^aNow ¹Saul, still ^bbreathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord and relentless in his search for believers, went to the ²high priest, 2 and he asked for ^aletters of authority from him to ^bthe synagogues at ^cDamascus, so that if he found any men or women there belonging to ^1dthe Way believers, followers of Jesus the Messiah, men and women alike, he could arrest them and bring them bound with chains to Jerusalem. 3 As he traveled he approached Damascus, and ^asuddenly a light from heaven flashed around him displaying the glory and majesty of Christ; 4 and ^ahe fell to the ground and heard a voice from heaven saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting and oppressing Me?” 5 And Saul said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He answered, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, 6 now get up and go into the city, and ^ayou will be told what you must do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him were terrified and ^astood speechless, ^bhearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but ^athough his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into ^bDamascus. 9 And he was unable to see for three days, and he neither ate nor drank.

10 Now in ^aDamascus there was a disciple named ^bAnanias; and the Lord said to him in ^ca vision, “Ananias.” And he answered, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called ¹Straight, and ask at the house of Judas for a man from ^aTarsus named Saul; for he is praying there, 12 and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and ^aplace his hands on him, so that he may regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, especially ^ahow much suffering and evil he has brought on ^bYour saints (God’s people) at Jerusalem; 14 and here in Damascus he ^ahas authority from the high priests to put in chains all who ^bcall on Your name confessing You as Savior.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for ^athis man is a deliberately chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before ^bthe Gentiles and ^ckings and the sons of Israel; 16 for ^aI will make clear to him how much he must suffer and endure for My name’s sake.” 17 So Ananias left and entered the house, and he ^alaid his hands on Saul and said, “^bBrother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came to Damascus, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be ^cfilled with the Holy Spirit in order to proclaim Christ to both Jews and Gentiles.” 18 Immediately something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized; 19 and he took some food and was strengthened.Saul Begins to Preach Christ

^aFor several days afterward Saul remained with ^bthe disciples who were at Damascus. 20 And immediately he began proclaiming Jesus ^ain the synagogues, saying, “This Man is ^bthe Son of God the promised Messiah!” 21 All those who heard him continued to be amazed and said, “Is this not the man who in Jerusalem ^aattacked those who ^bcalled on this name of Jesus, and had come here to Damascus for the express purpose of bringing them bound with chains before the chief priests?” 22 But Saul increased in strength more and more, and continued to perplex the Jews who lived in Damascus by examining theological evidence and proving with Scripture that this Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) .

23 After ^aconsiderable time had passed about three years or so, ^bthe Jews plotted together to kill him, 24 but ^atheir plot became known to Saul. ^bThey were also watching the city’s gates day and night so they could kill him; 25 but his disciples took him at night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

26 ^aWhen he arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27 However, ^1aBarnabas took him and brought him to the apostles, and described to them how Saul had ^bseen the Lord on the road to Damascus, and how He had spoken to him, and how ^cat Damascus Saul had ^dpreached openly and spoken confidently in the name of Jesus. 28 So he was with them, moving around freely as one among them in Jerusalem, ^aspeaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He was talking and arguing with the ^1aHellenists (Greek-speaking Jews) ; but they were attempting to kill him. 30 When ^athe brothers found out about the plot, they brought him down to ^1bCaesarea Maritima and ^csent him off to ^dTarsus his home town.

31 So ^athe church throughout Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace without persecution, being built up in wisdom, virtue, and faith; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort and encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it continued to grow in numbers.

32 Now as Peter was traveling throughout the land, he went down to visit ^athe ¹saints (God’s people) who lived at ^bLydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years and was paralyzed. 34 Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed.” Immediately Aeneas got up. 35 Then all who lived at ^aLydda and the plain of ^bSharon saw what had happened to him, and they ^cturned to the Lord.

36 Now in ^1aJoppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, (which translated into Greek means Dorcas). She was rich in acts of kindness and charity which she continually did. 37 During that time it happened that she became sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an ^aupstairs room. 38 Since Lydda was near ^aJoppa, ^bthe disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Come to us without delay.” 39 So Peter got up at once and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the ^aupstairs room; and all the ^bwidows stood beside him, weeping and showing him all the ¹tunics and robes that Dorcas used to make while she was with them. 40 But Peter ^asent them all out of the room and ^bknelt down and prayed; then turning to the body he said, “^cTabitha, arise!” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. 41 And he gave her his hand and helped her up; and then he called in ^athe ¹saints (God’s people) and ^bthe widows, and he presented her to them alive. 42 This became known all over ^aJoppa, and ^bmany came to believe in the Lord that is, to adhere to and trust in and rely on Jesus as Christ and Savior. 43 And so it was that Peter stayed in ^aJoppa for many days with Simon, ^1ba tanner.

