The Conversion of Saul

9 But Saul, ^(A)still ^(B)breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to ^(C)the high priest

³ But ^(A)Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he ^(B)dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.

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,

¹³ For you have heard of ^(A)my former life in Judaism, how ^(B)I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.

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

¹¹ And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man ^(A)of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, ¹² and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and ^(B)lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” ¹³ But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, ^(C)how much evil he has done to ^(D)your ^(E)saints at Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And here he has authority from ^(F)the chief priests to bind all who ^(G)call on your name.” ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for ^(H)he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name ^(I)before the Gentiles and ^(J)kings and the children of Israel. ¹⁶ For ^(K)I will show him how much ^(L)he must suffer ^(M)for the sake of my name.” ¹⁷ So ^(N)Ananias departed and entered the house. And ^(O)laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and ^(P)be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and ^(Q)he regained his sight. Then ^(R)he rose and was baptized; ¹⁹ and ^(S)taking food, he was strengthened.

Saul Proclaims Jesus in Synagogues

For ^(T)some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. ²⁰ And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ^(U)“He is the Son of God.” ²¹ And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who ^(V)made havoc ^(W)in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?”

^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.

⁵⁸ Then ^(A)they cast him out of the city and ^(B)stoned him. And ^(C)the witnesses laid down their garments ^(D)at the feet of a young man named Saul.

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