^4 (A)I persecuted ^(B)this Way ^(C)to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women,

¹⁹ And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another ^(A)I imprisoned and ^(B)beat those who believed in you. ²⁰ And when the blood of Stephen ^(C)your witness was being shed, ^(D)I myself was standing by and ^(E)approving and ^(F)watching over the garments of those who killed him.’

¹³ though formerly I was a blasphemer, ^(A)persecutor, and insolent opponent. But ^(B)I received mercy ^(C)because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, ¹⁴ and ^(D)the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the ^(E)faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ The saying is ^(F)trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus ^(G)came into the world to save sinners, ^(H)of whom I am the foremost.

^9 (A)“I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of ^(B)Jesus of Nazareth. ^10 (C)And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority ^(D)from the chief priests, but ^(E)when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. ¹¹ And ^(F)I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them ^(G)blaspheme, and ^(H)in raging fury against them I ^(I)persecuted them even to foreign cities.

⁹ For ^(A)I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because ^(B)I persecuted the church of God.

Saul Ravages the Church

8 And ^(A)Saul ^(B)approved of his execution.

And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and ^(C)they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. ² Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. ³ But ^(D)Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he ^(E)dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.

Philip Proclaims Christ in Samaria

⁴ Now ^(F)those who were scattered went about preaching the word.

^6 (A)as to zeal, ^(B)a persecutor of the church; ^(C)as to righteousness under the law,^[a] blameless.

¹⁴ But this I confess to you, that according to ^(A)the Way, which they call ^(B)a sect, ^(C)I worship ^(D)the God of our fathers, believing everything ^(E)laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets,

²³ About that time ^(A)there arose no little disturbance concerning ^(B)the Way.