When y’all are brought before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, y’all mustn’t worry about how y’all will make a defense or what y’all will say,
Acts 22:1 - Y'all Version Bible “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense before y’all.” Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you. Amplified Bible - Classic Edition BRETHREN AND fathers, listen to the defense which I now make in your presence. American Standard Version (1901) Brethren and fathers, hear ye the defence which I now make unto you. Common English Bible “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.” Catholic Public Domain Version "Noble brothers and fathers, listen to the explanation that I now give to you." Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version MEN, brethren, and fathers, hear ye the account which I now give unto you. |
When y’all are brought before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, y’all mustn’t worry about how y’all will make a defense or what y’all will say,
Therefore, y’all must decide in y’all’s hearts not to prepare a defense beforehand,
“Siblings, children of Abraham’s family, and those among y’all who fear God, the word of this salvation is sent out to y’all.
Some of the crowd thought this was about Alexander when the Jews pushed him forward. Motioning with his hand, Alexander wanted to make a defense before the public gathering.
Paul, looking straight at the council and said, “Brothers, I have lived all my life before God with good conscience to this day.”
But when Paul noticed that some of them were Sadducees and others were Pharisees, he called out in the Council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am being judged because of the hope and resurrection of the dead!”
The governor motioned for him to speak, then Paul responded, “Because I know that you have been a judge of this ethnic group for many years, I gladly make my defense.
“I answered them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand over a human before the accused has met the accusers face to face and had opportunity to make a defense against the charges.
Then he said in his defense, “I have not sinned against the Jewish law, against the temple, or against Caesar.”
As Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus exclaimed loudly, “Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you insane!”
After three days had passed, Paul called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled, he said to them, “Brothers, although I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.
“Brothers and fathers,” he replied, “Y’all must listen to me: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,
They show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience testifying with them, and their thoughts among themselves accusing or else excusing them
Have y’all been thinking all this time that we are defending ourselves to y’all? We have been speaking in the sight of God in Christ, and everything, beloved, is for building y’all up.
Look at what this godly sorrow has produced in y’all—what earnestness, what reasoned defense, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what vindication! In every way, y’all have shown yourselves to be innocent in this matter.
The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, thinking that they add oppression to my chains.
It is right for me to think this way about all y’all, because I have you* in my heart, since both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, all y’all are partakers of grace with me.
At my first defense, no one came to support me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be counted against them.
But sanctify Christ as Lord in y’all’s hearts. Always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks y’all to give a reason for the hope that is in y’all. But do this with gentleness and reverence,