Paul
Paul's Defense Speech in Jerusalem
Paul delivers his defense speech to the crowd in Jerusalem, recounting his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, Ananias restoring his sight, and his call to the Gentiles. When the people rage and the commander orders him to be flogged, Paul reveals his Roman citizenship and avoids punishment.
Acts 22,1-29
1"Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense I now make before you."
Ἄνδρες ἀδελφοὶ καὶ πατέρες, ἀκούσατέ μου τῆς πρὸς ὑμᾶς νυνὶ ἀπολογίας.
2When they heard him addressing them in Hebrew, they became even more quiet. Then he said:
Ἀκούσαντες δὲ ὅτι τῇ Ἑβραΐδι διαλέκτῳ προσεφώνει αὐτοῖς μᾶλλον παρέσχον ἡσυχίαν. καὶ φησίν·
3"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city. I was trained at the feet of Gamaliel in the strict observance of the law of our fathers, and I was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.
⸀Ἐγώ εἰμι ἀνὴρ Ἰουδαῖος, γεγεννημένος ἐν Ταρσῷ τῆς Κιλικίας, ἀνατεθραμμένος δὲ ἐν τῇ πόλει ταύτῃ παρὰ τοὺς πόδας Γαμαλιήλ, πεπαιδευμένος κατὰ ἀκρίβειαν τοῦ πατρῴου νόμου, ζηλωτὴς ὑπάρχων τοῦ θεοῦ καθὼς πάντες ὑμεῖς ἐστε σήμερον,
4I persecuted this Way to the death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,
ὃς ταύτην τὴν ὁδὸν ἐδίωξα ἄχρι θανάτου, δεσμεύων καὶ παραδιδοὺς εἰς φυλακὰς ἄνδρας τε καὶ γυναῖκας,
5as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify. From them I obtained letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way to bring those who were there back to Jerusalem in chains to be punished.
ὡς καὶ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς μαρτυρεῖ μοι καὶ πᾶν τὸ πρεσβυτέριον· παρʼ ὧν καὶ ἐπιστολὰς δεξάμενος πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς εἰς Δαμασκὸν ἐπορευόμην ἄξων καὶ τοὺς ἐκεῖσε ὄντας δεδεμένους εἰς Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἵνα τιμωρηθῶσιν.
6"As I was on my way and nearing Damascus, about noon a brilliant light from heaven suddenly flashed all around me.
Ἐγένετο δέ μοι πορευομένῳ καὶ ἐγγίζοντι τῇ Δαμασκῷ περὶ μεσημβρίαν ἐξαίφνης ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ περιαστράψαι φῶς ἱκανὸν περὶ ἐμέ,
7I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'
ἔπεσά τε εἰς τὸ ἔδαφος καὶ ἤκουσα φωνῆς λεγούσης μοι· Σαοὺλ Σαούλ, τί με διώκεις;
8I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' And he said to me, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.'
ἐγὼ δὲ ἀπεκρίθην· Τίς εἶ, κύριε; εἶπέν τε πρὸς ⸀ἐμέ· Ἐγώ εἰμι Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος ὃν σὺ διώκεις.
9Those who were with me saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me.
οἱ δὲ σὺν ἐμοὶ ὄντες τὸ μὲν φῶς ⸀ἐθεάσαντο τὴν δὲ φωνὴν οὐκ ἤκουσαν τοῦ λαλοῦντός μοι.
10So I asked, 'What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord said to me, 'Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that has been appointed for you to do.'
εἶπον δέ· Τί ποιήσω, κύριε; ὁ δὲ κύριος εἶπεν πρός με· Ἀναστὰς πορεύου εἰς Δαμασκόν, κἀκεῖ σοι λαληθήσεται περὶ πάντων ὧν τέτακταί σοι ποιῆσαι.
11Since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, my companions took me by the hand and led me into Damascus.
ὡς δὲ οὐκ ἐνέβλεπον ἀπὸ τῆς δόξης τοῦ φωτὸς ἐκείνου, χειραγωγούμενος ὑπὸ τῶν συνόντων μοι ἦλθον εἰς Δαμασκόν.
12"A man named Ananias came to me, a devout observer of the law, well spoken of by all the Jews living there.
Ἁνανίας δέ τις ἀνὴρ ⸀εὐλαβὴς κατὰ τὸν νόμον μαρτυρούμενος ὑπὸ πάντων τῶν κατοικούντων Ἰουδαίων,
13He stood beside me and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight.' And at that very moment I could see him.
ἐλθὼν πρὸς ⸀ἐμὲ καὶ ἐπιστὰς εἶπέν μοι· Σαοὺλ ἀδελφέ, ἀνάβλεψον· κἀγὼ αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ ἀνέβλεψα εἰς αὐτόν.
14Then he said: 'The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear a word from his mouth,
ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· Ὁ θεὸς τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν προεχειρίσατό σε γνῶναι τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἰδεῖν τὸν δίκαιον καὶ ἀκοῦσαι φωνὴν ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ,
15for you will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard.
ὅτι ἔσῃ μάρτυς αὐτῷ πρὸς πάντας ἀνθρώπους ὧν ἑώρακας καὶ ἤκουσας.
