27. The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”“Yes,” Paul answered.
28. The commander then said, “I paid a lot of money to become a Roman citizen.”But Paul replied, “I was born a Roman citizen.”
29. The men who were about to beat and question Paul quickly backed off. And the commander himself was frightened when he realized that he had put a Roman citizen in chains.
30. The next day the commander wanted to know the real reason why the Jewish leaders had brought charges against Paul. So he had Paul's chains removed, and he ordered the chief priests and the whole council to meet. Then he had Paul led in and made him stand in front of them.