1 “Brethrena and fathers, hear my defense before you now.”
2 And when they heard that he spoke to them in the aHebrew language, they kept all the more silent. Then he said:
3a“I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city bat the feet of cGamaliel, taught daccording to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and ewas zealous toward God fas you all are today.
4aI persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women,
5 as also the high priest bears me witness, and aall the council of the elders, bfrom whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus cto bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 “Now ait happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven 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 So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’
9 “And athose who were with me indeed saw the light1 and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me.
10 So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.’
11 And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.
12 “Then aa certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, bhaving a good testimony with all the cJews who dwelt there,
13 came to me; and he stood and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that same hour I looked up at him.
14 Then he said, a‘The God of our fathers bhas chosen you that you should cknow His will, and dsee the Just One, eand hear the voice of His mouth.
15aFor you will be His witness to all men of bwhat you have seen and heard.
16 And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, aand wash away your sins, bcalling on the name of the Lord.’
17 “Now ait happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance
18 and asaw Him saying to me, b‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.’
19 So I said, ‘Lord, athey know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and bbeat those who believe on You.
20aAnd when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by bconsenting to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’
21 Then He said to me, ‘Depart, afor I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.’ ”
Paul’s Roman Citizenship
22 And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, a“Away with such a fellow from the earth, for bhe is not fit to live!”
23 Then, as they cried out and1 tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air,
Men, brethren, and fathers - A Hebrew form of expression for brethren and fathers: for two classes only are addressed. See the note on Acts 7:2.
Hear ye my defense - , This apology of mine; in this sense the word apology was anciently understood: hence the Apologies of the primitive fathers, i.e. their defenses of the Christian religion. And this is as proper literal meaning; but it is now used only as implying an excuse for improper conduct. That this is an abuse of the term requires no proof.
DISCLAIMER: Church of the Great God (CGG) provides these resources to aid the individual in studying the Bible. However, it is up to the individual to "prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good" (I Thessalonians 5:21). The content of these resources does not necessarily reflect the views of CGG. They are provided for information purposes only.
Join 137,259+ readers
A Verse and a Thought, Every Morning
Consistent Bible study is hard to start.
The Berean gives you the starting point: one scripture and a focused commentary in your inbox each morning — read it in minutes, or go as deep as you like.
Free, daily, and spam-free. We never share your address. Unsubscribe anytime.
