The Concordant Literal New Testament

Acts of the Apostles

The Concordant Version

The King James Version

Chapter 22 (CV)

¹ "Men! Brethren and fathers! Hear my defense to you now!"
² Now hearing that he shouted to them in the Hebrew vernacular, they tendered more quietness, and he is averring,
³ "I am a man, a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, yet reared in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, trained according to the strictness of the hereditary law, being inherently zealous for God according as all of you are today,
⁴ I, who persecute this way to death, binding and giving over both men and women to jail,
⁵ as the chief priest also was testifying to me, and the entire eldership, from whom, receiving letters also to the brethren, I went into Damascus, to be leading also those being there, bound, to Jerusalem, that they may be punished.
⁶ "Now it occurred, at my going and drawing near to Damascus, about midday, suddenly out of heaven a considerable light flashes about me.
⁷ Besides, I fall flat, and I hear a voice saying to me, 'Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting Me?'
⁸ Yet I answered and said, 'Who art Thou, Lord?' Besides, He said to me, 'I am Jesus, the Nazarene, Whom you are persecuting.'
⁹ Now those who are with me gaze, indeed, at the light, yet they hear not the voice of Him Who is speaking to me.
¹⁰ Now I said, 'What shall I be doing, Lord?' Now the Lord said to me, 'Rise. Go into Damascus, and there you will be spoken to concerning all which has been set for you to do.'
¹¹ "Now, as I observed nothing for the glory of that light, being led by the hand by those who are with me, I came into Damascus.
¹² Now a certain Ananias, a pious man according to the law, being attested by all the Jews dwelling there,
¹³ coming to me and standing by, said to me, 'Saul! Brother! Receive your sight!' And I, in the same hour, look up to him.
¹⁴ Now he said. 'The God of our fathers fixes upon you beforehand to know His will, and to be acquainted with the Just One, and to hear the voice of His mouth,
¹⁵ that you shall be His witness to all men of what you have seen and hear.
¹⁶ And now, why do you defer? Rise, be baptized, and bathe off your sins, invoking His name.'
¹⁷ "Now it occurred, at my returning to Jerusalem and while I am praying in the sanctuary, I come to be in an ecstasy
¹⁸ and to perceive Him saying to me, 'Hurry, and come quickly out of Jerusalem, because they will not be assenting to your testimony concerning Me.'
¹⁹ And I said, 'Lord, they are versed in the fact that I was jailing and lashing those at the synagogues who are believing on Thee.
²⁰ And when the blood of Stephen, Thy witness, was shed, I myself also was standing by, endorsing it, as well as guarding the garments of those who are assassinating him.'
²¹ And He said to me, 'Go! For I shall be delegating you afar to the nations.'"
²² Now they heard him until this word, and they lift up their voice, saying, "Away from the earth with such a one, for it is not befitting for him to live!"
²³ Besides, at their clamoring, and tossing their garments, and casting dust into the air,
²⁴ the captain orders him to be led into the citadel, telling them to interrogate him by scourging, that he may recognize for what they retorted thus at him.
²⁵ Now, as they stretch him before them with the thongs, Paul said to the centurion standing by, "Is it allowed you to scourge a Roman man, and uncondemned?"
²⁶ Now, hearing it, the centurion, coming to the captain, reports, saying, "What are you about to be doing? For this man is a Roman."
²⁷ Now, approaching, the captain said to him, "Tell me, are you a Roman?" Now he averred, "Yes."
²⁸ Now the captain answered, "I with a vast sum acquire this citizenship." Yet Paul averred, "Yet I have been so born also."
²⁹ Immediately then, those about to be interrogating him withdraw from him. Now the captain also was afraid, recognizing that he is a Roman and that he was bound by him.
³⁰ Now on the morrow, resolved to know the certainty of that of which he is being accused by the Jews, he looses him and orders the chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin to come together. And, leading Paul down, he stands him among them.

Chapter 22 (KJV)

¹ Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.
² (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)
³ I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.
⁴ And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.
⁵ As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.
⁶ And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.
⁷ And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
⁸ And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.
⁹ And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.
¹⁰ And I said, What shall I do, LORD? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.
¹¹ And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.
¹² And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,
¹³ Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.
¹⁴ And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
¹⁵ For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
¹⁶ And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
¹⁷ And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;
¹⁸ And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.
¹⁹ And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:
²⁰ And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.
²¹ And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.
²² And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live.
²³ And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air,
²⁴ The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him.
²⁵ And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?
²⁶ When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.
²⁷ Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.
²⁸ And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.
²⁹ Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.
³⁰ On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.

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