Acts 22 Bible in Basic English
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 My brothers and fathers, give ear to the story of my life which I now put before you.
1 Ἄνδρες ἀδελφοὶ καὶ πατέρες, ἀκούσατέ μου τῆς πρὸς ὑμᾶς νυνὶ ἀπολογίας.
2 And, hearing him talking in the Hebrew language, they became the more quiet, and he said,
2 ἀκούσαντες δὲ ὅτι τῇ Ἑβραΐδι διαλέκτῳ προσεφώνει αὐτοῖς, μᾶλλον παρέσχον ἡσυχίαν.
3 I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia by birth, but I had my education in this town at the feet of Gamaliel, being trained in the keeping of every detail of the law of our fathers; given up to the cause of God with all my heart, as you are today.
3 καί φησιν· ἐγὼ μέν εἰμι ἀνὴρ Ἰουδαῖος, γεγεννημένος ἐν Ταρσῷ τῆς Κιλικίας, ἀνατεθραμμένος δὲ ἐν τῇ πόλει ταύτῃ παρὰ τοὺς πόδας Γαμαλιήλ, πεπαιδευμένος κατὰ ἀκρίβειαν τοῦ πατρῴου νόμου, ζηλωτὴς ὑπάρχων τοῦ Θεοῦ καθὼς πάντες ὑμεῖς ἐστε σήμερον.
4 And I made attacks on this Way, even to death, taking men and women and putting them in prison.
4 ὃς ταύτην τὴν ὁδὸν ἐδίωξα ἄχρι θανάτου, δεσμεύων καὶ παραδιδοὺς εἰς φυλακὰς ἄνδρας τε καὶ γυναῖκας,
5 Of which the high priest will be a witness, and all the rulers, from whom I had letters to the brothers; and I went into Damascus, to take those who were there as prisoners to Jerusalem for punishment.
5 ὡς καὶ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς μαρτυρεῖ μοι καὶ πᾶν τὸ πρεσβυτέριον· παρ᾽ ὧν καὶ ἐπιστολὰς δεξάμενος πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς εἰς Δαμασκὸν ἐπορευόμην ἄξων καὶ τοὺς ἐκεῖσε ὄντας δεδεμένους εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἵνα τιμωρηθῶσιν.
6 And it came about that while I was on my journey, coming near to Damascus, about the middle of the day, suddenly I saw a great light from heaven shining round me.
6 Ἐγένετο δέ μοι πορευομένῳ καὶ ἐγγίζοντι τῇ Δαμασκῷ περὶ μεσημβρίαν ἐξαίφνης ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ περιαστράψαι φῶς ἱκανὸν περὶ ἐμέ,
7 And when I went down on the earth, a voice came to my ears saying to me, Saul, Saul, why are you attacking me so cruelly?
7 ἔπεσόν τε εἰς τὸ ἔδαφος καὶ ἤκουσα φωνῆς λεγούσης μοι· Σαοὺλ Σαούλ, τί με διώκεις;
8 And I, answering, said, Who are you; Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are attacking.
8 ἐγὼ δὲ ἀπεκρίθην· τίς εἶ, Κύριε; εἶπέ τε πρός με· ἐγώ εἰμι Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος ὃν σὺ διώκεις.
9 And those who were with me saw the light, but the voice of him who was talking to me came not to their ears.
9 οἱ δὲ σὺν ἐμοὶ ὄντες τὸ μὲν φῶς ἐθεάσαντο καὶ ἔμφοβοι ἐγένοντο, τὴν δὲ φωνὴν οὐκ ἤκουσαν τοῦ λαλοῦντός μοι.
10 And I said, What have I to do, Lord? And the Lord said to me, Get up, and go into Damascus; and it will be made clear to you what you have to do.
10 εἶπον δέ· τί ποιήσω, Κύριε; ὁ δὲ Κύριος εἶπε πρός με· ἀναστὰς πορεύου εἰς Δαμασκόν, κἀκεῖ σοι λαληθήσεται περὶ πάντων ὧν τέτακταί σοι ποιῆσαι.
