Acts 9:1-19

¹Meanwhile, Saul angrily continued to say, “I will kill those who believe that Jesus is the Lord!” He went to the supreme priest in Jerusalem

²and requested him to write letters introducing him to the leaders of MTY the Jewish meeting places in Damascus city. The letters asked them to authorize Saul to seize any men or women who followed the way that Jesus had taught, and to take them as prisoners to Jerusalem so that the Jewish leaders could judge and punish them.

³Saul took those letters, and while he and those with him traveled toward Damascus, as they were approaching the city, suddenly a brilliant light from heaven shone around Saul.

⁴Immediately he fell down to the ground. Then he heard the voice of the Lord say to him, “Saul, Saul, ◄stop causing me to suffer!/why are you causing me to suffer?► RHQ”

⁵Saul asked him, “Lord, who are you?” He replied, “I am Jesus, and you (sg) are causing me to suffer by hurting my followers!

⁶Now instead of continuing to do that, stand up and go into the city! Someone there will tell you (sg) what I want you to do.”

⁷The men who were traveling with Saul became so frightened that they could not say anything. They just stood there. They only heard the sound when the Lord spoke, but they did not see anyone.

⁸Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could not see anything. So the men with him took him by the hand and led him into Damascus.

⁹For the next three days Saul could not see anything, and he did not eat or drink anything.

¹⁰In Damascus there was a Jew named Ananias who believed in Jesus. While Ananias was seeing a vision, the Lord Jesus said to him, “Ananias!” He replied, “Lord, I am listening.”

¹¹The Lord Jesus told him, “Go to Straight Street to the house that belongs to Judas. Ask someone there if you(sg) can talk to a man named Saul from Tarsus city, because, surprisingly, at this moment he is praying to me.

¹²Saul has seen a vision in which a man named Ananias entered the house where he was staying and put his hands on him in order that he might see again.”

¹³But Ananias protested, saying, “But Lord, many people have told me about this man! He has done many evil things to the people in Jerusalem who believe in you!

¹⁴And the chief priests have authorized him to come here to Damascus in order to seize all of us who believe in you (sg) MTY and take us to Jerusalem!”

¹⁵But the Lord Jesus told Ananias, “Go to Saul! Do what I say, because I have chosen him to serve me in order that he might speak about me MTY both to non-Jewish people and their kings and to the Israeli people.

¹⁶I myself will tell him that he must often suffer greatly because of telling people about me MTY.”

¹⁷So Ananias went, and after he found the house where Saul was, he entered it. Then, as soon as he met Saul, he put his hands on him, and he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus himself commanded me to come to you. He is the same one who appeared to you (sg) while you were traveling along the road. He sent me to you in order that you might see again and that you might be completely controlled by the Holy Spirit {that the Holy Spirit might completely control you}.”

¹⁸Instantly, things like fish scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he was able to see again. Then he stood up and was baptized { Ananias baptized him} immediately.

¹⁹After Saul ate some food, he felt strong again. Saul stayed with the other believers in Damascus for several days.