Paul Is Arrested and Addresses the Crowd

When the seven days were nearly complete, Jews from Asia saw Paul in the temple and stirred up the crowd. They accused him of teaching against the people, the law, and the temple. They also supposed he had brought Trophimus, an Ephesian, into the temple. The city was thrown into turmoil. People seized Paul, dragged him out, and the temple doors were shut.

As they tried to kill Paul, the commanding officer heard that Jerusalem was in an uproar. He ran down with soldiers and centurions, and the crowd stopped beating Paul when they saw them. The officer arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains, but the shouting was so confused that he could not learn the truth. Soldiers carried Paul up the stairs because of the crowd's violence, while many cried out for him to be taken away.

Just before he was taken into the barracks, Paul asked to speak to the officer. The officer was surprised that Paul spoke Greek and wondered if he was the Egyptian who had stirred up a revolt and led four thousand Assassins into the wilderness. Paul explained that he was a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, and he asked permission to address the people. Standing on the stairs, he motioned with his hand, and the crowd grew very quiet as he spoke in the Hebrew language.

Paul said he was a Jew, born in Tarsus, but brought up in Jerusalem at the feet of Gamaliel, trained in the strict tradition of the law. He had fiercely opposed followers of the Way, binding both men and women and delivering them to prison. Then, near Damascus at about noon, a great light from the sky shone around him. He fell to the ground and heard Jesus of Nazareth speak to him.

Blinded by the brightness, he was led into Damascus. There Ananias came to him, he received his sight, and he was told to be baptised and call on the Lord.

Paul went on to say that later, while praying in the temple, he fell into a trance and saw the Lord telling him to leave Jerusalem quickly because the people would not accept his testimony. Paul answered that they knew how fiercely he had opposed believers, even standing by when Stephen was killed and guarding the cloaks of those who killed him. Then he said that the Lord sent him far away to the Gentiles. At that word, the crowd erupted again and shouted that he should not live.

The officer ordered Paul to be taken inside and examined by scourging so he could find out why the crowd was shouting against him. But when they had tied Paul up with straps, he asked the centurion whether it was lawful to scourge a Roman who had not been found guilty. The warning reached the officer at once.

Paul said he was a Roman citizen by birth, and those who were about to question him stepped back. The next day, the officer freed him from the bonds and brought him before the chief priests and the council to learn the truth.