wmth - Acts:22

wmth@Acts:22:1 @ »Brethren and fathers,« he said, »listen to my defence which I now make before you.«

wmth@Acts:22:2 @ And on hearing him address them in Hebrew, they kept all the more quiet; and he said,

wmth@Acts:22:3 @ »I am a Jew, born at Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I was carefully trained at the feet of Gamaliel in the Law of our forefathers, and, like all of you to-day, was zealous for God.«

wmth@Acts:22:4 @ I persecuted to death this new faith, continually binding both men and women and throwing them into prison;

wmth@Acts:22:5 @ as the High Priest also and all the Elders can bear me witness. It was, too, from them that I received letters to the brethren in Damascus, and I was already on my way to Damascus, intending to bring those also who had fled there, in chains to Jerusalem, to be punished.

wmth@Acts:22:6 @ »But on my way, when I was now not far from Damascus, about noon a sudden blaze of light from Heaven shone round me.

wmth@Acts:22:7 @ I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, »`Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?'

wmth@Acts:22:8 @ »`Who art thou, Lord?' I asked.« `I am Jesus, the Nazarene,' He replied, `whom you are persecuting.'

wmth@Acts:22:9 @ »Now the men who were with me, though they saw the light, did not hear the words of Him who spoke to me.«

wmth@Acts:22:10 @ And I asked, »`What am I to do, Lord?' «And the Lord said to me, »`Rise, and go into Damascus. There you shall be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.'

wmth@Acts:22:11 @ »And as I could not see because the light had been so dazzling, those who were with me had to lead me by the arm, and so I came to Damascus.«

wmth@Acts:22:12 @ »And a certain Ananias, a pious man who obeyed the Law and bore a good character with all the Jews of the city,

wmth@Acts:22:13 @ came to me and standing at my side said, »`Brother Saul, recover your sight.'« I instantly regained my sight and looked up at him.

wmth@Acts:22:14 @ Then he said, `The God of our forefathers has appointed you to know His will, and to see the righteous One and hear Him speak.

wmth@Acts:22:15 @ For you shall be a witness for Him, to all men, of what you have seen and heard.

wmth@Acts:22:16 @ And now why delay? Rise, get yourself baptized, and wash off your sins, calling upon His name.'

wmth@Acts:22:17 @ »After my return to Jerusalem, and while praying in the Temple, I fell into a trance.«

wmth@Acts:22:18 @ I saw Jesus, and He said to me, »`Make haste and leave Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.'

wmth@Acts:22:19 @ »`Lord,' I replied, `they themselves well know how active I was in imprisoning, and in flogging in synagogue after synagogue those who believe in Thee;«

wmth@Acts:22:20 @ and when they were shedding the blood of Stephen, Thy witness, I was standing by, fully approving of it, and I held the clothes of those who were killing him.'

wmth@Acts:22:21 @ »`Go,' He replied; `I will send you as an Apostle to nations far away.'«

wmth@Acts:22:22 @ Until they heard this last statement the people listened to Paul, but now with a roar of disapproval they cried out, »Away with such a fellow from the earth! He ought not to be allowed to live.«

wmth@Acts:22:23 @ And when they continued their furious shouts, throwing their clothes into the air and flinging dust about,

wmth@Acts:22:24 @ the Tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and be examined by flogging, in order to ascertain the reason why they thus cried out against him.

wmth@Acts:22:25 @ But, when they had tied him up with the straps, Paul said to the Captain who stood by, »Does the Law permit you to flog a Roman citizen–and one too who is uncondemned?«

wmth@Acts:22:26 @ On hearing this question, the Captain went to report the matter to the Tribune. »What are you intending to do?« he said. »This man is a Roman citizen.«

wmth@Acts:22:27 @ So the Tribune came to Paul and asked him, »Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?«»Yes,« he said.

wmth@Acts:22:28 @ »I paid a large sum for my citizenship,« said the Tribune. »But I was born free,« said Paul.

wmth@Acts:22:29 @ So the men who had been on the point of putting him under torture immediately left him. And the Tribune, too, was frightened when he learnt that Paul was a Roman citizen, for he had had him bound.

wmth@Acts:22:30 @ The next day, wishing to know exactly what charge was being brought against him by the Jews, the Tribune ordered his chains to be removed; and, having sent word to the High Priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble, he brought Paul down and made him stand before them.