Acts

Paul’s Speech

“Brothers and fathers, listen to what I have to say in my defense.”

When they heard him speaking to them in Hebrew, they grew quieter.

So he continued:

“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but raised here in this city, where I received my education at the school of Gamaliel, in accordance with our law’s strict observance. And I was committed to God’s service, just as all of you are today.

As for this Way, I persecuted it to the point of death and arrested its followers, both men and women, throwing them into prison.

The High Priest and the entire Council of elders can testify to this. From them, I received letters for the Jewish brothers in Damascus, and I set out to arrest those there and bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment.

As I was traveling along, nearing Damascus around noon, a bright light suddenly flashed from the sky around me.

I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me: ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’

I replied: ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me: ‘I am Jesus, the Nazorean, whom you persecute.’

The men with me saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of the one speaking to me.

I asked: ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ The Lord answered: ‘Get up and go to Damascus; there you will be told everything you are destined to do.’

Yet, the brightness of that light blinded me; so I was led by the hand into Damascus by my companions.

There, a certain Ananias came to me. He was a devout observer of the law and well spoken of by all the Jews who were living there.

As he stood by me, he said: ‘Brother Saul, recover your sight.’ At that moment, I could see, and I looked at him.

He then said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Just One, and to hear the words from his mouth.

From now on, you shall be his witness before all the pagan people and tell them all that you have seen and heard.

And now, why delay? Get up and be baptized, and have your sins washed away by calling upon his Name.’

On my return to Jerusalem, I was praying in the temple when I fell into a trance

and saw him. He spoke to me: ‘Get ready to leave Jerusalem without delay, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’

I answered: ‘Lord, they know well that I imprisoned those who believed in you and had them beaten in every synagogue;

and, while the blood of your witness Stephen was being poured out, I stood by and approved it and even guarded the cloaks of his murderers.’

Then he said to me: ‘Go, for I am sending you far away, to the pagan nations.’”

Up to this point, the crowd listened to Paul, but upon hearing the last words, they started to shout:

“Kill him! He doesn’t deserve to live!”

They were shouting, waving their cloaks, and tossing dust into the air.

So the commander ordered Paul to be brought inside the fortress and questioned after flogging, to find out why they had such an outcry against him.

But when the soldiers had strapped him down, Paul said to the officer standing there:

“Is it legal to flog a Roman citizen without a trial?”

Upon hearing this, the officer approached the commander and asked,

“What are you doing? That man is a Roman citizen.”

So the commander approached him and inquired:

“Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”

He answered:

“Yes.”

The commander said:

“It cost me a large sum of money to become a Roman citizen.”

Paul responded:

“I am one by birth.”

Then those about to question him backed away, and the commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put a Roman citizen in chains.

The next day, the commander wanted to know for certain the charges the Jews were making against Paul. So, he released him from prison, called together the High Priest and the entire Council; they brought Paul down and made him stand before them.