22
Paul addresses the mob
1 “Men, brothers and fathers, listen to my defense before you now.” 2 When they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they were even more quiet, and he said: 3 “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, just as you all are today. 4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, 5 as also the high priest and all the council of elders can bear me witness. I even obtained letters from them to the brothers in Damascus, to bring those also who were there bound to Jerusalem to be punished. 6 Now it happened, as I was going and approaching Damascus, about noon, suddenly a strong light from heaven shone around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 So I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Natsorean, whom you are persecuting.’ 9 Those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid,* but they did not understand the voice of the One speaking to me. 10 So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told about all that has been appointed to you to do.’ 11 And since I could not see, because of the brightness of that light, I entered Damascus being led by the hand of those who were with me.† 12 Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived in Damascus,‡ 13 came to me, and standing by me said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I looked up at him. 14 Then he said: ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you to know His will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear words from His mouth.§ 15 For you shall be a witness for Him to all men of the things that you have seen and heard. 16 And now, why hesitate? Get up, be baptized and wash away your sins, invoking the name of the Lord.’*
17 “Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I came to be in a trance 18 and saw Him saying to me,† ‘Hurry up and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not receive your testimony concerning me.’ 19 So I said: ‘Lord, they know that I used to imprison and beat those believing into you,‡ from one synagogue to another; 20 and when the blood of your witness Stephen was shed, I myself was standing there and agreeing to his murder,§ even guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’ 21 And He said to me, ‘Get going, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”
A Roman citizen
22 Well they kept listening to him until this statement, and then they raised their voice and shouted, “Rid the earth of this fellow, for it isn't fitting for him to live!” 23 As they were shouting, tearing off clothes and throwing dust into the air, 24 the commander ordered him to be taken into the barracks, directing that he be interrogated with lashes, in order to learn for what crime they kept shouting against him like that.* 25 But as they stretched him out with the thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?” 26 Well when the centurion heard that, he went and reported to the commander saying, “Consider† what you are about to do, because this man is a Roman!” 27 So the commander went and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” So he said, “Yes.” 28 The commander replied, “I acquired this citizenship at considerable cost.”‡ And Paul said, “But I was so born.” 29 So those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately; and even the commander was apprehensive when he realized that he had put chains on a Roman.§
The Sanhedrin
30 But the next day, desiring to know for certain why he was accused by the Jews, he freed him from the bonds* and ordered the chief priests and all their council to come, and brought Paul down and set him before them.
* 22:9 Some 10% of the Greek manuscripts omit ‘and were afraid’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). † 22:11 But they too had been in that light, so the blindness was a judgment applied specifically to Paul (Saul). ‡ 22:12 Paul is establishing the credibility of Ananias as a witness, since he will attest that it was ‘the God of our fathers’ who was dealing with Paul (Saul). Some 25% of the Greek manuscripts omit ‘in Damascus’, as in most versions. § 22:14 Jesus had identified Himself as ‘Jesus’ on the road, and was obviously supernatural. Here Ananias confirms that Saul saw the Messiah (‘the Natsorean’), and adds that all is under the Father's direction. Saul was chosen to be a worldwide witness; indeed, through his letters he continues to be one! * 22:16 By invoking the Lord he was placing himself under His direction and protection, which was what took care of his sins, not the baptism. There probably was not enough water in the house for a complete bath, in any case, so the baptism was by aspersion (as it was in the house of Cornelius, the house of the Philippian jailor, etc. etc.). Instead of ‘of the Lord’, some 6% of the Greek manuscripts read ‘his’ (as in NIV, NASB, TEV, etc.). † 22:18 This is the only record we have of this encounter. Perhaps Paul is reinforcing that his going to the Gentiles was at God's insistence. I wonder if Luke wasn't in that crowd, and close enough to hear what went on. ‡ 22:19 I follow the best line of transmission in reading “into”, albeit with only 20% of the Greek manuscripts here. Almost all versions follow the 80% in reading ‘upon’. § 22:20 Some 2.3% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit ‘to his murder’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, etc.). * 22:24 Poor commander! He presumably did not understand Hebrew, so Paul's speech meant nothing to him. But he saw that the mob listened quietly, and then suddenly erupted! He had already tried to get an answer from the mob, without success. He doubtless did not understand the Jewish mindset either, so by Roman logic Paul must have done something pretty awful to provoke such a violent reaction. So by proper Roman procedure, he orders a flogging. † 22:26 Perhaps 5% of the Greek manuscripts omit “Consider” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). ‡ 22:28 He was not just making conversation; he was trying to be sure that Paul was not lying. § 22:29 Perhaps the reference is to the ‘when’ and ‘how’ they were first used, since chains became part of Paul's life. * 22:30 Some 10% of the Greek manuscripts omit ‘from the bonds’ (as in NIV and NASB).