Saul Turns from Murder to Messiah

9 Now Saul, still breathing out threats and murder against the Lord’s disciples, went to the kohen gadol. ² He requested letters of introduction from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way, he might bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

³ As he was traveling, approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven 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 Yeshua—whom you are persecuting. ^{[a] 6} But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”^[b]

⁷ The men travelling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. ^{[c] 8} Saul got up from the ground—but opening his eyes, he could see nothing. They led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. ⁹ For three days he could not see, and he did not eat or drink.

¹⁰ Now there was a disciple named Ananias in Damascus. The Lord said to him, “Ananias.”

He said, “Here I am, Lord.”

¹¹ The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street named Straight, and ask in the house of Judah for someone from Tarsus named Saul. For look, he is praying; ¹² and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and laying his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.”

¹³ But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man—how much harm he has done to your kedoshim in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And here he has authority from the ruling kohanim to tie up all who call on Your name.”

¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a choice instrument to carry My name before nations and kings and Bnei-Yisrael. ¹⁶ For I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

¹⁷ So Ananias left and entered into the house. Laying hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Yeshua, the One who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming—has sent me, so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Ruach ha-Kodesh.”

¹⁸ Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was immersed; ¹⁹ and when he had taken food, he was strengthened. Now for several days, he was with the disciples in Damascus. ²⁰ Immediately he began proclaiming Yeshua in the synagogues, saying, “He is Ben-Elohim.”

²¹ All those hearing him were amazed. They were saying, “Isn’t this the one who made havoc in Jerusalem for all those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to bring them as prisoners before the ruling kohanim?” ²² But Saul kept growing stronger, and he was confounding the Jewish people living in Damascus by proving that Yeshua is the Messiah. ²³ When many days had passed, these Jewish people plotted to kill him— ²⁴ but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night, to kill him. ²⁵ But the disciples took Saul by night and let him down over the wall, lowering him in a basket.

²⁶ When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he made attempts to join up with the disciples—but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. ²⁷ But Barnabas took him in and brought him to the emissaries. He described to them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and the Lord had spoken to him, and how he had spoken boldly in the name of Yeshua.

²⁸ So Saul was with them, going in and out in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹ He was speaking and arguing with the Hellenists, but they were trying to kill him. ³⁰ When the brothers found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

³¹ So Messiah’s community throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had shalom and was built up. Walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Ruach ha-Kodesh, it kept multiplying.

Signs and Wonders Follow Peter

³² Peter went here and there among them all. He came down as well to the kedoshim living in Lydda. ³³ There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years—he was paralyzed. ³⁴ Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Messiah Yeshua heals you. Get up and pack up your bed.” Immediately, he got up! ³⁵ All who lived in Lydda and the Plain of Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

³⁶ In Joppa, there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translates as Dorcas). She was full of mitzvot and tzedakah, which she continually did. ³⁷ In those days, she became ill and died. When they had washed her for burial, they placed her in an upstairs room. ³⁸ Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples—hearing that Peter was there—sent two men to him, begging him, “Please come to us without delay!”

³⁹ So Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they took him to the upstairs room. All the widows were crying, showing all the tunics and other clothing Dorcas had made while she was with them. ⁴⁰ But Peter sent them all outside, and he got down on his knees and prayed. Then, turning to the body, he said “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. ⁴¹ He gave her his hand and raised her up. Then he called the kedoshim and widows and presented her alive.^[d]

⁴² It became known throughout Joppa, and many came to believe in the Lord. ⁴³ So it happened that Peter stayed on in Joppa for several days with Simon, a tanner.^[e]

Paul’s Testimony on the Temple Stairs

22 “Brothers and fathers, listen to my defense which I now present to you.” ² When they heard that Paul was addressing them in Aramaic, they became even more quiet. Then he said, ³ “I am a Jewish man, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, trained strictly according to the Torah of our fathers, being zealous for God just as all of you are today. ⁴ I persecuted this Way to the death, arresting both men and women and throwing them in prisons— ⁵ as the kohen gadol and all the council of elders can testify about me. I also received letters from them to the brothers, and I went to Damascus to bring back to Jerusalem even those who were there in chains—to be punished.

⁶ “But it happened that as I was traveling and drawing near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly flashed all around me. ⁷ I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?’

⁸ “I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’

“He said to me, ‘I am Yeshua ha-Natzrati, whom you are persecuting.’

⁹ “Now those who were with me saw the light, but did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me. ¹⁰ So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’

“And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up, and go to Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been appointed to do.’

¹¹ “But since I could not see because of the brilliance of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and came into Damascus. ¹² Then a certain Ananias—a devout man according to the Torah, well spoken of by all the Jewish people living there— ¹³ came to me. Standing before me, he said to me, ‘Brother Saul, look up!’ In that very moment, I looked and saw him!

