The Crowd's Fury; Paul Claims Roman Rights

22

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

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As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and tossing dust into the air,

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the commander ordered that Paul be brought into the barracks. He directed that Paul be flogged and interrogated to determine the reason for this outcry against him.

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

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On hearing this, the centurion went and reported it to the commander. “What are you going to do?” he said. “This man is a Roman citizen.”

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The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes,” he answered.

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“I paid a high price for my citizenship,” said the commander. “But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied.

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Then those who were about to interrogate Paul stepped back, and the commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put a Roman citizen in chains.

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