Acts 22:6-30

6“1But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus about noontime, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me, 7and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ 8And I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am 2Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’ 9And those who were with me 3saw the light, to be sure, but 4did not 5understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me. 10And I said, ‘6What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.’ 11But since I 7could not see because of the 8brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and came into Damascus.

12“A certain 9Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law, and 10well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13came to me, and standing near said to me, ‘11Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And 1213at that very time I looked up at him. 14And he said, ‘14The God of our fathers has 15appointed you to know His will and to 16see the 17Righteous One and to hear an 18utterance from His mouth. 15For you will be 19a witness for Him to all men of 20what you have seen and heard. 16Now why do you delay? 21Get up and be baptized, and 22wash away your sins, 23calling on His name.’

17“It happened when I 24returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I 25fell into a trance, 18and I saw Him saying to me, ‘26Make 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 27I used to imprison and 28beat those who believed in You. 20And 29when 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 30to the Gentiles.’”

22They listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, “31Away with such a fellow from the earth, for 32he should not be allowed to live!” 23And as they were crying out and 33throwing off their cloaks and 34tossing dust into the air, 24the 35commander ordered him to be brought into 36the barracks, stating that he should be 37examined by scourging so that he might find out the reason why they were shouting against him that way. 25But when they stretched him out 38with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it 39lawful for you to scourge 40a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?” 26When the centurion heard this, he went to the 41commander and told him, saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.” 27The 42commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.” 28The 43commander 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 44examine him immediately 45let go of him; and the 46commander also 47was afraid when he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had 4849put him in chains.

30But on the next day, 50wishing to know for certain why he had been accused by the Jews, he 51released him and ordered the chief priests and all 52the 53Council to assemble, and brought Paul down and set him before them.