Acts 22:17-29 - Paul's Call To Preach To The Gentiles

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 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 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 Roman!”

²⁷ So the commander came and asked Paul, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.”

²⁸ The commander replied, “I 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.