Acts 9:19-31

New American Standard Bible

¹⁹ and he took food and was strengthened.

Saul Begins to Preach Christ

Now ^(A)for several days he was with ^(B)the disciples who were in Damascus, ²⁰ and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus ^(C)in the synagogues, ^[a]saying, “He is ^(D)the Son of God.” ²¹ All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not the one who in Jerusalem ^(E)destroyed those who ^(F)called on this name, and had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” ²² But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the ^[b]Christ.

²³ When ^(G)many days had elapsed, ^(H)the Jews plotted together to do away with him, ²⁴ but ^(I)their plot became known to Saul. ^(J)They were also closely watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; ²⁵ but his disciples took him at night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

^26 (K)When he came to Jerusalem, he tried repeatedly to associate with the disciples; and yet they were all afraid of him, as they did not believe that he was a disciple. ²⁷ But ^(L)Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had ^(M)seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how ^(N)he had ^(O)spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus at Damascus. ²⁸ And he was with them, ^[c]moving about freely in Jerusalem, ^(P)speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹ And he was talking and arguing with the ^[d](Q)Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death. ³⁰ Now when ^(R)the ^[e]brothers learned of it, they brought him down to ^(S)Caesarea and ^(T)sent him away to ^(U)Tarsus.

³¹ So ^(V)the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria ^[f]enjoyed peace, as it was being built up; and as it ^[g]continued in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it kept increasing.