MODERN LITERAL VERSION

22:1 Brethren and fathers! Hear my defense which I now make to you*.
22:2 And when they heard that he shouted to them in the Hebrew language, this provided even more quietness and he says,
22:3 Indeed, I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but reared in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel, having been educated according to the exactness of the law of our forefathers, being* a zealous one of God, just-as you* all are today;
22:4 and I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and giving into prisons both men and women.
22:5 As also the high-priest and all the eldership can testify of me; from whom I also accepted letters to the brethren and I went to Damascus to bring those who were also there to Jerusalem in bonds that* they might be punished.
{Examples of those who were saved in the New Testament: Acts 2:14-42; 8:5-13; 8:30-39; 9:17-18, 22:6-16, 26:12-18; 10:34-48; 16:13-15; 16:25-34; 18:8; 19:1-7.}

22:6 And it happened, that, as I traveled and drawing near to Damascus, around midday, suddenly there flashed around me a considerable light from heaven.
22:7 And I fell to the solid-ground and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

22:8 And I answered, Who are you, Lord?
And he said to me, I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.

22:9 And those who were with me indeed saw the light and became fearful, but they did not hear with understanding the voice of him who spoke to me.
22:10 And I said, What should I do, Lord?
And the Lord said to me, Stand up and go into Damascus, and it will be told to you there concerning all things which are appointed for you to do.

22:11 And I did not see from the glory of that light, being led by the hand by those who were with me, I came into Damascus.
22:12 And a certain man named Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well testified of by all the Jews dwelling there,
22:13 came to me and standing by me said to me, Brother Saul, recover your sight. And I looked up at him in the same hour.
22:14 And he said, The God of our fathers has assigned you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth.
22:15 Because you will be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and heard.
22:16 And now why are you hesitating? Stand up and be immersed* and bathe away your sins, calling upon the name of the Lord.

22:17 And it happened, that, when I had returned to Jerusalem and while I prayed in the temple, I became in a trance,
22:18 and saw him saying to me, Hurry and go forth quickly out of Jerusalem, because they will not accept the testimony from you concerning me.

22:19 And I said, Lord, they themselves know those who believed on you that I was imprisoning and whipping them in every synagogue;
22:20 and when the blood of Stephen your witness was shed, I had also been standing by and was consenting to the assassination of him, keeping the garments of those assassinating him.

22:21 And he said to me, Go, because I will send you forth to the Gentiles far from here .

22:22 And they heard him till this word and they lifted up their voice and said, Take such a one away from the earth; for* it is not proper for him to live.

22:23 Now as they were crying out and tossing off their garments and casting dust into the air,
22:24 the commander commanded him to be brought into the encampment, saying, He is to be interrogated by scourges, that* we might fully know because of what crime they shouted out against him so.

22:25 And when they had stretched him out with the straps, Paul said to the centurion that stood by, Is it legal for you* to scourge a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?

22:26 And when the centurion heard it, he went to the commander and reported to him, saying, See, what are you about to do? For* this man is a Roman.

22:27 And the commander came and said to him, Tell me, if you are a Roman.
And he said, Yes.

22:28 And the commander answered, I procured this citizenship with a large sum.
And Paul said, But I am Roman born.

22:29 Then* they who were about to interrogate him, immediately withdrew from him and the commander was also afraid when he recognized that he was a Roman and because he had bound him.

22:30 But on the next-day, intending to know the certainty of why he was accused by the Jews, he loosed him from his bonds and commanded the high-priests and all the council to come together and brought Paul down and stood him among them.
{May 25, 59 AD. Paul sent to the political capital at Caesarea.}