Acts 22:17-30

17“It happened when I 1returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I 2fell into a trance, 18and I saw Him saying to me, ‘3Make haste, and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.’ 19And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue after another 4I used to imprison and 5beat those who believed in You. 20And 6when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing by approving, and watching out for the coats of those who were slaying him.’ 21And He said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away 7to the Gentiles.’”

22They listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, “8Away with such a fellow from the earth, for 9he should not be allowed to live!” 23And as they were crying out and 10throwing off their cloaks and 11tossing dust into the air, 24the 12commander ordered him to be brought into 13the barracks, stating that he should be 14examined by scourging so that he might find out the reason why they were shouting against him that way. 25But when they stretched him out 15with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it 16lawful for you to scourge 17a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?” 26When the centurion heard this, he went to the 18commander and told him, saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.” 27The 19commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.” 28The 20commander answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” And Paul said, “But I was actually born a citizen.” 29Therefore those who were about to 21examine him immediately 22let go of him; and the 23commander also 24was afraid when he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had 2526put him in chains.

30But on the next day, 27wishing to know for certain why he had been accused by the Jews, he 28released him and ordered the chief priests and all 29the 30Council to assemble, and brought Paul down and set him before them.