The Damascus Road

9 Now Saul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples^(A) of the Lord. He went to the high priest^{(B) 2} and requested letters^(C) from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women who belonged to the Way,^(D) he might bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem. ³ As^(E) he traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. ⁴ Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

⁵ “Who are you, Lord?” Saul said.

“I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶ “But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

⁷ The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the sound but seeing no one.^{(F) 8} Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing. So they took him by the hand and led him into Damascus. ⁹ He was unable to see for three days and did not eat or drink.

Saul’s Baptism

¹⁰ There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.”

“Here I am, Lord,” he replied.^(G)

¹¹ “Get up and go to the street called Straight,” the Lord said to him, “to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus^(H) named Saul, since he is praying there. ¹² In a vision^[a] he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him so that he may regain his sight.”^(I)

¹³ “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem.^{(J) 14} And he has authority here from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”^(K)

¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is my chosen instrument^(L) to take my name to Gentiles,^(M) kings, and Israelites.^{(N) 16} I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”^(O)

¹⁷ Ananias went and entered the house. He placed his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road you were traveling, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”^(P)

¹⁸ At once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. ¹⁹ And after taking some food, he regained his strength.^(Q)

Saul Proclaiming the Messiah

Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some time. ²⁰ Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: “He is the Son of God.”^(R)

Jesus’s Third Appearance to the Disciples

21 After this, Jesus revealed^(A) himself again to his disciples by the Sea of Tiberias.^[a](B) He revealed himself in this way:

² Simon Peter,^(C) Thomas^(D) (called “Twin”^[b]), Nathanael^(E) from Cana of Galilee,^(F) Zebedee’s^(G) sons, and two others of his disciples were together.

³ “I’m going fishing,” Simon Peter said to them.

“We’re coming with you,” they told him. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.^(H)

⁴ When daybreak came, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not know it was Jesus.^{(I) 5} “Friends,”^[c] Jesus called to them, “you don’t have any fish, do you?”

“No,” they answered.

⁶ “Cast the net on the right side of the boat,” he told them, “and you’ll find some.” So they did,^[d] and they were unable to haul it in because of the large number of fish. ⁷ The disciple, the one Jesus loved, said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” ^(J)

When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tied his outer clothing around him (for he had taken it off) and plunged into the sea. ⁸ Since they were not far from land (about a hundred yards^[e](K) away), the other disciples came in the boat,^(L) dragging the net full of fish.

⁹ When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread. ¹⁰ “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus told them. ¹¹ So Simon Peter climbed up and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish—153 of them. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.^(M)

¹² “Come and have breakfast,” Jesus told them. None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. ¹³ Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. ¹⁴ This was now the third time^(N) Jesus appeared^[f](O) to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Jesus’s Threefold Restoration of Peter

¹⁵ When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John,^[g] do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.”

“Feed my lambs,” he told him. ¹⁶ A second time he asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love^(P) me?”^(Q)

“Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.”

“Shepherd^(R) my sheep,”^(S) he told him.

¹⁷ He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love^(T) me?”

Peter was grieved^(U) that he asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know everything;^(V) you know that I love you.”

“Feed^(W) my sheep,” Jesus said. ¹⁸ “Truly I tell you,^(X) when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go.” ¹⁹ He said this to indicate by what kind of death^(Y) Peter would glorify God.^(Z) After saying this, he told him, “Follow me.”^(AA)