20
And when your witness Stephen was put to death, I myself was there, approving of his murder and taking care of the cloaks of his murderers.'
1
21
"Go,' the Lord said to me, "for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.' "
22
The people listened to Paul until he said this; but then they started shouting at the top of their voices, "Away with him! Kill him! He's not fit to live!"
23
They were screaming, waving their clothes, and throwing dust up in the air.
24
The Roman commander ordered his men to take Paul into the fort, and he told them to whip him in order to find out why the Jews were screaming like this against him.
25
But when they had tied him up to be whipped, Paul said to the officer standing there, "Is it lawful for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn't even been tried for any crime?"
26
When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and asked him, "What are you doing? That man is a Roman citizen!"
27
So the commander went to Paul and asked him, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes," answered Paul.
28
The commander said, "I became one by paying a large amount of money." "But I am one by birth," Paul answered.
29
At once the men who were going to question Paul drew back from him; and the commander was frightened when he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had put him in chains.
30
The commander wanted to find out for sure what the Jews were accusing Paul of; so the next day he had Paul's chains taken off and ordered the chief priests and the whole Council to meet. Then he took Paul and made him stand before them.