Acts 22:6-30

6“1But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus at about noon, 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, 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 about everything that has been appointed for you to do.’ 11But since I 7could not see because of the 8brightness of that light, I came into Damascus being led by the hand by those who were with me.

12“Now 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 nearby he said to me, ‘11Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And 1213at that very moment 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 a 18message from His mouth. 15For you will be 19a witness for Him to all people of 20what you have seen and heard. 16Now why do you delay? 21Get up and be baptized, and 22wash away your sins by 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, ‘26Hurry 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 nearby and approving, and watching over the cloaks of those who were killing 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 man from the earth, for 32he should not be allowed to live!” 23And as they were shouting and 33throwing off their cloaks and 34tossing dust into the air, 24the commander ordered that he be brought into 35the barracks, saying that he was to be 36interrogated by flogging so that he would find out the reason why they were shouting against him that way. 25But when they stretched him out 37with straps, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it 38lawful for you to flog 39a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?” 26When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and told him, saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.” 27The commander came and said to 40Paul, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.” 28The commander answered, “I acquired this citizenship for a large sum of money.” And Paul said, “But I was actually born a citizen.” 29Therefore, those who were about to 41interrogate him immediately backed away from him; and the commander also 42was afraid when he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had 4344put him in chains.

30Now on the next day, 45wanting to know for certain why Paul had been accused by the Jews, he 46released him and ordered the chief priests and all 47the 48Council to assemble, and he brought Paul down and placed him before them.