Acts 26:9-24

American Standard Version

⁹ I verily thought with myself that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. ¹⁰ And this I also did in Jerusalem: and I both shut up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, and when they were put to death I gave my vote against them. ¹¹ And punishing them oftentimes in all the synagogues, I strove to make them blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto foreign cities. ^12 [a]Whereupon as I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, ¹³ at midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them that journeyed with me. ¹⁴ And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying unto me in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against ^[b]the goad. ¹⁵ And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. ¹⁶ But arise, and stand upon thy feet: for to this end have I appeared unto thee, to appoint thee a minister and a witness both of the things ^[c]wherein thou hast seen me, and of the things wherein I will appear unto thee; ¹⁷ delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom I send thee, ¹⁸ to open their eyes, ^[d]that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in me. ¹⁹ Wherefore, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: ²⁰ but declared both to them of Damascus first, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judaea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of ^[e]repentance. ²¹ For this cause the Jews seized me in the temple, and assayed to kill me. ²² Having therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand unto this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses did say should come; ^23 [f]how that the Christ ^[g]must suffer, and ^[h]how that he first by the resurrection of the dead should proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles.

²⁴ And as he thus made his defence, Festus saith with a loud voice, Paul, thou art mad; thy much learning ^[i]is turning thee mad.