---
title: Acts 22
slug: kjv-nt/acts-22
createdAt: 2024-09-08T02:56:14.499Z
---

**1 **Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence *which I make* now unto you.

**2 **(And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)

**3 **I am verily a man *which am* a Jew, born in Tarsus, *a city* in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, *and* taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. **4 **And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. **5 **As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.

**6 **And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. **7 **And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? **8 **And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. **9 **And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. **10 **And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do. **11 **And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.

**12 **And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt *there*, **13 **Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him. **14 **And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. **15 **For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. **16 **And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

**17 **And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance; **18 **And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me. **19 **And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee: **20 **And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. **21 **And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.

**22 **And they gave him audience unto this word, and *then* lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a *fellow* from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live. **23 **And as they cried out, and cast off *their* clothes, and threw dust into the air, **24 **The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him. **25 **And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned? **26 **When the centurion heard *that*, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman. **27 **Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea. **28 **And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was *free* born. **29 **Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.

**30 **On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from *his* bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.