The Acts of the Apostles
Chapter 22
Vs. 1, 2 Paul stands up to speak to the group of Jewish people. He speaks to the Jewish people in the Hebrew language. When they heard their own language they became very quiet.
Vs. 3 Paul tells them where he is from. He tells them that his teacher was the well-known man named Gamaliel. This was the person who taught him the Jewish law and scriptures.
Vs. 4,5 Paul tells how he was against the teachings of Christ. He arrested people who followed Christ. Even had them put in jail.
Vs. 6-11 Paul tells that on one trip he saw a bright light. He was knocked off his horse. He heard Jesus speak to him from heaven.
Vs. 12-16 Paul was made blind at that time. He went into the city of Damascus. A man by the name of Ananias came and prayed for Paul. Then Paul could see again. Ananias told him that God was going to use him to teach others. Ananias told Paul he should be baptized.
Vs. 17-21 Paul said that when he came to Jerusalem later, he was praying in the temple and he saw a vision. The Lord spoke to him and told him to leave Jerusalem and go teach the Gentiles about Jesus.
Vs. 22 -24 The group of people had been listening to Paul quietly until he said this.
They stared to shout and said Do away with this man. Kill him.
Vs. 25 The captain took Paul inside the building. He started to whip Paul to make him confess what bad thing he had done that made the people so angry. As he started to whip him, Paul said Are you allowed to whip a Roman citizen when he has not had a trial?
Vs. 26-29 The Roman captain was surprised to learn that Paul was a Roman citizen. Most Jews were not citizens of the Roman ruling government. Paul explained that he had been born to a Roman citizen so he also was a Roman citizen.
Now the soldiers were nervous and afraid because they had ordered Paul to be whipped.
Vs. 30 The next day Paul was let go. But he had Paul go before the Jewish leaders to try to find out what all the trouble was about.