19 and he took food and was strengthened.

Saul Begins to Preach Christ

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

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

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

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

23 When amany days had elapsed, bthe Jews plotted together to do away with him,

24 but atheir plot became known to Saul. bThey were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death;

25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

26 aWhen he came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; 1but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.

27 But aBarnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had bseen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how cat Damascus he had dspoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.

28 And he was with them, 1moving about freely in Jerusalem, aspeaking out boldly in the name of the Lord.

29 And he was talking and arguing with the 1aHellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death.

30 But when athe brethren learned of it, they brought him down to bCaesarea and csent him away to dTarsus.

31 So athe church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria 1enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.