³ But ^(A)Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house; and he would ^(B)drag away men and women and put them in prison.

The Conversion of Saul

9 ^(A)Now ^[a]Saul, still ^(B)breathing ^[b]threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, ² and asked for ^(C)letters from him to ^(D)the synagogues in ^(E)Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to ^[c](F)the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them in shackles to Jerusalem. ³ Now as he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and ^(G)suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; ⁴ and ^(H)he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” ⁵ And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, ⁶ but get up and enter the city, and ^(I)it will be told to you what you must do.” ⁷ The men who traveled with him ^(J)stood speechless, ^(K)hearing the ^[d]voice but seeing no one. ⁸ Saul got up from the ground, and ^(L)though his eyes were open, he ^[e]could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into ^(M)Damascus. ⁹ And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰ Now there was a disciple in ^(N)Damascus named ^(O)Ananias; and the Lord said to him in ^(P)a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” ¹¹ And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from ^(Q)Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, ¹² and he has seen ^[f]in a vision a man named Ananias come in and ^(R)lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.” ¹³ But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, ^(S)how much harm he did to ^(T)Your ^[g]saints in Jerusalem; ¹⁴ and here he ^(U)has authority from the chief priests to ^[h]arrest all who ^(V)call on Your name.” ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for ^(W)he is a chosen ^[i]instrument of Mine, to bear My name before ^(X)the Gentiles and ^(Y)kings and the sons of Israel; ¹⁶ for ^(Z)I will show him how much he must suffer in behalf of My name.” ¹⁷ So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after ^(AA)laying his hands on him said, “^(AB)Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be ^(AC)filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ And immediately something like fish scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; ¹⁹ and he took food and was strengthened.

Saul Begins to Preach Christ

Now ^(AD)for several days he was with ^(AE)the disciples who were in Damascus,

^9 (A)If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and ^(B)cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

¹⁰ For all who are of works of ^[a]the Law are under a curse; for it is written: “^(A)Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all the things written in the book of the Law, to do them.”

⁶ For while we were still ^(A)helpless, ^(B)at the right time ^(C)Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For one will hardly die for a righteous person; ^[a]though perhaps for the good person someone would even dare to die. ⁸ But God ^(D)demonstrates ^(E)His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, ^(F)Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified ^[b](G)by His blood, we shall be saved ^(H)from the wrath of God through Him. ¹⁰ For if while we were ^(I)enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved ^[c](J)by His life. ^11 (K)And not only this, but ^[d]we also celebrate in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received ^(L)the reconciliation.

¹² Therefore, just as through ^(M)one man sin entered into the world, and ^(N)death through sin, and ^(O)so death spread to all mankind, because all sinned— ¹³ for ^[e]until the Law sin was in the world, but ^(P)sin is not ^[f]counted against anyone when there is no law. ¹⁴ Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned ^(Q)in the likeness of the ^[g]violation committed by Adam, who is a ^[h](R)type of Him who was to come.

¹⁵ But ^[i]the gracious gift is not like the offense. For if by the offense of ^(S)the one ^(T)the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by ^(U)the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many. ¹⁶ The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand ^(V)the judgment arose from one offense, ^[j]resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the gracious gift arose from many offenses, ^[k]resulting in justification. ¹⁷ For if by the offense of the one, death reigned ^(W)through the one, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness ^(X)reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

¹⁸ So then, as through ^(Y)one offense ^[l]the result was condemnation to all mankind, so also through one ^(Z)act of righteousness ^[m]the result was ^(AA)justification of life to all mankind. ¹⁹ For as through the one man’s disobedience ^(AB)the many ^(AC)were made sinners, so also through ^(AD)the obedience of the One ^(AE)the many will be made righteous. ^20 [n](AF)The Law came in so that the offense would increase; but where sin increased, ^(AG)grace abounded all the more, ²¹ so that, as ^(AH)sin reigned in death, so also ^(AI)grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.