^3 (A)Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. ⁴ And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting ^(B)me?” ⁵ And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, ^(C)whom you are persecuting. ⁶ But ^(D)rise and enter the city, and you will be told ^(E)what you are to do.” ^7 (F)The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, ^(G)hearing the voice but seeing no one. ⁸ Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, ^(H)he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. ⁹ And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰ Now there was a disciple at Damascus named ^(I)Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, ^(J)“Here I am, Lord.” ¹¹ And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man ^(K)of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, ¹² and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and ^(L)lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” ¹³ But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, ^(M)how much evil he has done to ^(N)your ^(O)saints at Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And here he has authority from ^(P)the chief priests to bind all who ^(Q)call on your name.” ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for ^(R)he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name ^(S)before the Gentiles and ^(T)kings and the children of Israel. ¹⁶ For ^(U)I will show him how much ^(V)he must suffer ^(W)for the sake of my name.” ¹⁷ So ^(X)Ananias departed and entered the house. And ^(Y)laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and ^(Z)be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and ^(AA)he regained his sight. Then ^(AB)he rose and was baptized; ¹⁹ and ^(AC)taking food, he was strengthened.

Saul Proclaims Jesus in Synagogues

For ^(AD)some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.

Paul Tells of His Conversion

¹² “In this connection ^(A)I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. ¹³ At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. ¹⁴ And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me ^(B)in the Hebrew language,^[a] ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ ¹⁵ And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶ But rise and ^(C)stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, ^(D)to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, ^17 (E)delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—^(F)to whom I ^(G)am sending you ^18 (H)to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from ^(I)the power of Satan to God, that they may receive ^(J)forgiveness of sins and ^(K)a place among those who are sanctified ^(L)by faith in me.’

Paul Called by God

¹¹ For ^(A)I would have you know, brothers, that ^(B)the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel.^{[a] 12 (C)}For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it ^(D)through a revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹³ For you have heard of ^(E)my former life in Judaism, how ^(F)I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. ¹⁴ And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely ^(G)zealous was I for ^(H)the traditions of my fathers. ¹⁵ But when he ^(I)who had set me apart ^(J)before I was born,^[b] and who ^(K)called me by his grace, ¹⁶ was pleased to reveal his Son to^[c] me, in order ^(L)that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;^[d]

³ For ^(A)we are the circumcision, ^(B)who worship ^(C)by the Spirit of God^[a] and ^(D)glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— ^4 (E)though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: ^5 (F)circumcised on the eighth day, ^(G)of the people of Israel, ^(H)of the tribe of Benjamin, ^(I)a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, ^(J)a Pharisee; ^6 (K)as to zeal, ^(L)a persecutor of the church; ^(M)as to righteousness under the law,^[b] blameless. ⁷ But ^(N)whatever gain I had, ^(O)I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

¹⁷ So ^(A)he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.