Paul Tells of His Conversion^(A)

⁶ “As I journeyed and came near Damascus, about noon suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. ⁷ I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?’

⁸ “I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’

“He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ ⁹ Those who were with me saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who was speaking to me.

¹⁰ “I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’

“The Lord said to me, ‘Rise and go into Damascus. There you will be told what you have been appointed to do.’ ¹¹ Since I was blinded by the glory of that light, those who were with me led me by the hand into Damascus.

¹² “Ananias, a devout man according to the law, who was well spoken of by all the Jews living there, ¹³ came and stood by me, and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that moment I looked up at him.

¹⁴ “Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Just One and to hear His voice, ¹⁵ for you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶ And now why do you wait? Rise, be baptized and wash away your sins, and call on the name of the Lord.’

Paul Tells of His Conversion^(A)

¹² “So I went to Damascus with authority and a commission from the chief priests. ¹³ At midday, O King, I saw along the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. ¹⁴ When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

¹⁵ “I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’

“He said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶ But rise and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and a witness both of what you have seen and of what I will yet reveal to you. ¹⁷ I will deliver you from your people and from the Gentiles to whom I now send you, ¹⁸ to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’