World English Bible · Under Rome
Acts 22
Touch any underlined name to see who or where it is. Tap a verse number to see where it is taken up elsewhere.
"Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense which I now make to you." When they heard that he spoke to them in the language, they were even more quiet. He said, "I am indeed a , born in of , but brought up in this city at the feet of , instructed according to the strict tradition of of our fathers, being for , even as you all are today. I persecuted this Way to the , binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, as also the and all of the testify, from whom also I received letters to the brothers, and traveled to to bring them also who were there to in bonds to be punished. "As I made my journey and came close to , about noon suddenly a great shone around me from . I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ', , why are you persecuting me?' I answered, 'Who are you, ?' He said to me, 'I am of , whom you persecute.' "Those who were with me indeed saw and were afraid, but they didn't understand the voice of him who spoke to me. I said, 'What shall I do, ?' said to me, 'Arise, and go into . There you will be told about all things which are appointed for you to do.' When I couldn't see for the of that , being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into . "One , a devout man according to , well reported of by all the who lived in , came to me, and standing by me said to me, 'Brother , receive your sight!' In that very hour I looked up at him. He said, 'The of our fathers has appointed you to know his will, and to see One, and to hear a voice from his . For you will be a for him to all men of what you have seen and heard. Now why do you wait? Arise, be , and wash away your , calling on the name of .' "When I had returned to and while I in , I fell into a trance and saw him saying to me, 'Hurry and get out of quickly, because they will not receive concerning me from you.' I said, ', they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat in every those who in you. When of , your , was shed, I also was standing by, consenting to his , and guarding the cloaks of those who killed him.' "He said to me, 'Depart, for I will send you out far from here to the .' " They listened to him until he said that; then they lifted up their voice and said, "Rid the earth of this fellow, for he isn't fit to live!" As they cried out, threw off their cloaks, and threw into the air, the commanding officer commanded him to be brought into the barracks, ordering him to be examined by scourging, that he might know for what crime they shouted against him like that. When they had tied him up with straps, asked the centurion who stood by, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a , and not found guilty?" When the centurion heard it, he went to the commanding officer and told him, "Watch what you are about to do, for this man is a !" 27The commanding officer came and asked him, "Tell me, are you a ?" He said, "Yes." 28The commanding officer answered, "I bought my citizenship for a great price." said, "But I was born a ." Immediately those who were about to examine him departed from him, and the commanding officer also was afraid when he realized that he was a , because he had bound him. But on the next day, desiring to know the truth about why he was accused by the , he freed him from the bonds and commanded the and all to come together, and brought down and set him before them.
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.