Acts 9:1–22

The Conversion of Saul

^1aNow ¹Saul, still ^bbreathing ²threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest,

²and asked for ^aletters from him to ^bthe synagogues at ^cDamascus, so that if he found any belonging to ^dthe Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

³And as he was traveling, it happened that when he was approaching Damascus, ^asuddenly a light from heaven flashed around him;

⁴and ^afalling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

⁵And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,

⁶but rise up and enter the city, and ^ait will be told you what you must do.”

⁷And the men who traveled with him ^astood speechless, ^bhearing the ¹voice but seeing no one.

⁸And Saul got up from the ground, and ^athough his eyes were open, he ¹could see nothing. Leading him by the hand, they brought him into ^bDamascus.

⁹And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰Now there was a disciple at ^aDamascus named ^bAnanias, and the Lord said to him in ^ca vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”

¹¹And the Lord said to him, “Rise up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from ^aTarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying,

¹²and he has seen ¹in a vision a man named Ananias come in and ^alay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.”

¹³But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, ^ahow much harm he did to ^bYour ¹saints at Jerusalem.

¹⁴“And here he ^ahas authority from the chief priests to bind all who ^bcall on Your name.”

¹⁵But the Lord said to him, “Go, for ^ahe is a chosen ¹instrument of Mine, to bear My name before ^bthe Gentiles and ^ckings and the sons of Israel;

¹⁶for ^aI will show him how much he must suffer for My name.”

¹⁷So Ananias departed and entered the house. And he ^alaid his hands on him and said, “^bBrother Saul, the Lord sent me—that is Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming—so that you may regain your sight and be ^cfilled with the Holy Spirit.”

¹⁸And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he rose up and was baptized;

¹⁹and he took food and was strengthened.

Saul Begins to Preach Christ

Now ^afor several days he was with ^bthe disciples who were at Damascus,

²⁰and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus ^ain the synagogues, ¹saying, “He is ^bthe Son of God.”

²¹And all those hearing him continued to be astounded, and were saying, “Is this not the one who in Jerusalem ^adestroyed those that ^bcalled on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?”

²²But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this One is the ¹Christ.