Acts 22 Darby Translation
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 Brethren and fathers, hear my defence which I now make to you.
1 “Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense which I now make to you.”
2 And hearing that he addressed them in the Hebrew tongue, they kept the more quiet; and he says,
2 When they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they were even more quiet. He said,
3 I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel, educated according to [the] exactness of the law of [our] fathers, being zealous for God, as ye are all this day;
3 “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict tradition of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you all are today.
4 who have persecuted this way unto death, binding and delivering up to prisons both men and women;
4 I 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 all the elderhood: from whom also, having received letters to the brethren, I went to Damascus to bring those also who were there, bound, to Jerusalem, to be punished.
5 as also the high priest and all the council of the elders testify, from whom also I received letters to the brothers, and traveled to Damascus to bring them also who were there to Jerusalem in bonds to be punished.
6 And it came to pass, as I was journeying and drawing near to Damascus, that, about mid-day, there suddenly shone out of heaven a great light round about me.
6 “As I made my journey and came close to Damascus, about noon suddenly a great light shone around me from the sky.
7 And I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus the Nazaraean, whom thou persecutest.
8 I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute.’
9 But they that were with me beheld the light, [and were filled with fear], but heard not the voice of him that was speaking to me.
9 “Those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they didn’t understand the voice of him who spoke to me.
10 And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me, Rise up, and go to Damascus, and there it shall be told thee of all things which it is appointed thee to do.
10 I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Arise, and go into Damascus. There you will be told about all things which are appointed for you to do.’
11 And as I could not see, through the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came to Damascus.
11 When I couldn’t see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.
12 And a certain Ananias, a pious man according to the law, borne witness to by all the Jews who dwelt [there],
12 “One Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well reported of by all the Jews who lived in Damascus,
13 coming to me and standing by me, said to me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And I, in the same hour, received my sight and saw him.
13 came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ In that very hour I looked up at him.
14 And he said, The God of our fathers has chosen thee beforehand to know his will, and to see the just one, and to hear a voice out of his mouth;
14 He said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from his mouth.
15 for thou shalt be a witness for him to all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
15 For you will be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and heard.
16 And now why lingerest thou? Arise and get baptised, and have thy sins washed away, calling on his name.
16 Now why do you wait? Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’
17 And it came to pass when I had returned to Jerusalem, and as I was praying in the temple, that I became in ecstasy,
17 “When I had returned to Jerusalem and while I prayed in the temple, I fell into a trance
18 and saw him saying to me, Make haste and go quickly out of Jerusalem, for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.
18 and saw him saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not receive testimony concerning me from you.’
19 And I said, Lord, they themselves know that I was imprisoning and beating in every synagogue those that believe on thee;
19 I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue those who believed in you.
20 and when the blood of thy witness Stephen was shed, I also myself was standing by and consenting, and kept the clothes of them who killed him.
20 When the blood of Stephen, your witness, was shed, I also was standing by, consenting to his death, and guarding the cloaks of those who killed him.’
21 And he said to me, Go, for I will send thee to the nations afar off.
21 “He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you out far from here to the Gentiles.’ ”
22 And they heard him until this word, and lifted up their voice, saying, Away with such a one as that from the earth, for it was not fit he should live.
22 They listened to him until he said that; then they lifted up their voice and said, “Rid the earth of this fellow, for he isn’t fit to live!”
23 And as they were crying, and throwing away their clothes, and casting dust into the air,
23 As they cried out, threw off their cloaks, and threw dust into the air,
24 the chiliarch commanded him to be brought into the fortress, saying that he should be examined by scourging, that he might ascertain for what cause they cried thus against him.
24 the commanding officer commanded him to be brought into the barracks, ordering him to be examined by scourging, that he might know for what crime they shouted against him like that.
25 But as they stretched him forward 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?
25 When they had tied him up with straps, Paul asked the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and not found guilty?”
26 And the centurion, having heard it, went and reported it to the chiliarch, saying, What art thou going to do? for this man is a Roman.
26 When the centurion heard it, he went to the commanding officer and told him, “Watch what you are about to do, for this man is a Roman!”
27 And the chiliarch coming up said to him, Tell me, Art thou a Roman? And he said, Yes.
27 The commanding officer came and asked him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” He said, “Yes.”
28 And the chiliarch answered, I, for a great sum, bought this citizenship. And Paul said, But I was also [free] born.
28 The commanding officer answered, “I bought my citizenship for a great price.” Paul said, “But I was born a Roman.”
29 Immediately therefore those who were going to examine him left him, and the chiliarch also was afraid when he ascertained that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.
29 Immediately those who were about to examine him departed from him, and the commanding officer also was afraid when he realized that he was a Roman, because he had bound him.
30 And on the morrow, desirous to know the certainty [of the matter] why he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him, and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and having brought Paul down set him before them.
30 But on the next day, desiring to know the truth about why he was accused by the Jews, he freed him from the bonds and commanded the chief priests and all the council to come together, and brought Paul down and set him before them.
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 …