11 And because I was unable to see because of the glory of that light, those who were with me took me by the hand, and so I came to Damascus.
11 ὡς δὲ οὐκ ἐνέβλεπον ἀπὸ τῆς δόξης τοῦ φωτὸς ἐκείνου, χειραγωγούμενος ὑπὸ τῶν συνόντων μοι ἦλθον εἰς Δαμασκόν.
12 And one Ananias, a God-fearing man, who kept the law, and of whom all the Jews in that place had a high opinion,
12 Ἀνανίας δέ τις, ἀνὴρ εὐσεβὴς κατὰ τὸν νόμον, μαρτυρούμενος ὑπὸ πάντων τῶν κατοικούντων [ἐν Δαμασκῷ] Ἰουδαίων,
13 Came to my side and said, Brother Saul, let your eyes be open. And in that very hour I was able to see him.
13 ἐλθὼν πρός με καὶ ἐπιστὰς εἶπέ μοι· Σαοὺλ ἀδελφέ, ἀνάβλεψον. κἀγὼ αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ ἀνέβλεψα εἰς αὐτόν.
14 And he said, You have been marked out by the God of our fathers to have knowledge of his purpose, and to see the Upright One and to give ear to the words of his mouth.
14 ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· ὁ Θεὸς τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν προεχειρίσατό σε γνῶναι τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἰδεῖν τὸν δίκαιον καὶ ἀκοῦσαι φωνὴν ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ,
15 For you will be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and of what has come to your ears.
15 ὅτι ἔσῃ μάρτυς αὐτῷ πρὸς πάντας ἀνθρώπους ὧν ἑώρακας καὶ ἤκουσας.
16 And now, why are you waiting? get up, and have baptism, for the washing away of your sins, giving worship to his name.
16 καὶ νῦν τί μέλλεις; ἀναστὰς βάπτισαι καὶ ἀπόλουσαι τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου, ἐπικαλεσάμενος τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Κυρίου.
17 And it came about that when I had come back to Jerusalem, while I was at prayer in the Temple, my senses became more than naturally clear,
17 Ἐγένετο δέ μοι ὑποστρέψαντι εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ προσευχομένου μου ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ γενέσθαι με ἐν ἐκστάσει καὶ ἰδεῖν αὐτὸν λέγοντά μοι·
18 And I saw him saying to me, Go out of Jerusalem straight away because they will not give hearing to your witness about me.
18 σπεῦσον καὶ ἔξελθε ἐν τάχει ἐξ Ἱερουσαλήμ, διότι οὐ παραδέξονταί σου τὴν μαρτυρίαν περὶ ἐμοῦ.
19 And I said, Lord, they themselves have knowledge that I went through the Synagogues putting in prison and whipping all those who had faith in you:
19 κἀγὼ εἶπον· Κύριε, αὐτοὶ ἐπίστανται ὅτι ἐγὼ ἤμην φυλακίζων καὶ δέρων κατὰ τὰς συναγωγὰς τοὺς πιστεύοντας ἐπὶ σέ·
20 And when Stephen your witness was put to death, I was there, giving approval, and looking after the clothing of those who put him to death.
20 καὶ ὅτε ἐξεχεῖτο τὸ αἷμα Στεφάνου τοῦ μάρτυρός σου, καὶ αὐτὸς ἤμην ἐφεστὼς καὶ συνευδοκῶν τῇ ἀναιρέσει αὐτοῦ καὶ φυλάσσων τὰ ἱμάτια τῶν ἀναιρούντων αὐτόν.
21 And he said to me, Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.
21 καὶ εἶπε πρός με· πορεύου, ὅτι ἐγὼ εἰς ἔθνη μακρὰν ἐξαποστελῶ σε.
22 And they gave him a hearing as far as this word; then with loud voices they said, Away with this man from the earth; it is not right for him to be living.
