Paul said, "But I was born a citizen." Immediately those who were about to examine him stepped back, and the tribune was afraid when he found out that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had tied him up.

Paul replied, "I'm a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city. Please let me speak to the people."

But when they had tied him up with the straps, Paul asked the centurion who was standing there, "Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn't been condemned?"

When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and told him, "What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!"

So the tribune went and asked Paul, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes," he said.

This man had been seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I went with the guard and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen.

"Fellow Israelis, listen to these words: Jesus from Nazareth was a man authenticated to you by God through miracles, wonders, and signs that God performed through him among you, as you yourselves know.

When Peter saw this, he told the people: "Fellow Israelis, why are you wondering about this, and why are you staring at us as if by our own power or godliness we made him walk?

After they were released, Peter and John went to their fellow believers and told them everything the high priests and the elders had said.

Then he told them, "Fellow Israelis, consider carefully what you propose to do to these men.

The city was filled with confusion, and the people rushed into the theater together, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's fellow travelers from Macedonia.

Up to this point they listened to him, but then they began to shout, "Away with such a fellow from the earth! He's not fit to go on living!"

But Paul told the guards, "The magistrates have had us beaten publicly without a trial and have thrown us into jail, even though we are Roman citizens. Now are they going to throw us out secretly? Certainly not! Have them come and escort us out."

The guards reported these words to the magistrates, and they became afraid when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.