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          DASV: Acts 22    

1 "Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense which I now give
you."
2 When they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew
language, they became even more quiet. Paul said,
3 "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this
city, at the feet of Gamaliel, educated in a strict manner
in the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you
all are today.
4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting them
into prisons, both men and women,
5 as the high priest and whole council of the elders can confirm.
I even received letters from them to the Jewish brothers in
Damascus. I was on my way there in order to bring them back
to Jerusalem in bonds to be punished.
6 As I was on my way, and drew near to Damascus about noon,
suddenly a great light shone from heaven around me.
7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul,
Saul, why are you persecuting me?'
8 I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' He replied, 'I am Jesus of
Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.'
9 Those who were with me saw the light, but they did not hear
the voice of the one who spoke to me.
10 Then I asked, 'What should I do, Lord?' And the Lord replied,
'Get up, and go into Damascus, there you will be told all the
things that are appointed for you to do.'
11 Since I could not see because of the brightness of that light,
I was led by the hand of those who were with me and came to
Damascus.

12 Someone named Ananias, a devout man according to the law,
well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,
13 came to me and stood next to me and said, 'Brother Saul,
receive your sight.' At that precise moment I looked up
at him.
14 He said, 'The God of our fathers has appointed you to know
his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice
from his mouth,
15 for you will be his witness to all men of what you have
seen and heard.
16 Now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and
wash away your sins, calling on his name.'

17 After returning to Jerusalem and while praying in the
temple, I fell into a trance,
18 I saw the Lord saying to me, 'Hurry up and quickly get
out of Jerusalem; because they will not accept your
testimony concerning me.'
19 I replied, 'Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned
and beat in every synagogue those who believed in you.
20 When the blood of Stephen your witness was shed, I also
was standing by, approving and keeping the clothes of
those who killed him.
21 Then he told me, 'Go, for I will send you far from here
to the Gentiles."

22 The crowd had listened up to this point, then they lifted
up their voices shouting, "Remove such a fellow from the
earth. For he is not fit to live."
23 As they cried out, and threw off their cloaks and tossed
dust into the air.
24 The chief officer commanded Paul be brought into the
barracks, ordering that he should be interrogated by
beating him with whips, so that he might find out why
they shouted against him this way.
25 When they had tied him up with the thongs, Paul said to
the centurion that stood by, "Is it lawful for you to
flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?"
26 When the centurion heard that, he went to the chief
officer and told him, 'What are you going to do? This man
is a Roman citizen."
27 The chief commander came and asked Paul, "Tell me,
are you a Roman citizen?" He replied, "Yes."
28 Then the chief officer answered, "I acquired this
citizenship for a large amount of money." Paul replied,
"But I was born a Roman citizen."
29 Then those who were about to interrogate him immediately
withdrew from him. The chief officer also was afraid
when he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that
he had had him bound.
30 But on the next day, desiring to know for certain why
Paul was accused by the Jews, the commanding officer
released him, and commanded the chief priests and all the
council to assemble. He brought Paul down and set him
before them.

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