Acts 9:1

³But Saul ravaged the assembly, entering into every house and dragged both men and women off to prison.

¹³although I used to be a blasphemer, a persecutor, and insolent. However, I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

¹³For you have heard of my way of living in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the assembly of God and ravaged it.

¹¹The Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judah^[+] for one named Saul, a man of Tarsus. For behold, he is praying, ¹²and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and laying his hands on him, that he might receive his sight.”

¹³But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he did to your saints at Jerusalem. ¹⁴Here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.”

¹⁵But the Lord said to him, “Go your way, for he is my chosen vessel to bear my name before the nations and kings, and the children of Israel. ¹⁶For I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

¹⁷Ananias departed and entered into the house. Laying his hands on him, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord, who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he received his sight. He arose and was baptized. ¹⁹He took food and was strengthened. Saul stayed several days with the disciples who were at Damascus.

²⁰Immediately in the synagogues he proclaimed the Christ, that he is the Son of God. ²¹All who heard him were amazed, and said, “Isn’t this he who in Jerusalem made havoc of those who called on this name? And he had come here intending to bring them bound before the chief priests!”

⁹For I am the least of the apostles, who is not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the assembly of God.

⁵⁸They threw him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses placed their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

⁹“I myself most certainly thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. ¹⁰I also did this in Jerusalem. I both shut up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death I gave my vote against them. ¹¹Punishing them often in all the synagogues, I tried to make them blaspheme. Being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

³“I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict tradition of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you all are today. ⁴I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, ⁵as also the high priest and all the council of the elders testify, from whom also I received letters to the brothers, and traveled to Damascus to bring them also who were there to Jerusalem in bonds to be punished.

⁶concerning zeal, persecuting the assembly; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless.

¹²Don’t deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen up against me, such as breathe out cruelty.