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

³ As for Saul, ^(A)he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.

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 ^(A)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, ^(B)how much ^[a]harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all ^(C)who call on Your name.”

¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for ^(D)he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before ^(E)Gentiles, ^(F)kings, and the ^(G)children^[b] of Israel. ¹⁶ For ^(H)I will show him how many things he must suffer for My ^(I)name’s sake.”

^17 (J)And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and ^(K)laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord ^[c]Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and ^(L)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. ^(M)Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.

Saul Preaches Christ

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

²¹ Then all who heard were amazed, and said, ^(N)“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?”

¹³ although ^(A)I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an ^[a]insolent man; but I obtained mercy because ^(B)I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

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

^9 (A)“Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things ^[a]contrary to the name of ^(B)Jesus of Nazareth. ^10 (C)This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority ^(D)from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. ^11 (E)And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

⁶ concerning zeal, ^(A)persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

⁹ For I am ^(A)the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because ^(B)I persecuted the church of God.

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