¹⁷ “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

²⁸ Because he ^(A)considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

⁴ But God, ^(A)who is rich in mercy, because of His ^(B)great love with which He loved us, ^5 (C)even when we were dead in trespasses, ^(D)made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

¹⁴ Therefore He says:

¹⁸ I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, ^(A)I have sinned against heaven and before you, ¹⁹ and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’

^11 (A)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.

Paul Recounts His Conversion^(B)

^12 (C)“While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, ¹³ at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. ¹⁴ And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ ¹⁵ So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶ But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, ^(D)to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. ¹⁷ I will ^[a]deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, ^(E)to whom I ^[b]now send you, ^18 (F)to open their eyes, in order ^(G)to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, ^(H)that they may receive forgiveness of sins and ^(I)an inheritance among those who are ^(J)sanctified^[c] by faith in Me.’

Paul’s Post-Conversion Life

¹⁹ “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

²⁹ Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰ And he brought them out and said, ^(A)“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

⁴ But when ^(A)the kindness and the love of ^(B)God our Savior toward man appeared, ^5 (C)not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through ^(D)the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, ^6 (E)whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

³⁵ Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, ^(A)sitting at the ^(B)feet of Jesus, clothed and in his ^(C)right mind. And they were afraid.