Acts 9:13-31

¹³But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem.

¹⁴He has authority from the chief priests to arrest everyone here who calls upon your name.”

¹⁵But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine, to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel;

¹⁶for I will show him how much he must suffer for the cause of my name.”

¹⁷So Ananias departed, and entered into the house. Laying his hands on him, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road when you were coming, has sent me so that you might receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

¹⁸Immediately something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he received his sight; he arose and was baptized;

¹⁹and he ate and was strengthened. He stayed with the disciples in Damascus for several days.

²⁰Right away he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying that he is the Son of God.

²¹All who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who destroyed those in Jerusalem who called on this name? He has come here to take them bound to the chief priests.”

²²But Saul became more and more powerful, and he was causing distress among the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.

²³After many days, the Jews planned together to kill him.

²⁴But their plan became known to Saul. They watched the gates day and night in order to kill him.

²⁵But his disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall, lowering him in a basket.

²⁶When he had come to Jerusalem, Saul attempted to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.

²⁷But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles, and he told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how at Damascus Saul had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus.

²⁸He met with them as they were coming in and going out of Jerusalem. He spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus

²⁹and debated with the Grecian Jews; but they kept trying to kill him.

³⁰When the brothers learned of this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.

³¹So then, the church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was built up; and, walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, the church grew in numbers.