22 Ἤκουον δὲ αὐτοῦ ἄχρι τούτου τοῦ λόγου, καὶ ἐπῆραν τὴν φωνὴν αὐτῶν λέγοντες· αἶρε ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς τὸν τοιοῦτον· οὐ γὰρ καθῆκεν αὐτὸν ζῆν.
23 And while they were crying out, and pulling off their clothing, and sending dust into the air,
23 κραυγαζόντων δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ ῥιπτόντων τὰ ἱμάτια καὶ κονιορτὸν βαλλόντων εἰς τὸν ἀέρα,
24 The chief captain gave orders for him to be taken into the army building, saying that he would put him to the test by whipping, so that he might have knowledge of the reason why they were crying out so violently against him.
24 ἐκέλευσεν αὐτὸν ὁ χιλίαρχος ἄγεσθαι εἰς τὴν παρεμβολήν, εἰπὼν μάστιξιν ἀνετάζεσθαι αὐτόν, ἵνα ἐπιγνῷ δι᾽ ἣν αἰτίαν οὕτως ἐπεφώνουν αὐτῷ.
25 And when they had put leather bands round him, Paul said to the captain who was present, Is it the law for you to give blows to a man who is a Roman and has not been judged?
25 ὡς δὲ προέτειναν αὐτὸν τοῖς ἱμᾶσιν, εἶπε πρὸς τὸν ἑστῶτα ἑκατόνταρχον ὁ Παῦλος· εἰ ἄνθρωπον Ῥωμαῖον καὶ ἀκατάκριτον ἔξεστιν ὑμῖν μαστίζειν;
26 And hearing this, the man went to the chief captain and gave him an account of it, saying, What are you about to do? for this man is a Roman.
26 ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ ἑκατόνταρχος, προσελθὼν ἀπήγγειλε τῷ χιλιάρχῳ λέγων· ὅρα τί μέλλεις ποιεῖν· ὁ γὰρ ἄνθρωπος οὗτος Ῥωμαῖός ἐστι.
27 And the chief captain came to him and said, Give me an answer, are you a Roman? And he said, Yes.
27 προσελθὼν δὲ ὁ χιλίαρχος εἶπεν αὐτῷ· λέγε μοι εἰ σὺ Ῥωμαῖος εἶ. ὁ δὲ ἔφη· ναί.
28 And the chief captain said, I got Roman rights for myself at a great price. And Paul said, But I had them by birth.
28 ἀπεκρίθη τε ὁ χιλίαρχος· ἐγὼ πολλοῦ κεφαλαίου τὴν πολιτείαν ταύτην ἐκτησάμην. ὁ δὲ Παῦλος ἔφη· ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ γεγέννημαι.
29 Then those who were about to put him to the test went away: and the chief captain was in fear, seeing that he was a Roman, and that he had put chains on him.
29 εὐθέως οὖν ἀπέστησαν ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ οἱ μέλλοντες αὐτὸν ἀνετάζειν· καὶ ὁ χιλίαρχος δὲ ἐφοβήθη ἐπιγνοὺς ὅτι Ῥωμαῖός ἐστι, καὶ ὅτι ἦν αὐτὸν δεδεκώς.
30 But on the day after, desiring to have certain knowledge of what the Jews had to say against him, he made him free, and gave orders for the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to come together, and he took Paul and put him before them.
30 Τῇ δὲ ἐπαύριον βουλόμενος γνῶναι τὸ ἀσφαλές, τὸ τί κατηγορεῖται παρὰ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἔλυσεν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῶν δεσμῶν καὶ ἐκέλευσεν ἐλθεῖν τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ ὅλον τὸ συνέδριον αὐτῶν, καὶ καταγαγὼν τὸν Παῦλον ἔστησεν εἰς αὐτούς.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Ananias
A disciple at Damascus whom the Lord sent to lay hands on Saul, restore his sight, and baptize him.
Cited in the guide: Acts 9:10; Acts 9:17; Acts 22:12
Gamaliel
A respected Pharisee on the Sanhedrin who counseled leaving the apostles alone; Paul later said he had been educated at his feet.
