Day 19

ACTS 22

1 Men, brothers and fathers, hear my defense which I now make to you.

2 And when they heard that he addressed them in the Hebrew dialect, they became more quiet. And he said,

3 I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city and trained at the feet of Gamaliel, according to the strictness of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you all are today.

4 And I persecuted this Way unto death, binding and delivering to prisons both men and women,

5 As also the high priest and all the assembly of the elders testify for me; from whom I also received letters to the brothers and went to Damascus to bring those also who were there bound to Jerusalem that they might be punished.

6 And as I journeyed and drew near to Damascus about midday, suddenly a great light flashed out of heaven around me;

7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?

8 And I answered, Who are You, Lord? And He said to me, I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you persecute.

9 And those who were with me beheld the light, but did not hear the voice of the One who was speaking to me.

10 And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me, Rise up and go into Damascus, and there it will be told to you concerning all the things which have been appointed to you to do.

11 And as I could not see because of the glory of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and came into Damascus.

12 And a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well attested to by all the Jews dwelling there,

13 Came to me, and standing by, said to me, Saul, brother, receive your sight! And in that very hour I looked up at him.

14 And he said, The God of our fathers has previously appointed you to know His will and to see the righteous One and to hear the voice from His mouth;

15 For you will be a witness to Him unto all men of the things which you have seen and heard.

16 And now, why do you delay? Rise up and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on His name.

17 And when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I went into a trance;

18 And I saw Him saying to me, Hurry, and go quickly out of Jerusalem, because they will not accept your testimony concerning Me.

19 And I said, Lord, they know that I was imprisoning and beating from synagogue to synagogue those who believe on You;

20 And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I myself also was standing by and approving and keeping the garments of those who did away with him.

21 And He said to me, Go, for I will send you forth far away to the Gentiles.

22 And they listened to him up to this word, and then they lifted up their voice, saying, Away from the earth with such a man, for it is not fitting for him to live!

23 And as they were crying out and casting off their garments and throwing dust in the air,

24 The commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, saying that he should be examined by scourging in order that he might ascertain for what cause they were shouting against him so.

25 But as they stretched him out with the thongs, Paul said to the centurion standing by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?

26 And when the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported, saying, What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.

27 And the commander came and said to him, Tell me, are you a Roman? And he said, Yes.

28 And the commander answered, With a large sum of money I acquired this citizenship. And Paul said, But I was even born a Roman.

29 Immediately therefore those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander also was afraid, realizing that he was a Roman and that he had bound him.

30 And on the next day he, intending to find out for certain why he was accused by the Jews, released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to come together; and having brought Paul down, he had him stand before them.

ACTS 23

1 And Paul, looking intently at the Sanhedrin, said, Men, brothers, I have conducted myself in all good conscience before God until this day.

2 And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.

3 Then Paul said to him, God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall. And do you sit to judge me according to the law, and contrary to the law you order me to be struck?

4 And those standing by said, Do you revile the high priest of God?

5 And Paul said, I did not know, brothers, that he is the high priest; for it is written, “You shall not speak evilly of the ruler of your people.”

6 And Paul, knowing that one part was Sadducees and the other Pharisees, cried out in the Sanhedrin, Men, brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!

7 And when he spoke this, a dissension took place between the Pharisees and Sadducees; and the multitude was divided.

8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess both.

9 And there was a great outcry; and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ party rose up and contended, saying, We find nothing evil in this man. And what if a spirit has spoken to him, or an angel?

10 And when much dissension had taken place, the commander, fearing that Paul might be torn to pieces by them, ordered the detachment of soldiers to go down and seize him from their midst and bring him into the barracks.

11 But in the night following, the Lord stood by him and said, Take courage, for as you have solemnly testified to the things concerning Me in Jerusalem, so also you must testify in Rome.

12 And when it became day, the Jews formed a plot and put themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.

13 And there were more than forty who swore to this conspiracy.

14 They came to the chief priests and the elders and said, We have bound ourselves with a curse to taste nothing until we kill Paul.

15 Now therefore you, with the Sanhedrin, notify the commander to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine more accurately the things concerning him; and we, before he draws near, are ready to do away with him.

16 But the son of Paul’s sister heard of the ambush, and he came and entered into the barracks and reported it to Paul.

17 And Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, Bring this young man to the commander, for he has something to report to him.

18 So he took him and brought him to the commander and said, The prisoner Paul called me to him and asked me to bring this young man to you, because he has something to tell you.

19 And the commander took him by the hand and, withdrawing privately, inquired, What is it that you have to report to me?

20 And he said, The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down tomorrow to the Sanhedrin, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more accurately concerning him.

21 So you should not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him; they have put themselves under a curse neither to eat nor to drink until they have done away with him. And now they are ready, awaiting the promise from you.

22 So the commander dismissed the young man, charging him, Do not tell anyone that you have informed me of these things.

23 And he called to him a certain two of the centurions and said, Prepare two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, as well as seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen, by the third hour of the night;

24 And they were also to provide mounts to put Paul on and bring him safely to Felix the governor.

25 And he wrote a letter having this form:

26 Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency, Governor Felix, rejoice.

27 This man, having been seized by the Jews and about to be done away with by them, I came upon with my detachment of soldiers and rescued, when I learned that he was a Roman.

28 And intending to ascertain the cause for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their Sanhedrin,

29 And found him to be accused concerning questions of their law, but having nothing worthy of death or of bonds laid to his charge.

30 And when it was disclosed to me that there was a plot against the man, I sent him at once to you, charging the accusers also to speak the things against him before you.

31 So the soldiers, according to what they had been directed, took up Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris.

32 And on the next day, leaving the horsemen to depart with him, they returned to the barracks.

33 And when they entered into Caesarea and handed over the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also to him.

34 And when he had read it, he asked from what province he was; and learning that he was from Cilicia,

35 He said, I will hear your case fully when your accusers also arrive. And he ordered him to be guarded in Herod’s praetorium.