17“When I had returned to Jerusalem, and while I prayed in the temple, I fell into a trance,
18and saw him saying to me,
‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not receive testimony concerning me from you.’
19I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue those who believed in you.
20When the blood of Stephen, your witness, was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting to his death, and guarding the cloaks of those who killed him.’
21“He said to me,
‘Depart, for I will send you out far from here to the Gentiles.’”
22They listened to him until he said that; then they lifted up their voice, and said, “Rid the earth of this fellow, for he isn’t fit to live!”
23As they cried out, and threw off their cloaks, and threw dust into the air,
24the commanding officer commanded him to be brought into the barracks, ordering him to be examined by scourging, that he might know for what crime they shouted against him like that.
25When they had tied him up with thongs, Paul asked the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and not found guilty?”
26When the centurion heard it, he went to the commanding officer and told him, “Watch what you are about to do, for this man is a Roman!”
27The commanding officer came and asked him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?”
He said, “Yes.”
28The commanding officer answered, “I bought my citizenship for a great price.”
Paul said, “But I was born a Roman.”
29Immediately those who were about to examine him departed from him, and the commanding officer also was afraid when he realized that he was a Roman, because he had bound him.