¹⁴ “And he said, ‘The God of our fathers handpicked you to know His will—to see the Righteous One and to hear an utterance from His mouth. ¹⁵ For you will be a witness for Him to all people of what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶ Now why are you waiting? Get up and be immersed, and wash away your sins, calling on His Name.’

¹⁷ “It happened that when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the Temple, I fell into a trance; ¹⁸ and I saw Him saying to me, ‘Hurry! Get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your witness about Me.’

¹⁹ “And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another, I was imprisoning and beating those trusting in You. ²⁰ Even when the blood of Your witness Stephen was spilled, I too was standing by and approving, and guarding the clothing of those who were killing him.’

²¹ “And he said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

²² Up to this statement they listened to him. Then they raised their voices, saying, “Away from the earth with this fellow! For he’s not fit to live!”

The Romans Intervene

²³ As they were crying out and flinging off their cloaks and throwing dust into the air, ^{[a] 24} the commander ordered Paul to be brought into headquarters. He said Paul should be examined by lashing, so that he might find out why they were shouting against him so. ²⁵ But when they stretched him out with straps, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen without due process?”

²⁶ Now when the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it, saying, “What are you going to do? For this man is Roman.”

²⁷ The commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you Roman?”

And he said, “Yes.”

²⁸ The commander answered, “I bought this citizenship for a large sum.”

Paul said, “But I was born so.”

²⁹ Therefore, those who were about to interrogate him instantly drew back from him. And the commander also was afraid when he found out that Paul was a Roman and that he had bound him.

Delivered to the Council

³⁰ But on the next day, desiring to know exactly why Paul had been accused by the Judeans, he released him and commanded the ruling kohanim and all the Sanhedrin to meet together. And he brought Paul and set him before them.

Defense Before King Agrippa

26 Agrippa said to Paul, “It is permitted for you to speak for yourself.”

Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense. ² “Concerning all I am accused of by the Judean leaders, I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that it is before you that I am about to make my defense today— ³ since you are especially knowledgeable about all Jewish customs and issues. Therefore I beg you to listen patiently to me.

⁴ “Now all the Jewish people have known my manner of life ever since my youth, starting from the beginning in my own nation and also in Jerusalem. ⁵ They have known about me for a long time—if they were willing to testify—that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee.

⁶ “Yet now I stand here being judged for the hope in the promise made by God to our fathers. ⁷ It is the promise that our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jewish people, O King! ⁸ Why is it judged incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?

⁹ “In fact, I myself thought it was necessary to do many things in opposition to the name of Yeshua ha-Natzrati. ¹⁰ And that is what I did in Jerusalem. Not only did I lock up many of the kedoshim in prisons by the authority I received from the ruling kohanim, but I cast my vote against them when they were being condemned to death. ¹¹ I tried to cause them to blaspheme by punishing them often in the synagogues. In furious rage against them, I persecuted them even in foreign cities.

¹² “While journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the ruling kohanim, ¹³ at midday, O King, I saw on the road a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those traveling with me. ¹⁴ When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against goads!’

¹⁵ “Then I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’

“And the Lord said, ‘I am Yeshua—whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶ But get up, and stand on your feet.^[a] For I have appeared to you for this purpose—to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things you have seen as well as to the things I will yet reveal to you. ¹⁷ I will rescue you^[b] from your own people, and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you, ¹⁸ to open their eyes—so they may turn from darkness to light^[c] and from the power of satan to God, that they may receive release from sins as well as a place among those who are made holy through trusting in Me.’

¹⁹ “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. ²⁰ Rather, I kept declaring—first to those in Damascus, and then Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also the Gentiles—that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds consistent with that repentance.

²¹ “For this reason some Judeans seized me in the Temple and tried to put me to death. ²² Since I have had God’s help, to this day I have stood here testifying to both small and great. I am saying nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to happen— ²³ that the Messiah was to suffer and that, being first to rise from the dead, He would proclaim light both to our people and to the nations.^[d]”

²⁴ As Paul was thus making his defense, Festus says with a loud voice, “You’re crazy, Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane!”

²⁵ But Paul declares, “I am not insane, most noble Festus! Rather I am speaking the sober truth. ²⁶ For the king knows about these things, and I speak freely to him, since I am convinced that none of these things escape his notice—for this was not done in a corner. ²⁷ King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you do believe!”

²⁸ Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time you are trying to persuade me to be Messianic!”^[e]

²⁹ And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would pray to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today would be such as I am—except for these chains!”

³⁰ Then the king stood up, as well as the governor, Bernice, and those sitting with them. ³¹ When they had gone away, they began talking among themselves, saying, “This man is doing nothing deserving of death or chains.”

³² Then Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free, if he had not appealed to Caesar.”