The Damascus Road: Saul Converted^(A)

9 Then ^(B)Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest ² and asked ^(C)letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

^3 (D)As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. ⁴ Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, ^(E)why are you persecuting Me?”

⁵ And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”

Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ^[a]It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

⁶ So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

⁷ And ^(F)the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. ⁸ Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. ⁹ And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Ananias Baptizes Saul

¹⁰ Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus ^(G)named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.”

And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”

¹¹ So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul ^(H)of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. ¹² And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”

¹³ Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, ^(I)how much ^[b]harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all ^(J)who call on Your name.”

¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for ^(K)he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before ^(L)Gentiles, ^(M)kings, and the ^(N)children^[c] of Israel. ¹⁶ For ^(O)I will show him how many things he must suffer for My ^(P)name’s sake.”

^17 (Q)And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and ^(R)laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord ^[d]Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and ^(S)be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.

¹⁹ So when he had received food, he was strengthened. ^(T)Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.

Saul Preaches Christ

²⁰ Immediately he preached ^[e]the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.

²¹ Then all who heard were amazed, and said, ^(U)“Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?”

²² But Saul increased all the more in strength, ^(V)and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

Saul Escapes Death

²³ Now after many days were past, ^(W)the Jews plotted to kill him. ^24 (X)But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him. ²⁵ Then the disciples took him by night and ^(Y)let him down through the wall in a large basket.

Saul at Jerusalem

²⁶ And ^(Z)when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. ^27 (AA)But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, ^(AB)and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. ²⁸ So ^(AC)he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out. ²⁹ And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the ^(AD)Hellenists,^{[f] (AE)}but they attempted to kill him. ³⁰ When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus.

The Church Prospers

^31 (AF)Then the ^[g]churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were ^(AG)edified.^[h] And walking in the ^(AH)fear of the Lord and in the ^(AI)comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were ^(AJ)multiplied.

Aeneas Healed

³² Now it came to pass, as Peter went ^(AK)through all parts of the country, that he also came down to the saints who dwelt in Lydda. ³³ There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed. ³⁴ And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, ^(AL)Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.” Then he arose immediately. ³⁵ So all who dwelt at Lydda and ^(AM)Sharon saw him and ^(AN)turned to the Lord.

Dorcas Restored to Life

³⁶ At Joppa there was a certain disciple named ^[i]Tabitha, which is translated ^[j]Dorcas. This woman was full ^(AO)of good works and charitable deeds which she did. ³⁷ But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in ^(AP)an upper room. ³⁸ And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them. ³⁹ Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. ⁴⁰ But Peter ^(AQ)put them all out, and ^(AR)knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he ^(AS)said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. ⁴¹ Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive. ⁴² And it became known throughout all Joppa, ^(AT)and many believed on the Lord. ⁴³ So it was that he stayed many days in Joppa with ^(AU)Simon, a tanner.

Herod’s Violence to the Church

12 Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. ² Then he killed James ^(A)the brother of John with the sword. ³ And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during ^(B)the Days of Unleavened Bread. ⁴ So ^(C)when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four ^[a]squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.

Peter Freed from Prison

⁵ Peter was therefore kept in prison, but ^[b]constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. ⁶ And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were ^[c]keeping the prison. ⁷ Now behold, ^(D)an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. ⁸ Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” ⁹ So he went out and followed him, and ^(E)did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought ^(F)he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰ When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, ^(G)which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

¹¹ And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that ^(H)the Lord has sent His angel, and ^(I)has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.”

¹² So, when he had considered this, ^(J)he came to the house of Mary, the mother of ^(K)John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together ^(L)praying. ¹³ And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. ¹⁴ When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. ¹⁵ But they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, ^(M)“It is his angel.”

¹⁶ Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. ¹⁷ But ^(N)motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren.” And he departed and went to another place.

¹⁸ Then, as soon as it was day, there was no small ^[d]stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter. ¹⁹ But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death.

And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there.

Herod’s Violent Death

²⁰ Now Herod had been very angry with the people of ^(O)Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus ^[e]the king’s personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because ^(P)their country was ^[f]supplied with food by the king’s country.

²¹ So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. ²² And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” ²³ Then immediately an angel of the Lord ^(Q)struck him, because ^(R)he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and ^[g]died.

²⁴ But ^(S)the word of God grew and multiplied.

Barnabas and Saul Appointed

²⁵ And ^(T)Barnabas and Saul returned ^[h]from Jerusalem when they had ^(U)fulfilled their ministry, and they also ^(V)took with them ^(W)John whose surname was Mark.

Paul and Barnabas Are Sent to the Gentiles

13 Now ^(X)in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: ^(Y)Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, ^(Z)Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. ² As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ^(AA)“Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work ^(AB)to which I have called them.” ³ Then, ^(AC)having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.

Preaching in Cyprus

⁴ So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to ^(AD)Cyprus. ⁵ And when they arrived in Salamis, ^(AE)they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had ^(AF)John as their assistant.

