Acts 22:17-29 - Paul's Call To Preach To The Gentiles
17 And it came to pass after my return to Jerusalem, while I was praying in the temple, that 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.
19 And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned, and beat in every synagogue, those that believed in thee; 20 and when the blood of Stephen, thy witness, was shed, I myself was standing by and consenting, and keeping the garments of those who slew him.
21 And he said to me, Depart; for I will send thee far hence to the gentiles.
22 And they listened to him as far as this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth! for it was not fit that he should live.
23 And as they were crying out, and shaking their garments, and throwing dust into the air, 24 the chief captain ordered him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might ascertain for what cause they were thus crying out against him. 25 But when they had stretched him out with the cords, Paul said to 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 this, he went and told the chief captain, saying, What art thou about to do? For this man is a Roman.
27 Then the chief captain came and said to him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yes.
28 The chief captain answered, For a great sum I obtained this citizenship. And Paul said, But I was born a Roman.
29 They therefore who were about to examine him left him immediately. And the chief captain also was alarmed when he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.