Acts 9
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 9
Saul’s Conversion. 1 [a]Now Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord,(A) went to the high priest(B) 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way,[b] he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains. 3 On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.(C) 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”(D) 5 He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.(E) 6 Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.”(F) 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could see no one.(G) 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing;[c] so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus.(H) 9 For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.
Saul’s Baptism. 10 (I)There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is there praying,(J) 12 and [in a vision] he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay [his] hands on him, that he may regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias replied, “Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy ones[d] in Jerusalem.(K) 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call upon your name.”(L) 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and Israelites,(M) 16 and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.” 17 So Ananias went and entered the house; laying his hands on him, he said, “Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized, 19 and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.[e]
Saul Preaches in Damascus. He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus, 20 and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.[f] 21 All who heard him were astounded and said, “Is not this the man who in Jerusalem ravaged those who call upon this name, and came here expressly to take them back in chains to the chief priests?” 22 But Saul grew all the stronger and confounded [the] Jews who lived in Damascus, proving that this is the Messiah.
Saul Visits Jerusalem. 23 After a long time had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him, 24 (N)but their plot became known to Saul. Now they were keeping watch on the gates day and night so as to kill him, 25 but his disciples took him one night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.
26 (O)When he arrived in Jerusalem[g] he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. 27 Then Barnabas took charge of him and brought him to the apostles, and he reported to them how on the way he had seen the Lord and that he had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. 28 He moved about freely with them in Jerusalem, and spoke out boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He also spoke and debated with the Hellenists,[h] but they tried to kill him. 30 And when the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him on his way to Tarsus.(P)
The Church at Peace. 31 [i]The church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace. It was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord, and with the consolation of the holy Spirit it grew in numbers.
Peter Heals Aeneas at Lydda. 32 As Peter was passing through every region, he went down to the holy ones living in Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been confined to bed for eight years, for he was paralyzed. 34 Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed.” He got up at once. 35 And all the inhabitants of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.
Peter Restores Tabitha to Life. 36 Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated means Dorcas).[j] She was completely occupied with good deeds and almsgiving. 37 Now during those days she fell sick and died, so after washing her, they laid [her] out in a room upstairs. 38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.” 39 So Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs where all the widows came to him weeping and showing him the tunics and cloaks that Dorcas had made while she was with them. 40 Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to her body and said, “Tabitha, rise up.” She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up.(Q) 41 He gave her his hand and raised her up, and when he had called the holy ones and the widows, he presented her alive. 42 This became known all over Joppa, and many came to believe in the Lord. 43 [k](R)And he stayed a long time in Joppa with Simon, a tanner.
Footnotes
- 9:1–19 This is the first of three accounts of Paul’s conversion (with Acts 22:3–16 and Acts 26:2–18) with some differences of detail owing to Luke’s use of different sources. Paul’s experience was not visionary but was precipitated by the appearance of Jesus, as he insists in 1 Cor 15:8. The words of Jesus, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” related by Luke with no variation in all three accounts, exerted a profound and lasting influence on the thought of Paul. Under the influence of this experience he gradually developed his understanding of justification by faith (see the letters to the Galatians and Romans) and of the identification of the Christian community with Jesus Christ (see 1 Cor 12:27). That Luke would narrate this conversion three times is testimony to the importance he attaches to it. This first account occurs when the word is first spread to the Gentiles. At this point, the conversion of the hero of the Gentile mission is recounted. The emphasis in the account is on Paul as a divinely chosen instrument (Acts 9:15).
- 9:2 The Way: a name used by the early Christian community for itself (Acts 18:26; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). The Essene community at Qumran used the same designation to describe its mode of life.
- 9:8 He could see nothing: a temporary blindness (Acts 9:18) symbolizing the religious blindness of Saul as persecutor (cf. Acts 26:18).
- 9:13 Your holy ones: literally, “your saints.”
- 9:19–30 This is a brief resume of Paul’s initial experience as an apostolic preacher. At first he found himself in the position of being regarded as an apostate by the Jews and suspect by the Christian community of Jerusalem. His acceptance by the latter was finally brought about through his friendship with Barnabas (Acts 9:27).
- 9:20 Son of God: the title “Son of God” occurs in Acts only here, but cf. the citation of Ps 2:7 in Paul’s speech at Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13:33).
- 9:26 This visit of Paul to Jerusalem is mentioned by Paul in Gal 1:18.
- 9:29 Hellenists: see note on Acts 6:1–7.
- 9:31–43 In the context of the period of peace enjoyed by the community through the cessation of Paul’s activities against it, Luke introduces two traditions concerning the miraculous power exercised by Peter as he was making a tour of places where the Christian message had already been preached. The towns of Lydda, Sharon, and Joppa were populated by both Jews and Gentiles and their Christian communities may well have been mixed.
- 9:36 Tabitha (Dorcas), respectively the Aramaic and Greek words for “gazelle,” exemplifies the right attitude toward material possessions expressed by Jesus in the Lucan Gospel (Lk 6:30; 11:41; 12:33; 18:22; 19:8).
