Paul's Defense to the Crowd

(Acts 9:1-9; Acts 26:1-23)

1Men, brothers, and fathers, hear you my defense which I make now to you.

2(And when they heard that he spoke in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he said,)

3I am truly a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as you all are this day. 4And I persecuted this way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. 5As also the high priest does bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters to the brothers, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound to Jerusalem, for to be punished.

6And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come near to Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. 7And I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why persecute you me? 8And I answered, Who are you, Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute. 9And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spoke to me. 10And I said, What shall I do, LORD? And the Lord said to me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told you of all things which are appointed for you to do. 11And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.

12And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelled there, 13Came to me, and stood, and said to me, Brother Saul, receive your sight. And the same hour I looked up on him. 14And he said, The God of our fathers has chosen you, that you should know his will, and see that Just One, and should hear the voice of his mouth. 15For you shall be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. 16And now why tarry you? arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

17And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance; 18And saw him saying to me, Make haste, and get you quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive your testimony concerning me. 19And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on you: 20And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting to his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. 21And he said to me, Depart: for I will send you far hence to the Gentiles.

Paul the Roman Citizen

22And they gave him audience to this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live. 23And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air, 24The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know why they cried so against him. 25And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to whip a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned? 26When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what you do: for this man is a Roman. 27Then the chief captain came, and said to him, Tell me, are you a Roman? He said, Yes. 28And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born. 29Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.

30On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty why he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.