16And now, why wait any longer? Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away, calling on his name.'
καὶ νῦν τί μέλλεις; ἀναστὰς βάπτισαι καὶ ἀπόλουσαι τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου ἐπικαλεσάμενος τὸ ὄνομα ⸀αὐτοῦ.
17"After I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance
Ἐγένετο δέ μοι ὑποστρέψαντι εἰς Ἰερουσαλὴμ καὶ προσευχομένου μου ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ γενέσθαι με ἐν ἐκστάσει
18and saw him saying to me, 'Hurry, leave Jerusalem at once, because they will not accept your testimony about me.'
καὶ ἰδεῖν αὐτὸν λέγοντά μοι· Σπεῦσον καὶ ἔξελθε ἐν τάχει ἐξ Ἰερουσαλήμ, διότι οὐ παραδέξονταί ⸀σου μαρτυρίαν περὶ ἐμοῦ.
19And I said, 'Lord, they themselves know that I went from synagogue to synagogue, imprisoning and beating those who believed in you.
κἀγὼ εἶπον· Κύριε, αὐτοὶ ἐπίστανται ὅτι ἐγὼ ἤμην φυλακίζων καὶ δέρων κατὰ τὰς συναγωγὰς τοὺς πιστεύοντας ἐπὶ σέ·
20And when the blood of Stephen your witness was shed, I was standing there giving my approval, guarding the cloaks of those who killed him.'
καὶ ὅτε ⸀ἐξεχύννετο τὸ αἷμα Στεφάνου τοῦ μάρτυρός σου, καὶ αὐτὸς ἤμην ἐφεστὼς καὶ συνευδοκῶν ⸀καὶ φυλάσσων τὰ ἱμάτια τῶν ἀναιρούντων αὐτόν.
21But he said to me, 'Go, for I am sending you far away to the Gentiles.'"
καὶ εἶπεν πρός με· Πορεύου, ὅτι ἐγὼ εἰς ἔθνη μακρὰν ἐξαποστελῶ σε.
22They listened to him until he said this, and then they raised their voices and shouted, "Rid the earth of him! He is not fit to live!"
Ἤκουον δὲ αὐτοῦ ἄχρι τούτου τοῦ λόγου καὶ ἐπῆραν τὴν φωνὴν αὐτῶν λέγοντες· Αἶρε ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς τὸν τοιοῦτον, οὐ γὰρ καθῆκεν αὐτὸν ζῆν.
23As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air,
⸀κραυγαζόντων ⸀τε αὐτῶν καὶ ῥιπτούντων τὰ ἱμάτια καὶ κονιορτὸν βαλλόντων εἰς τὸν ἀέρα,
24the commander ordered that Paul be brought into the barracks, directing that he be flogged and questioned so that he might find out why the crowd was shouting at him like this.
ἐκέλευσεν ⸂ὁ χιλίαρχος εἰσάγεσθαι αὐτὸν⸃ εἰς τὴν παρεμβολήν, ⸀εἴπας μάστιξιν ἀνετάζεσθαι αὐτὸν ἵνα ἐπιγνῷ διʼ ἣν αἰτίαν οὕτως ἐπεφώνουν αὐτῷ.
25But as they were stretching him out to be whipped, Paul said to the centurion standing there, "Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who has not even been condemned?"
ὡς δὲ ⸀προέτειναν αὐτὸν τοῖς ἱμᾶσιν εἶπεν πρὸς τὸν ἑστῶτα ἑκατόνταρχον ὁ Παῦλος· Εἰ ἄνθρωπον Ῥωμαῖον καὶ ἀκατάκριτον ἔξεστιν ὑμῖν μαστίζειν;
26When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. "What are you about to do?" he said. "This man is a Roman citizen."
ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ ἑκατοντάρχης προσελθὼν ⸂τῷ χιλιάρχῳ ἀπήγγειλεν⸃ λέγων· ⸀Τί μέλλεις ποιεῖν; ὁ γὰρ ἄνθρωπος οὗτος Ῥωμαῖός ἐστιν.
27The commander came and asked him, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes," he answered.
προσελθὼν δὲ ὁ χιλίαρχος εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Λέγε μοι, ⸀σὺ Ῥωμαῖος εἶ; ὁ δὲ ἔφη· Ναί.
28The commander said, "I paid a great deal of money for my citizenship." "But I was born a citizen," Paul replied.
ἀπεκρίθη ⸀δὲ ὁ χιλίαρχος· Ἐγὼ πολλοῦ κεφαλαίου τὴν πολιτείαν ταύτην ἐκτησάμην. ὁ δὲ Παῦλος ἔφη· Ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ γεγέννημαι.
29Immediately those who were about to interrogate him withdrew, and the commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put a Roman citizen in chains.
εὐθέως οὖν ἀπέστησαν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ οἱ μέλλοντες αὐτὸν ἀνετάζειν· καὶ ὁ χιλίαρχος δὲ ἐφοβήθη ἐπιγνοὺς ὅτι Ῥωμαῖός ἐστιν καὶ ὅτι ⸂αὐτὸν ἦν⸃ δεδεκώς.