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.

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.

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

^4 (A)“My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among ^(B)my own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews. ⁵ They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that ^(C)according to the strictest ^(D)party of our ^(E)religion I have lived as ^(F)a Pharisee.

^3 (A)“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated ^(B)at the feet of ^(C)Gamaliel^{[a] (D)}according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, ^(E)being zealous for God ^(F)as all of you are this day. ^4 (G)I persecuted ^(H)this Way ^(I)to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, ⁵ as ^(J)the high priest and ^(K)the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to ^(L)the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.

Saul in Jerusalem

²⁶ And ^(A)when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple.

²¹ And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who ^(A)made havoc ^(B)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?”

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,

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