New Revised Standard NRS
The Message Bible MSG
1 "Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense that I now make before you."
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"My dear brothers and fathers, listen carefully to what I have to say before you jump to conclusions about me."
2 When they heard him addressing them in Hebrew, they became even more quiet. Then he said:
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When they heard him speaking Hebrew, they grew even quieter. No one wanted to miss a word of this.
3 "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated strictly according to our ancestral law, being zealous for God, just as all of you are today.
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"I am a good Jew, born in Tarsus in the province of Cilicia, but educated here in Jerusalem under the exacting eye of Rabbi Gamaliel, thoroughly instructed in our religious traditions. And I've always been passionately on God's side, just as you are right now.
4 I persecuted this Way up to the point of death by binding both men and women and putting them in prison,
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"I went after anyone connected with this 'Way,' went at them hammer and tongs, ready to kill for God. I rounded up men and women right and left and had them thrown in prison.
5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. From them I also received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I went there in order to bind those who were there and to bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment.
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You can ask the Chief Priest or anyone in the High Council to verify this; they all knew me well. Then I went off to our brothers in Damascus, armed with official documents authorizing me to hunt down the Christians there, arrest them, and bring them back to Jerusalem for sentencing.
6 "While I was on my way and approaching Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone about me.
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"As I arrived on the outskirts of Damascus about noon, a blinding light blazed out of the skies
7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'
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and I fell to the ground, dazed. I heard a voice: 'Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?'
8 I answered, "Who are you, Lord?' Then he said to me, "I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.'
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"'Who are you, Master?' I asked.
9 Now those who were with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.
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My companions saw the light, but they didn't hear the conversation.
10 I asked, "What am I to do, Lord?' The Lord said to me, "Get up and go to Damascus; there you will be told everything that has been assigned to you to do.'
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"Then I said, 'What do I do now, Master?'
11 Since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, those who were with me took my hand and led me to Damascus.
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And so we entered Damascus, but nothing like the entrance I had planned - I was blind as a bat and my companions had to lead me in by the hand.
12 "A certain Ananias, who was a devout man according to the law and well spoken of by all the Jews living there,
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"And that's when I met Ananias, a man with a sterling reputation in observing our laws - the Jewish community in Damascus is unanimous on that score.
13 came to me; and standing beside me, he said, "Brother Saul, regain your sight!' In that very hour I regained my sight and saw him.
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He came and put his arm on my shoulder. 'Look up,' he said. I looked, and found myself looking right into his eyes - I could see again!
14 Then he said, "The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear his own voice;
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"Then he said, 'The God of our ancestors has handpicked you to be briefed on his plan of action. You've actually seen the Righteous Innocent and heard him speak.
15 for you will be his witness to all the world of what you have seen and heard.
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You are to be a key witness to everyone you meet of what you've seen and heard.
16 And now why do you delay? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on his name.'
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So what are you waiting for? Get up and get yourself baptized, scrubbed clean of those sins and personally acquainted with God.'
17 "After I had returned to Jerusalem and while I was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance
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"Well, it happened just as Ananias said. After I was back in Jerusalem and praying one day in the Temple, lost in the presence of God,
18 and saw Jesus saying to me, "Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.'
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I saw him, saw God's Righteous Innocent, and heard him say to me, 'Hurry up! Get out of here as quickly as you can. None of the Jews here in Jerusalem are going to accept what you say about me.'
19 And I said, "Lord, they themselves know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you.
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"At first I objected: 'Who has better credentials? They all know how obsessed I was with hunting out those who believed in you, beating them up in the meeting places and throwing them in jail.
20 And while the blood of your witness Stephen was shed, I myself was standing by, approving and keeping the coats of those who killed him.'
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And when your witness Stephen was murdered, I was right there, holding the coats of the murderers and cheering them on. And now they see me totally converted. What better qualification could I have?'
21 Then he said to me, "Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.' "
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"But he said, 'Don't argue. Go. I'm sending you on a long journey to outsider Gentiles.'"
22 Up to this point they listened to him, but then they shouted, "Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live."
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The people in the crowd had listened attentively up to this point, but now they broke loose, shouting out, "Kill him! He's an insect! Stomp on him!"
23 And while they were shouting, throwing off their cloaks, and tossing dust into the air,
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They shook their fists. They filled the air with curses.
24 the tribune directed that he was to be brought into the barracks, and ordered him to be examined by flogging, to find out the reason for this outcry against him.
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That's when the captain intervened and ordered Paul taken into the barracks. By now the captain was thoroughly exasperated. He decided to interrogate Paul under torture in order to get to the bottom of this, to find out what he had done that provoked this outraged violence.
25 But when they had tied him up with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, "Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who is uncondemned?"
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As they spread-eagled him with thongs, getting him ready for the whip, Paul said to the centurion standing there, "Is this legal: torturing a Roman citizen without a fair trial?"
26 When the centurion heard that, he went to the tribune and said to him, "What are you about to do? This man is a Roman citizen."
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When the centurion heard that, he went directly to the captain. "Do you realize what you've done? This man is a Roman citizen!"
27 The tribune came and asked Paul, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" And he said, "Yes."
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The captain came back and took charge. "Is what I hear right? You're a Roman citizen?" Paul said, "I certainly am."
28 The tribune answered, "It cost me a large sum of money to get my citizenship." Paul said, "But I was born a citizen."
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The captain was impressed. "I paid a huge sum for my citizenship. How much did it cost you?" "Nothing," said Paul. "It cost me nothing. I was free from the day of my birth."
29 Immediately those who were about to examine him drew back from him; and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him.
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That put a stop to the interrogation. And it put the fear of God into the captain. He had put a Roman citizen in chains and come within a whisker of putting him under torture!
30 Since he wanted to find out what Paul was being accused of by the Jews, the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and the entire council to meet. He brought Paul down and had him stand before them.
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The next day, determined to get to the root of the trouble and know for sure what was behind the Jewish accusation, the captain released Paul and ordered a meeting of the high priests and the High Council to see what they could make of it. Paul was led in and took his place before them.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.