Acts Chapter 22 in Simple English

Updated on October 1, 2026

Read Acts Chapter 22

1"Men, brothers, and fathers, listen to the defence I now make to you."

2(When they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said,)

3"I am a Jew. I was born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, but I was brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel. I was taught to keep the law of our fathers exactly, and I was zealous toward God, as all of you are this day."

4"I persecuted this way even to the death. I tied up both men and women and handed them over to prisons."

5"The high priest is my witness, and so is the whole council of elders. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I went to Damascus to bring those who were there back to Jerusalem in chains, to be punished."

6"As I was travelling, and came near Damascus about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone all around me."

7"I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'"

8"I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' And he said to me, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.'"

9"Those who were with me did see the light, and they were afraid. But they did not hear the voice of him who spoke to me."

10"And I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord said to me, 'Get up, and go into Damascus. There you will be told all the things that are appointed for you to do.'"

11"I could not see, because of the glory of that light. So those who were with me led me by the hand, and I came into Damascus."

12"A man named Ananias, who was devout in keeping the law, and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,"

13"came to me. He stood there and said to me, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight.' At that same hour I looked up at him."

14"And he said, 'The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will, and to see that Just One, and to hear the voice of his mouth.'"

15"'For you will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard.'"

16"'And now why are you waiting? Get up, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.'"

17"When I had come back to Jerusalem, while I was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance."

18"I saw him saying to me, 'Hurry, and get out of Jerusalem quickly. They will not accept what you say about me.'"

19"And I said, 'Lord, they know that I put in prison and beat in every synagogue those who believed in you."

20"And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I was standing by. I agreed to his death, and I looked after the clothes of those who killed him.'"

21"And he said to me, 'Go. I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.'"

22They listened to him until he said this word. Then they lifted up their voices and said, "Away with such a man from the earth. It is not right that he should live."

23They cried out, and threw off their clothes, and threw dust into the air.

24So the chief captain ordered him to be brought into the castle. He said that Paul should be questioned under the whip, so that he might learn why they shouted against him like this.

25As they tied him up with straps, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, "Is it lawful for you to whip a man who is a Roman, and has not been found guilty?"

26When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, "Be careful what you do. This man is a Roman."

27Then the chief captain came and said to him, "Tell me, are you a Roman?" He said, "Yes."

28And the chief captain answered, "I paid a great sum of money to get this freedom." And Paul said, "But I was born free."

29Then those who were going to question him left him at once. The chief captain was also afraid when he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had tied him up.

30The next day, because he wanted to know for certain why Paul was accused by the Jews, he set him free from his chains. He ordered the chief priests and all their council to meet. Then he brought Paul down and set him before them.

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Explanation

Acts 22

In short

Paul, arrested in Jerusalem, defends himself before a hostile crowd by telling the story of his conversion. He describes his past as a strict Jewish observer who persecuted Christians, his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, and his call to preach to non-Jews. When he mentions being sent to the Gentiles, the crowd turns violent, but Paul's claim to Roman citizenship stops the authorities from punishing him.

Context

Paul has been arrested in the temple (Acts 21). A riot broke out, and the Roman military commander brought him into protective custody. The crowd is mostly Jewish and hostile to Paul. He now speaks to them, first in the Hebrew language, which quiets them enough to listen to his defence.

What the text says

Paul opens by asking the crowd to hear his defence (verse 1). He was born in Tarsus but educated in Jerusalem under the rabbi Gamaliel, trained strictly in Jewish law (verses 2-3). He persecuted followers of Jesus, imprisoning and beating both men and women, with backing from the high priest and Jewish leaders (verses 4-5).

On his way to Damascus with authority to arrest more believers, a brilliant light from heaven struck him down around noon (verse 6). A voice asked why he was persecuting Jesus, and he learned it was Jesus himself speaking (verses 7-8). Those with him saw the light but heard nothing (verse 9). Jesus told him to go to Damascus to learn what he must do (verse 10). Blinded by the light's glory, he was led there by his companions (verse 11).

Ananias, a faithful Jewish man, came to him, restored his sight, and explained that God had chosen him to witness about Jesus (verses 12-15). Ananias told him to be baptized and call on the Lord's name to wash away his sins (verse 16).

Back in Jerusalem while praying in the temple, Paul saw Jesus in a vision telling him to leave quickly, because Jerusalem would reject his testimony (verses 17-18). Paul objected, noting his history of persecuting Christians (verses 19-20). But Jesus commanded him to depart, saying "I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles" (verse 21).

At the word "Gentiles," the crowd erupted, shouting that such a man should be put to death (verse 22). In the chaos of their shouting and throwing dust, the Roman chief captain ordered Paul brought to the fortress for examination by flogging to discover why they opposed him (verses 23-24). As they prepared to bind him, Paul asked the centurion if it was lawful to flog a Roman citizen who had not been condemned (verse 25). The centurion reported this to the chief captain, who came and confirmed with Paul that he was Roman (verses 26-27). The chief captain revealed he had purchased citizenship at great cost, while Paul stated he was free born (verse 28). Those about to examine him withdrew, and the chief captain became afraid, knowing he had bound a Roman (verse 29). The next day, wanting to know the actual charge, the chief captain released Paul and summoned the chief priests and the council to hear the case (verse 30).

Takeaways

Paul's account reveals his complete reversal from persecutor to witness for Christ, based on a direct encounter with the risen Jesus.
The mention of Gentiles triggers the crowd's violence, showing their rejection of his message to non-Jews.
Paul's Roman citizenship, revealed at the moment of threatened punishment, shifts power in the situation and opens the way to a formal hearing.

Acts 22 - Simple English