Acts 26:9–20

⁹I verily thought with myself, ^othat I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. ^10pWhich thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the ^qsaints did I shut up in prison, having ^rreceived authority from the chief priests; and ^swhen they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. ¹¹And ^tI punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and ^ubeing exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. ^12wWhereupon ^xas I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, ¹³At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. ¹⁴And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in ^ythe Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. ¹⁵And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. ¹⁶But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to ^zmake thee ^aa minister and a ^bwitness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; ¹⁷Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, ^cunto whom now I send thee, ^18dTo open their eyes, and to turn them ^efrom darkness to light, and from the ^fpower of Satan unto God, that they may receive ^gforgiveness of sins, and ^hinheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. ¹⁹Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: ²⁰But shewed ⁱfirst unto them of Damascus, and ^kat Jerusalem, and ^lthroughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then ^mto the Gentiles, that they should repent and ⁿturn to God, and do works ^omeet for repentance.