- 9:43 The fact that Peter lodged with a tanner would have been significant to both the Gentile and Jewish Christians, for Judaism considered the tanning occupation unclean.
使徒行傳 9
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
掃羅歸主
9 掃羅繼續用兇狠的話恐嚇主的門徒。他去見大祭司， 2 要取得授權書到大馬士革的各會堂搜捕信耶穌的人，無論男女，都要把他們押回耶路撒冷。
3 當他快到大馬士革的時候，突然有一道光從天上射下來，四面照著他。 4 他倒在地上，聽見有聲音對他說：「掃羅！掃羅！你為什麼迫害我？」 5 他說：「主啊，你是誰？」那聲音說：「我就是你所迫害的耶穌。 6 起來！進城去，有人會告訴你該做的事。」
7 同行的人站在那裡只聽見聲音，卻看不見人，嚇得張口結舌。 8 掃羅爬起來，睜大眼睛，卻什麼也看不見，同伴拉著他的手進了大馬士革。 9 一連三天，掃羅什麼也看不見，也不吃也不喝。
10 這時候，在大馬士革有個門徒名叫亞拿尼亞，他在異象中聽見主呼喚他的名字，就回答說：「主啊，我在這裡。」
11 主說：「起來，到直街的猶大家去見一個來自大數、名叫掃羅的人，他正在向我禱告。 12 我讓他在異象中看見一個名叫亞拿尼亞的人去他那裡，把手按在他身上，使他恢復視力。」
13 亞拿尼亞回答說：「主啊！我聽見許多人說他對耶路撒冷的信徒大加迫害。 14 他來這裡是得到祭司長的授權，要拘捕所有求告你名的人。」
15 主對亞拿尼亞說：「你放心去吧！他是我揀選的器皿，要向外族人、君王和以色列人宣揚我的名。 16 我會讓他知道他必為我的名而受許多的苦。」
17 亞拿尼亞去了，進了那家，就把手按在掃羅身上，說：「掃羅弟兄，在你來的路上向你顯現的主耶穌派我來使你重見光明、被聖靈充滿。」 18 頓時，掃羅的眼睛上有鱗片似的東西脫落，他立刻恢復了視力，便起來接受了洗禮。 19 他吃過東西之後，體力也恢復了。他和大馬士革的門徒住了幾天之後， 20 便到各會堂去宣講：「耶穌是上帝的兒子。」
21 聽的人都大吃一驚，說：「他不就是那在耶路撒冷迫害信徒的人嗎？他到這裡來不是要把大馬士革的信徒押去見祭司長嗎？」
22 但掃羅越發有能力，引經據典證明耶穌是基督，使大馬士革的猶太人驚慌失措。
掃羅逃生
23 過了一段日子，猶太人圖謀殺死掃羅。 24 他們晝夜在城門守候，伺機下手，但這陰謀被掃羅知道了。 25 他的門徒趁夜間用筐子把他從城牆上縋下去。
26 掃羅逃到耶路撒冷後，曾設法與當地的門徒聯絡，可是他們都怕他，不相信他是門徒。 27 只有巴拿巴接待他，帶他去見使徒，向他們陳述掃羅如何在路上遇見主，主如何對他說話，他又如何勇敢地在大馬士革奉耶穌的名傳道。 28 於是，掃羅就在耶路撒冷與使徒一起出入來往，奉主的名放膽傳道。 29 他常常跟那些講希臘話的猶太人辯論，於是他們打算殺掉他。 30 弟兄姊妹知道這消息後，就把掃羅帶到凱撒利亞，然後送他到大數去。
31 當時，猶太、加利利、撒瑪利亞各地的教會都很平安，得到了堅固。信徒們非常敬畏主，又得到聖靈的安慰，人數越來越多。
彼得醫治癱子
32 彼得四處奔波，來到呂大探訪那裡的信徒， 33 遇見一個已經臥床八年、名叫以尼雅的癱子。 34 彼得對他說：「以尼雅，耶穌基督已經醫好你了，起來收拾你的墊子吧！」他立刻應聲而起。 35 呂大和沙崙的居民看見他，都歸向了主。
彼得使死人復活
36 在約帕有個樂善好施的女信徒名叫戴碧達，希臘話叫多加，意思是「羚羊」。 37 當時，她患病死了。有人將她的屍體洗乾淨後，停放在樓上。 38 呂大和約帕相距不遠，門徒聽說彼得在呂大，就派兩個人趕去請他立刻來約帕。 39 彼得便隨他們一同到了那裡，有人領他上樓。眾寡婦都站在彼得周圍哭，並把多加生前縫制的內衣、外衣給他看。
40 彼得叫她們都出去，自己跪下禱告，然後轉身對死者說：「戴碧達，起來！」她便睜開了眼睛，看見彼得，就坐了起來。 41 彼得伸手扶她起來後，叫那些在外面等候的門徒和寡婦進來，把活過來的多加交給他們。 42 這事傳遍了整個約帕，許多人都信了主。 43 彼得繼續留在約帕，在當地一個名叫西門的皮革匠家住了好些日子。
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.