^aNow ¹Saul, still ^bbreathing ²threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and 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. 3 And as he was traveling, it happened that when he was approaching Damascus, ^asuddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; 4 and ^afalling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, 6 but rise up and enter the city, and ^ait will be told you what you must do.” 7 And the men who traveled with him ^astood speechless, ^bhearing the ¹voice but seeing no one. 8 And 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. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

10 Now 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.” 11 And 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, 12 and 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.” 13 But 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.” 15 But 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; 16 for ^aI will show him how much he must suffer for My name.” 17 So 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.” 18 And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he rose up and was baptized; 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 And 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?” 22 But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this One is the ¹Christ.

23 And when ^amany days had elapsed, ^bthe Jews plotted together to put him to death, 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 the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

26 ^aAnd when 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 him and brought him to the apostles and recounted 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 So 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 brothers 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 was having peace, being built up. And going on in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it continued to multiply.

32 Now it happened that as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he came down also to ^athe ¹saints who lived at ^2bLydda. 33 And there he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years, for he was paralyzed. 34 And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Rise up and make your bed.” Immediately he rose up. 35 And all who lived at ^1aLydda and ^bSharon saw him, and they ^cturned to the Lord.

36 Now in ^aJoppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated is called ¹Dorcas). This woman was full of good works and charity which she continually did. 37 And it happened ¹at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an ^aupper room. 38 Now since Lydda was near ^aJoppa, ^bthe disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, pleading with him, “Do not delay in coming to us.” 39 So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the ^aupper room; and all the ^bwidows stood beside him, crying and showing all the ¹tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them. 40 But Peter ^asent them all out and ^bknelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, “^cTabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. 41 And he gave her his hand and raised her up. And calling ^athe ¹saints and ^bwidows, he presented her alive. 42 And it became known all over ^aJoppa, and ^bmany believed in the Lord. 43 And it happened that he stayed many days in ^aJoppa with ^ba tanner named Simon.

^aNow ¹Saul, still ^bbreathing ²threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and asked for ^aletters from him to ^bthe synagogues in ^cDamascus, so that if he found any belonging to ^1dthe Way, whether men or women, he might bring them in shackles to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and ^asuddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; 4 and ^ahe fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, 6 but get up and enter the city, and ^ait will be told to you what you must do.” 7 The men who traveled with him ^astood speechless, ^bhearing the ¹voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, and ^athough his eyes were open, he ¹could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into ^bDamascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

10 Now there was a disciple in ^aDamascus named ^bAnanias; and the Lord said to him in ^ca vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from ^aTarsus named Saul, for he is praying, 12 and 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.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, ^ahow much harm he did to ^bYour ¹saints in Jerusalem; 14 and here he ^ahas authority from the chief priests to ¹arrest all who ^bcall on Your name.” 15 But 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; 16 for ^aI will show him how much he must suffer in behalf of My name.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after ^alaying his hands on him said, “^bBrother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be ^cfilled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like fish scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; 19 and he took food and was strengthened.Saul Begins to Preach Christ

Now ^afor several days he was with ^bthe disciples who were in 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 the one who in Jerusalem ^adestroyed those who ^bcalled on this name, and had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” 22 But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding Jews who lived in 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 closely watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; 25 but his disciples took him at night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

26 ^aWhen he came to Jerusalem, he tried repeatedly to associate with the disciples; and yet they were all afraid of him, as they did not believe 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 ^che had ^dspoken out boldly in the name of Jesus at Damascus. 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 Now when ^athe ¹brothers learned of it, they brought him down to ^bCaesarea and ^csent him away to ^dTarsus.

31 So ^athe church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria ¹enjoyed peace, as it was being built up; and as it ²continued in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it kept increasing.

32 Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he also came down to ^athe ¹saints who lived at ^2bLydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas who had been bedridden for eight years, ¹because he was paralyzed. 34 Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your own bed.” Immediately he got up. 35 And all who lived at ^1aLydda and ^bSharon saw him, and they ^cturned to the Lord.

36 Now in ^aJoppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which when translated means ¹Dorcas); this woman was ²excelling in acts of kindness and charity which she did habitually. 37 But it happened ¹at that time that she became sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an ^aupstairs room. 38 Since Lydda was near ^aJoppa, ^bthe disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Do not delay in coming to us.” 39 So Peter got ready and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the ^aroom upstairs; and all the ^bwidows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the ¹tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them. 40 But Peter ^asent them all out and ^bknelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, “^cTabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. 41 And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling ^athe ¹saints and ^bwidows, he presented her alive. 42 It became known all over ^aJoppa, and ^bmany believed in the Lord. 43 And Peter stayed in ^aJoppa many days with ^ba tanner named Simon.