Paul the Roman Citizen

[The crowd] listened to [Paul] until he made this statement Then they lifted up their voices [and] shouted,“Rid the earth of [him]! vvv He is not fit to live!”

23 

[As] they were crying out[fn] and throwing off [their] cloaks and tossing dust into the air, 24 the commander ordered that [Paul] be brought into the barracks. He directed that [Paul] be flogged and interrogated to determine vvv the reason for this outcry against him.

25 

But as he stretched him out[fn] vvv to strap him down, Paul said to the centurion standing there,“vvv Is it lawful for you to flog a Roman citizen without a trial?”

26 

[On] hearing [this], the centurion went [and] reported [it] to the commander.“Consider what you are about to do,”[fn] he said. This man is a Roman citizen.”

27 

The commander went to [Paul] and asked,“Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”

“Yes,” he answered.

28 

“I paid a high price [for my] citizenship,” said the commander.

“But I vvv was born a citizen,” Paul replied.

29 

At once those who were about to interrogate [Paul] stepped back and the commander [himself] was alarmed when he realized that vvv he had put a Roman citizen {in chains}.

30 

The next day [the commander], wanting to learn the real reason [Paul] was accused by the Jews, released him from the bonds[fn] and ordered the chief priests and their whole Sanhedrin[fn] to assemble. Then he brought Paul {down} and had him stand before them. 23