Cited in the guide: Acts 5:34; Acts 22:3
Places
Tarsus
A wealthy university city in Cilicia and Paul's hometown. He was also a Roman citizen by birth (Acts 22:28), which shaped his missionary strategy and legal appeals.
Cited in the guide: Acts 9:11; Acts 21:39; Acts 22:3
Cross references (28)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Acts 7:2; 2 Timothy 4:16; Acts 13:26; Acts 23:6; Acts 23:1
- 2 Acts 21:40
- 3 Philippians 3:5–6; Acts 26:5; Acts 9:11; Acts 5:34; Acts 21:39
- 4 Acts 22:19–20; 1 Timothy 1:13–15; Acts 26:9–11; Acts 8:1–4; 1 Corinthians 15:9
- 5 Acts 9:1–2; Luke 22:66; Acts 5:21; Acts 22:1; Acts 13:26
- 6 Acts 26:12–18; Acts 9:3–8; Revelation 1:16; Genesis 15:2; 2 Samuel 8:6
- 7 Jeremiah 2:9; Matthew 25:45; 1 Timothy 1:13; Genesis 22:1; 1 Samuel 3:10
- 8 Acts 26:9; 1 Samuel 8:7; Matthew 10:40–42; Acts 6:14; Matthew 25:45
- 9 Acts 9:7; Daniel 10:7; Acts 26:13; John 12:29–30
- 10 Acts 16:30; Acts 26:16–18; Acts 22:12–16; Acts 2:37; Psalm 25:8–9
- 11 Acts 9:8–9; Acts 13:11; Isaiah 42:16
- 12 Acts 10:22; Acts 6:3; 3 John 12; Acts 17:4; 2 Corinthians 6:8
- 13 Acts 9:17–18; Philemon 16
- 14 Galatians 1:12; 1 Corinthians 15:8; 1 Corinthians 9:1; Acts 26:16; Acts 9:15
- 15 Acts 23:11; Acts 4:20; John 15:27; Luke 24:47–48; Acts 1:8
- 16 Acts 2:38; Acts 2:21; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 10:22; 1 Corinthians 6:11
- 17 2 Corinthians 12:1–4; Acts 10:9–10; Acts 9:26–28; Acts 26:20; Revelation 1:10
- 18 Acts 9:29; Matthew 10:14; Ezekiel 3:6–7; Luke 21:21; Acts 3:19
- 19 Acts 22:4; Matthew 10:17; Acts 8:3; Acts 9:1; Acts 26:9–12
- 20 Acts 7:58; Acts 8:1; Romans 1:32; Revelation 2:13; Luke 11:48
- 21 Acts 9:15; 1 Timothy 2:7; Ephesians 3:6–8; Romans 15:16; Galatians 2:7–8
- 22 Acts 25:24; Acts 21:36; John 19:15; Luke 23:18; Acts 7:54–57
- 23 2 Samuel 16:13; Ecclesiastes 10:3; Acts 7:58; Acts 26:11; Acts 7:53
- 24 John 19:1; Acts 21:34; Acts 23:10; Acts 21:31–32; Acts 16:22–23
- 25 Acts 16:37; Acts 25:16; Acts 27:43; Acts 22:27–28; Acts 23:17
- 26 Acts 23:27; Acts 22:29
- 29 Acts 21:33; Acts 22:24–26; Hebrews 11:35; Acts 16:38–39
- 30 Acts 23:28; Acts 21:33; Acts 26:29; Acts 21:11; Acts 5:21
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
See how he thrusts himself (into danger), I came, he says, after that vision, "to Jerusalem. I was in a trance," etc. Again, this is without witness: but observe, the witness follows from the result. He said, "They will not receive thy testimony:" they did not receive it.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 11 (1889)
… or else, if they do receive all these, they must necessarily admit also that testimony concerning Paul, when he (Luke) tells us that the Lord spoke at first to him from heaven: "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me? I am Jesus Christ, whom thou persecutest;" and then to Ananias, saying regarding him: "Go thy way; for he is a chosen …