Acts 21:17-22:29

Amplified Bible

¹⁷ When we arrived in Jerusalem, the ^[a]brothers and sisters welcomed us gladly. ¹⁸ On the next day Paul went with us to [see] ^[b]James, and all the elders of the church were present. ¹⁹ After greeting them, Paul began to give a detailed account of the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. ²⁰ And when they heard it, they began glorifying and praising God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands of believers there are among the Jews, and they are all enthusiastic supporters of the Law [of Moses]. ²¹ Now they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are living among the Gentiles to turn away from [the Law of] Moses, advising them not to circumcise their children or to live according to the [Mosaic] customs. ²² What then should be done? They will certainly hear that you have arrived. ²³ Therefore do just what we tell you. We have four men who have taken a vow; ²⁴ take these men and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses [for the temple offerings] so that they may shave their heads. Then everyone will know that there is nothing to the things they have been told about you, but that you yourself also follow and keep the Law. ²⁵ But with regard to the Gentiles who have believed [in Christ], we have sent them a letter with our decision that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from [consuming] blood and from [the meat of] what has been strangled and from sexual immorality.” ²⁶ Then Paul took the [four] men, and the next day he purified himself along with them [by submitting to the ritual]. He went into the temple to give notice of [the time] when the days of purification [ending each vow] would be fulfilled and the usual offering could be presented on behalf of each one.

Paul Seized in the Temple

²⁷ When the seven days [required to complete the ritual] were almost over, [some] Jews from [the province of] Asia [Minor], caught sight of him in the temple, and began to stir up the crowd, and they seized him, ²⁸ shouting, “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against our people and the Law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” ²⁹ For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul, and they assumed that he had brought the man into the temple [beyond the court of the Gentiles]. ³⁰ Then the whole city was provoked and confused, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the gates were closed. ³¹ Now while they were trying to kill him, word came to the commander of the [Roman] garrison that all Jerusalem was in a state of upheaval. ³² So he immediately took soldiers and centurions and ran down among them. When the people saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. ³³ Then the commander came up and arrested Paul, and ordered that he be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done. ³⁴ But some in the crowd were shouting one thing and others something else; and since he could not determine the facts because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken to the barracks [in the tower of Antonia]. ³⁵ When Paul got to the steps, he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob; ³⁶ for the majority of the people kept following them, shouting, “Away with him! [Kill him!]”

³⁷ Just as Paul was about to be taken into the barracks, he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?” And the man replied, “Do you know Greek? ³⁸ Then you are not [as I assumed] the Egyptian who ^[c]some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led those 4,000 men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?” ³⁹ Paul said, “I am a Jew from ^[d]Tarsus in Cilicia (Mersin Province, Turkey), a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.” ⁴⁰ When the commander had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, gestured with his hand to the people; and when there was a great hush, he spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect (Jewish Aramaic), saying,

Paul’s Defense before the Jews

22 “Brethren and fathers (kinsmen), hear my defense which I now offer to you.”

² When they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew dialect, they became even more quiet. And he continued,

³ “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of ^[e]Gamaliel according to the strictness of the law of our fathers, being ardent and passionate for God just as all of you are today. ⁴ I persecuted and pursued the followers of this ^[f]Way to the death, binding them with chains and putting [followers of Jesus] both men and women into prisons, ⁵ as the high priest and all the Council of the elders (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) can testify; because from them I received letters to the brothers, and I was on my way to Damascus in order to bring those [believers] who were there to Jerusalem in chains to be punished.

⁶ “But as I was on my way, approaching Damascus about noontime, a great blaze of light suddenly flashed from heaven and shone around me. ⁷ And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ ⁸ And I replied, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’ ⁹ Now those who were with me ^[g]saw the light, but did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me. ¹⁰ And I asked, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord answered me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that is appointed and destined for you to do.’ ¹¹ But since I could not see because of the [glorious intensity and dazzling] brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and came into Damascus.

¹² “And one Ananias, a devout man according to ^[h]the standard of the Law, and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, ¹³ came to [see] me, and standing near, he said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I [recovered my sight and] looked up at him. ¹⁴ And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will, [and to progressively understand His plan with clarity and power] and to see the Righteous One [Jesus Christ, the Messiah] and to hear a message from His [own] mouth. ¹⁵ For you will be His witness to all men testifying of what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶ Now, why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins by calling on His name [for salvation].’

¹⁷ “Then it happened when I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple [enclosure], that I fell into a trance (vision); ¹⁸ and I saw Him saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.’ ¹⁹ And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know [without any doubt] that in one synagogue after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in You [and Your message of salvation]. ²⁰ And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing nearby approving and consenting [to his death], and guarding the coats of those who were killing him.’ ²¹ And the Lord said to me, ‘Go, I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

²² They listened to Paul until [he made] this [last] statement, but now they raised their voices and shouted, “Away with such a man from the earth! He is not fit to live!” ²³ And as they were shouting and throwing off their coats [getting ready to stone Paul] and tossing dust into the air [expressing their anger], ²⁴ the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, stating that he was to be ^[i]interrogated with a whip in order to learn why the people were shouting against him that way. ²⁵ But when they had stretched him out ^[j]with the leather straps [in preparation for the whip], Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it legal for you to whip a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned [without a trial]?” ²⁶ When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and said to him, “What are you about to do? This man is a ^[k]Roman!” ²⁷ So the commander came and asked Paul, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.” ²⁸ The commander replied, “I ^[l]purchased this citizenship [of mine] for a large sum of money [so how did you acquire yours?].” Paul said, “But I was actually born a citizen.” ²⁹ So those who were about to interrogate him by torture immediately let him go; and the commander was also afraid when he realized that Paul was a Roman and he had put him in chains.