v.1-5
Paul speaks in his defence
v.6-15
He tells of his conversion
v.17-21
He tells of the Lord's warning of rejection
v.22-29
Paul the Roman Citizen
v.30
Paul taken before the Sanhedrin
v.1-5
Paul speaks in his defence
v.1
“Brothers
and fathers, listen now to my defence.”
v.2
When
they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet.
Then
Paul said:
v.3
“I
am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city.
I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law
of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you
are today.
v.4,5
I
persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting
both men and women and throwing them into prison, as the high
priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained
letters from them to their associates in Damascus, and went there
to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.
[Passage
Synopsis: Paul tells
of his former zealous life.]
v.6-15
He tells of his conversion
v.6
“About
noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven
flashed around me.
v.7
I
fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why
do you persecute me?'
v.8
“‘Who
are you, Lord?' I asked. “ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are
persecuting,' he replied.
v.9
My
companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice
of him who was speaking to me.
v.10
“‘What
shall I do, Lord?' I asked. “ ‘Get up,' the Lord said, ‘and go
into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned
to do.'
v.11
My
companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance
of the light had blinded me.
v.12
“A
man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of
the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.
v.13
He
stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!'
And at that very moment I was able to see him.
v.14
“Then
he said: ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his
will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth.
v.15
You
will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard.
v.16
And
now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your
sins away, calling on his name.'
[Passage
Synopsis: He then
goes on to tell of his encounter with Jesus and what followed.]
v.17-21
He tells of the Lord's warning of rejection
v.17,18
“When
I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell
into a trance and saw the Lord speaking to me. ‘Quick!'
he said. ‘Leave
Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept
your testimony about me.'
v.19
“‘Lord,'
I replied, ‘these people know that I went from one synagogue to
another to imprison and beat those who believe in you.
v.20
And
when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there
giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were
killing him.'
v.21
“Then
the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'
”
[Passage
Synopsis: He tells
how God had spoken to him and told him to leave, despite his past
zealousness which ought to have been accepted by the Jews.]
v.22-29
Paul the Roman Citizen
v.22
The
crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their
voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He's not fit to live!”
v.23,23
As
they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging
dust into the air, the commander ordered that Paul be taken into
the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and interrogated
in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like
this.
v.25
As
they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion
standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who
hasn't even been found guilty?”
v.26
When
the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported
it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman
citizen.”
v.27
The
commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”
“Yes, I am,” he answered.
v.28
Then
the commander said, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.”
“But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied.
v.29
Those
who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately. The commander
himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman
citizen, in chains.
[Passage
Synopsis: As soon
as he mentions going to the Gentiles a near riot ensures and the
commander takes him back into the barracks. They were about to
flog him when Paul challenges their actions as, being a Roman,
he was protected from such actions without a court hearing. The
commander is fearful of what he had nearly done.]
v.30
Paul taken before the Sanhedrin
v.30
The
commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused
by the Jews. So the next day he released him and ordered the chief
priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then
he brought Paul and had him stand before them.
[Passage
Synopsis: The next
day the commander required the Sanhedrin to gather for Paul to
stand before them.]