⁶ Now when they had gone through ^[i]the island to Paphos, they found ^(AG)a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, ⁷ who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. ⁸ But ^(AH)Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) ^[j]withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. ⁹ Then Saul, who also is called Paul, ^(AI)filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him ¹⁰ and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, ^(AJ)you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? ¹¹ And now, indeed, ^(AK)the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.”

And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. ¹² Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

At Antioch in Pisidia

¹³ Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and ^(AL)John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and ^(AM)went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. ¹⁵ And ^(AN)after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, “Men and brethren, if you have ^(AO)any word of ^[k]exhortation for the people, say on.”

¹⁶ Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and ^(AP)you who fear God, listen: ¹⁷ The God of this people ^[l]Israel ^(AQ)chose our fathers, and exalted the people ^(AR)when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with ^[m]an uplifted arm He ^(AS)brought them out of it. ¹⁸ Now ^(AT)for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness. ¹⁹ And when He had destroyed ^(AU)seven nations in the land of Canaan, ^(AV)He distributed their land to them by allotment.

²⁰ “After that ^(AW)He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, ^(AX)until Samuel the prophet. ^21 (AY)And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them ^(AZ)Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. ²² And ^(BA)when He had removed him, ^(BB)He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ^(BC)‘I have found David the son of Jesse, ^(BD)a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’ ^23 (BE)From this man’s seed, according ^(BF)to the promise, God raised up for Israel ^(BG)a^[n] Savior—Jesus— ^24 (BH)after John had first preached, before His coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. ²⁵ And as John was finishing his course, he said, ^(BI)‘Who do you think I am? I am not He. But behold, ^(BJ)there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose.’

²⁶ “Men and brethren, sons of the ^[o]family of Abraham, and ^(BK)those among you who fear God, ^(BL)to you the ^[p]word of this salvation has been sent. ²⁷ For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, ^(BM)because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him. ^28 (BN)And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death. ^29 (BO)Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, ^(BP)they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. ^30 (BQ)But God raised Him from the dead. ^31 (BR)He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people. ³² And we declare to you glad tidings—^(BS)that promise which was made to the fathers. ³³ God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm:

³⁴ And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to ^[q]corruption, He has spoken thus:

³⁵ Therefore He also says in another Psalm:

³⁶ “For David, after he had served ^[s]his own generation by the will of God, ^(BW)fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and ^[t]saw corruption; ³⁷ but He whom God raised up ^[u]saw no corruption. ³⁸ Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that ^(BX)through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; ³⁹ and ^(BY)by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you:

Blessing and Conflict at Antioch

^42 [v]So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. ⁴³ Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, ^(CA)persuaded them to continue in ^(CB)the grace of God.

⁴⁴ On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. ⁴⁵ But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they ^(CC)opposed the things spoken by Paul. ⁴⁶ Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, ^(CD)“It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but ^(CE)since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, ^(CF)we turn to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷ For so the Lord has commanded us:

⁴⁸ Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. ^(CH)And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

⁴⁹ And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region. ⁵⁰ But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, ^(CI)raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. ^51 (CJ)But they shook off the dust from their feet against them, and came to Iconium. ⁵² And the disciples ^(CK)were filled with joy and ^(CL)with the Holy Spirit.

At Iconium

14 Now it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of the ^(CM)Greeks believed. ² But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and ^[w]poisoned their ^[x]minds against the brethren. ³ Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, ^(CN)who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and ^(CO)wonders to be done by their hands.

⁴ But the multitude of the city was ^(CP)divided: part sided with the Jews, and part with the ^(CQ)apostles. ⁵ And when a violent attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, ^(CR)to abuse and stone them, ⁶ they became aware of it and ^(CS)fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding region. ⁷ And they were preaching the gospel there.

Idolatry at Lystra

^8 (CT)And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. ⁹ This man heard Paul speaking. ^[y]Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, ¹⁰ said with a loud voice, ^(CU)“Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked. ¹¹ Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, ^(CV)“The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” ¹² And Barnabas they called ^[z]Zeus, and Paul, ^[aa]Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. ¹³ Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, ^(CW)intending to sacrifice with the multitudes.

¹⁴ But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, ^(CX)they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out ¹⁵ and saying, “Men, ^(CY)why are you doing these things? ^(CZ)We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from ^(DA)these useless things ^(DB)to the living God, ^(DC)who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them, ^16 (DD)who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways. ^17 (DE)Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, ^(DF)gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with ^(DG)food and gladness.” ¹⁸ And with these sayings they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them.

Stoning, Escape to Derbe

^19 (DH)Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, ^(DI)they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be ^(DJ)dead. ²⁰ However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.

Strengthening the Converts

²¹ And when they had preached the gospel to that city ^(DK)and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, ²² strengthening the souls of the disciples, ^(DL)exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, ^(DM)“We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” ²³ So when they had ^(DN)appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. ²⁴ And after they had passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. ²⁵ Now when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. ²⁶ From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed.

²⁷ Now when they had come and gathered the church together, ^(DO)they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had ^(DP)opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. ²⁸ So they stayed there a long time with the disciples.