Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁶ “Just as I was on the way, and getting near to Damascus, suddenly a bright light shone from heaven all around me. It was about midday. ⁷ I fell down on the ground and I heard a voice, saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ ⁸ I answered, ‘Who are you, Master?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, and you are persecuting me!’

⁹ “The people who were with me saw the light, but they didn’t hear the voice of the person speaking to me. ¹⁰ So I said, ‘What shall I do, Master?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all the things that have been arranged for you to do.’

¹¹ “So, as I couldn’t see because of the brightness of that light, the people with me led me by the hand, and I came to Damascus.”

Out of his own mouth

¹² “There was a man named Ananias,” Paul continued. “He was a devout, law-keeping Jew, and all the Jews living in Damascus would testify to the fact. ¹³ He came and stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ In that very moment I could see, and I looked at him. ¹⁴ This is what he said. ‘The God of our ancestors chose you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the word from his mouth. ¹⁵ This is because you are going to bear witness for him to all people, telling them what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶ Now, then, what are you going to do? Get up, be baptized and wash away your sins by calling on his name.’

¹⁷ “After I came back to Jerusalem, and was praying in the Temple, I fell into a trance, ¹⁸ and I saw him speaking to me. ‘Hurry up!’ he said. ‘Leave Jerusalem as quickly as possible! They won’t accept your testimony about me.’ ¹⁹ ‘But, Lord,’ I replied, ‘they themselves know that in all the synagogues I used to imprison and beat those who believe in you. ²⁰ And when they shed the blood of Stephen, your witness, I was myself standing there and giving my approval. I was looking after the cloaks of those who were killing him.’

²¹ “ ‘No,’ he said to me. ‘Go away from here! I’m sending you far away—to the Gentiles!’ ”