Saul spent several days with the disciples^c in Damascus.^d ²⁰At once he began to preach in the synagogues^e that Jesus is the Son of God.^f ²¹All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name?^g And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?”^h ²²Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.ⁱ

²³After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him,^j ²⁴but Saul learned of their plan.^k Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. ²⁵But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.^l

²⁶When he came to Jerusalem,^m he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. ²⁷But Barnabasⁿ took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him,^o and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.^p ²⁸So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews,^a^q but they tried to kill him.^r

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Footnotes

aThat is, Jews who had adopted the Greek language and culture

Cross references

cSee Ac 11:26
d Ac 26:20
e Ac 13:5, 14; 14:1; 17:2, 10, 17; 18:4, 19; 19:8
fSee Mt 4:3
gSee Ac 8:3
hver 14
iSee Lk 2:11; Ac 5:42; 17:3; 18:5, 28
jSee Ac 20:3
k Ac 20:3, 19; 23:16, 30
l 1 Sa 19:12; 2 Co 11:32, 33
m Ac 22:17; 26:20; Gal 1:17, 18
nSee Ac 4:36
over 3–6
pver 20, 22
q Ac 6:1
r 2 Co 11:26