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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>Acts 22 CEV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/acts/22.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/acts/22-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="//biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">CEV</a> > Acts 22</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../acts/21.htm" title="Acts 21">◄</a> Acts 22 <a href="../acts/23.htm" title="Acts 23">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading">Contemporary English Version</div><div class="chap"><p class="par"><span class="v44_22_1"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.1" class="v44_22_1">1</span>“My friends and leaders of our nation, listen as I explain what happened!” </span><span class="v44_22_2"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.2" class="v44_22_2">2</span>When the crowd heard Paul speak to them in Aramaic, they became even quieter. Then Paul said:</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v44_22_3"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.3" class="v44_22_3">3</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Acts.22.3!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> I am a Jew, born in the city of Tarsus in Cilicia. But I grew up here in Jerusalem where I was a student of Gamaliel and was taught to follow every single law of our ancestors. In fact, I was just as eager to obey God as any of you are today.</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v44_22_4"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.4" class="v44_22_4">4</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Acts.22.4!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> I made trouble for everyone who followed the Lord's Way,<a href="#fn" id="link_Acts.22.4!f.2" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> and I even had some of them killed. I had others arrested and put in jail. I didn't care if they were men or women. </span><span class="v44_22_5"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.5" class="v44_22_5">5</span>The high priest and all the council members can tell you this is true. They even gave me letters to the Jewish leaders in Damascus, so that I could arrest people there and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v44_22_6"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.6" class="v44_22_6">6</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Acts.22.6!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> One day about noon I was getting close to Damascus, when a bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around me. </span><span class="v44_22_7"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.7" class="v44_22_7">7</span>I fell to the ground and heard a voice asking, “Saul, Saul, why are you so cruel to me?”</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v44_22_8"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.8" class="v44_22_8">8</span>“Who are you?” I answered.</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v44_22_8">The Lord replied, “I am Jesus from Nazareth! I am the one you are so cruel to.” </span><span class="v44_22_9"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.9" class="v44_22_9">9</span>Those who were traveling with me saw the light, but did not hear the voice.</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v44_22_10"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.10" class="v44_22_10">10</span>I asked, “Lord, what do you want me to do?”</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v44_22_10">Then he told me, “Get up and go to Damascus. When you get there, you will be told what to do.” </span><span class="v44_22_11"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.11" class="v44_22_11">11</span>The light had been so bright that I couldn't see. And the others had to lead me by the hand to Damascus.</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v44_22_12"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.12" class="v44_22_12">12</span>In that city there was a man named Ananias, who faithfully obeyed the Law of Moses and was well liked by all the Jewish people living there. </span><span class="v44_22_13"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.13" class="v44_22_13">13</span>He came to me and said, “Saul, my friend, you can now see again!”</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v44_22_13">At once I could see. </span><span class="v44_22_14"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.14" class="v44_22_14">14</span>Then Ananias told me, “The God that our ancestors worshiped has chosen you to know what he wants done. He has chosen you to see the One Who Obeys God<a href="#fn" id="link_Acts.22.14!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> and to hear his voice. </span><span class="v44_22_15"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.15" class="v44_22_15">15</span>You must tell everyone what you have seen and heard. </span><span class="v44_22_16"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.16" class="v44_22_16">16</span>What are you waiting for? Get up! Be baptized, and wash away your sins by praying to the Lord.”</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v44_22_17"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.17" class="v44_22_17">17</span>After this I returned to Jerusalem and went to the temple to pray. There I had a vision </span><span class="v44_22_18"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.18" class="v44_22_18">18</span>of the Lord who said to me, “Hurry and leave Jerusalem! The people won't listen to what you say about me.”</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v44_22_19"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.19" class="v44_22_19">19</span>I replied, “Lord, they know that in many of our synagogues I arrested and beat people who had faith in you. </span><span class="v44_22_20"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.20" class="v44_22_20">20</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Acts.22.20!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> Stephen was killed because he spoke for you, and I stood there and cheered them on. I even guarded the clothes of the men who murdered him.”</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v44_22_21"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.21" class="v44_22_21">21</span>But the Lord told me to go, and he promised to send me far away to the Gentiles.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v44_22_22"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.22" class="v44_22_22">22</span>The crowd listened until Paul said this. Then they started shouting, “Get rid of this man! He doesn't deserve to live.” </span><span class="v44_22_23"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.23" class="v44_22_23">23</span>They kept shouting. They waved their clothes around and threw dust into the air.</span></p><h3 class="s1">Paul and the Roman Army Commander</h3><p class="par"><span class="v44_22_24"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.24" class="v44_22_24">24</span>The Roman commander ordered Paul to be taken into the fortress and beaten with a whip. He did this to find out why the people were screaming at Paul.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v44_22_25"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.25" class="v44_22_25">25</span>While the soldiers were tying Paul up to be beaten, he asked the officer standing there, “Is it legal to beat a Roman citizen before he has been tried in court?”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v44_22_26"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.26" class="v44_22_26">26</span>When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and said, “What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v44_22_27"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.27" class="v44_22_27">27</span>The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v44_22_27">“Yes,” Paul answered.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v44_22_28"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.28" class="v44_22_28">28</span>The commander then said, “I paid a lot of money to become a Roman citizen.”<a href="#fn" id="link_Acts.22.28!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span></p><p class="par"><span class="v44_22_28">But Paul replied, “I was born a Roman citizen.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v44_22_29"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.29" class="v44_22_29">29</span>The men who were about to beat and question Paul quickly backed off. And the commander himself was frightened when he realized that he had put a Roman citizen in chains.</span></p><h3 class="s1">Paul Is Tried by the Council</h3><p class="par"><span class="v44_22_30"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.22.30" class="v44_22_30">30</span>The next day the commander wanted to know the real reason why the Jewish leaders had brought charges against Paul. So he had Paul's chains removed, and he ordered the chief priests and the whole council to meet. Then he had Paul led in and made him stand in front of them.</span></p> <a name="fn"></a><br /><br /><br /><b>Footnotes:<br /><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">22.4 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">followed the Lord's Way: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">See the note at 9.2.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">22.14 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">One Who Obeys God: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">See the note at 7.52.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">22.28 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">Roman citizen: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">See the note at 16.37.</char></note></div></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div align="center"><p><span style="font-size:11pt;">Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt;">© 2006 American Bible Society. 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