fathers, listen to my explanation that I am making to you right now.

2 (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)

*When they heard him speaking their language, Hebrew, they became even quieter. He then said,

3 I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.

*I truly am a man and a Jew, born in Tarsus, a place in Cilicia. I grew up in that city, learning from Gamaliel. I followed the law of our ancestors perfectly, and was very devoted to God, just like you all are today.

4 And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.

*I harshly punished people by imprisoning them, including men and women, causing great harm.

5 As 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.

*The high priest and the important older people agree with me. They gave me a letter to take to the brothers in Damascus. I was going to bring them there so they could be punished in Jerusalem.

6 And 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.

*One day, while I was traveling near Damascus around noon, a huge light from the sky suddenly appeared all around me.

7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

*I fell down and heard a voice asking, "Saul, why do you harass me?"

8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

*I asked, "Who are you, Lord?" He replied, "I am Jesus from Nazareth. You are hurting me."

9 And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.

*Those with me saw the light and got scared, but they didn't hear the voice of the one talking to me.

10 And 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.

*I asked, "What should I do, Lord?" The Lord replied, "Get up and go to Damascus. There, they will tell you everything you need to do."

11 And 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.

*When I couldn't see because of the bright light, being guided by the people holding my hand, I arrived in Damascus.

12 And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,

*And a man named Ananias, who was religious and followed the law, with a positive reputation from all the Jewish people living there.

13 Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.

*A man came to me, stood, and told me, "Brother Saul, you can see now." In that moment, I looked at him.

14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.

*He said, "The God of our ancestors chose you to understand His plan, see the righteous person, and hear His voice directly."

15 For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.

*You will tell everyone about what you have seen and heard.

16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

*So why are you waiting? Get up, be baptized, and cleanse your sins by asking for the Lord's help.

17 And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;

*Then, when I returned to Jerusalem and prayed in the temple, I entered a trance.

18 And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.

*He told me to hurry and leave Jerusalem, as they wouldn't believe my message about him.

19 And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:

*I told God, "They know I locked up and hurt anyone who believed in you at every church."

20 And 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.

*When Stephen, a martyr, lost his life, I was there too, agreeing to his death, and helped those who killed him with their clothes.

21 And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.

*He told me to leave, because he will send me far away to the non-Jewish people.

22 And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live.

*They listened to what he said, then shouted, "Get rid of him! He shouldn't be alive."

23 And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air,

*As they shouted, took off their clothes, and tossed dirt into the air,

24 The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him.

*The leader ordered him to be taken to the fortress and told them to whip him to find out why people were complaining about him so much.

25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?

*As they tied him up, Paul asked the soldier nearby, "Is it allowed for you to beat a man who is a Roman and hasn't been found guilty?"

26 When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.

*When the soldier learned about it, he went to report to his superior, saying, Be careful with your actions; this man is a Roman.

27 Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.

*Then the leader asked, "Are you a Roman?" He replied, "Yes."

28 And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.

*The leader replied, "I paid a large amount for my freedom." And Paul responded, "I was naturally free."

29 Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.

*Then they left him who should have questioned him. The top officer was scared too, after finding out he was Roman, because he had tied him up.

30 On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.

*The next day, since he wanted to know for sure why Paul was accused by the Jews, he released him from his chains and ordered the main priests and their entire council to come. He then brought Paul to them.

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