Acts 21:27-40; Acts 22:1-22

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Acts 21:27-40

27 The seven days were almost up when some unbelieving Jews from the province of Asia saw him in the Temple, stirred up all the crowd and grabbed him.
28 "Men of Isra'el, help!" they shouted. "This is the man who goes everywhere teaching everyone things against the people, against the Torah and against this place! And now he has even brought some Goyim into the Temple and defiled this holy place!"
29 (They had previously seen Trophimus from Ephesus in the city with him and assumed that Sha'ul had brought him into the Temple.)
30 The whole city was aroused, and people came running from all over. They seized Sha'ul and dragged him out of the Temple, and at once the gates were shut.
31 But while they were attempting to kill him, word reached the commander of the Roman battalion that all Yerushalayim was in turmoil.
32 Immediately he took officers and soldiers and charged down upon them. As soon as they saw the commander, they quit beating Sha'ul.
33 Then the commander came up, arrested him and ordered him to be tied up with two chains. He asked who he was and what he had done.
34 Everyone in the crowd shouted something different; so, since he couldn't find out what had happened because of the uproar, he ordered him brought to the barracks.
35 When Sha'ul got to the steps, he actually had to be carried by the soldiers, because the mob was so wild -
36 the crowd kept following and screaming, "Kill him!"
37 As Sha'ul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the commander, "Is it all right if I say something to you?" The commander said, "You know Greek!
38 Say, aren't you that Egyptian who tried to start a revolution a while back, and led four thousand armed terrorists out into the desert?"
39 Sha'ul said, "I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city; and I ask your permission to let me speak to the people."
40 Having received permission, Sha'ul stood on the steps and motioned with his hand to the people. When they finally became still, he addressed them in Hebrew:
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Acts 22:1-22

1 "Brothers and fathers! Listen to me as I make my defense before you now!"
2 When they heard him speaking to them in Hebrew, they settled down more; so he continued:
3 "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city and trained at the feet of Gamli'el in every detail of the Torah of our forefathers. I was a zealot for God, as all of you are today.
4 I persecuted to death the followers of this Way, arresting both men and women and throwing them in prison.
5 The cohen hagadol and the whole Sanhedrin can also testify to this. Indeed, after receiving letters from them to their colleagues in Dammesek, I was on my way there in order to arrest the ones in that city too and bring them back to Yerushalayim for punishment.
6 "As I was traveling and approaching Dammesek, around noon, suddenly a brilliant light from heaven flashed all around me!
7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Sha'ul! Sha'ul! Why do you keep persecuting me?'
8 I answered, 'Sir, who are you?' 'I am Yeshua from Natzeret,' he said to me, 'and you are persecuting me!'
9 Those who were with me did see the light, but they didn't hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.
10 I said 'What should I do, Lord?' And the Lord said to me, 'Get up, and go into Dammesek, and there you will be told about everything that has been laid out for you to do.'
11 I had been blinded by the brightness of the light, so my companions led me by the hand into Dammesek.
12 "A man named Hananyah, an observant follower of the Torah who was highly regarded by the entire Jewish community there,
13 came to me, stood by me and said, 'Brother Sha'ul, see again!' And at that very moment, I recovered my sight and saw him.
14 He said, 'The God of our fathersy determined in advance that you should know his will, see the Tzaddik and hear his voice;
15 because you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard.
16 So now, what are you waiting for? Get up, immerse yourself and have your sins washed away as you call on his name.'
17 "After I had returned to Yerushalayim, it happened that as I was praying in the Temple, I went into a trance,
18 and I saw Yeshua. 'Hurry!' he said to me, 'Get out of Yerushalayim immediately, because they will not accept what you have to say about me.'
19 I said, 'Lord, they know themselves that in every synagogue I used to imprison and flog those who trusted in you;
20 also that when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I was standing there too, in full agreement; I was even looking after the clothes of the ones who were killing him!'
21 But he said, 'Get going! For I am going to send you far away - to the Goyim!'"
22 They had been listening to him up to this point; but now they shouted at the top of their lungs, "Rid the earth of such a man! He's not fit to live!"
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.