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.

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

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.

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.

⁴ “My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know. ⁵ They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to ^(A)the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

^3 (A)“I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city ^(B)at the feet of ^(C)Gamaliel, taught ^(D)according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and ^(E)was zealous toward God ^(F)as you all are today. ^4 (G)I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, ⁵ as also the high priest bears me witness, and ^(H)all the council of the elders, ^(I)from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus ^(J)to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished.

Saul at Jerusalem

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

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

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

^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.