37 As they were able to carry him into the fortress, Paulos called down to the commander, “Can I say something to you?”

“You speak Greek!”, replied the commander. 38 “Aren’t you the Mitsri (Egyptian) who stirred up a group of assassins a while back and led them out into the wilderness?”

39 “No, I’m a Yehudi (Jew) from Tarsos in Kilikia—a citizen of an important city,” said Paulos. “But please, let me speak to these people.”

40 The commander nodded, so the soldiers stood Paulos on the stairs where he gestured to the people. The crowd quietened down, and so Paulos spoke loudly in his Hebrew language: 22 “Men, brothers, and fathers, listen to what I have to say for myself.” 2 When they heard him speaking Hebrew, they became even more quiet as he continued, 3 “I am a Yehudi who grew up in this very city to study under Gamliel. I’ve been raised according to every part of our ancestral law, working hard to obey God like all of you here today. 4 I used to persecute the followers of ‘The Path’ even to death—tying up both men and women and handing them over to the prisons 5 as the Chief Priest and all the council of elders can tell you. I took letters from them to our Jewish brothers in Damesek (Damascus) when I went so that I could arrest the ones there and bring them back here to Yerushalem (Jerusalem) to be punished.