Acts 9:15-39

¹⁵But the Lord said to him: “Get moving, because this man is a chosen vessel to me, to carry my name before nations and kings, also the children of Israel;

¹⁶for I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake.”

¹⁷So Ananias went and entered the house, and placing his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord, who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me so that you may recover your sight and be filled by Holy Spirit.”

¹⁸Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he recovered his sight forthwith; and getting up he was baptized,

¹⁹and upon receiving food he was strengthened. So Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for a number of days.

²⁰Immediately he started proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues, that He is the Son of the God.

²¹Well, all who heard him were astounded and started saying: “Isn't this the one who tried to destroy, in Jerusalem, those who called on this name? Even here he had come with that purpose, that he might take them bound to the high priests.”

²²But Saul kept growing stronger and kept on confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus, proving that ‘This One is the Christ.’

²³Now when a good many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him;

²⁴but their plot became known to Saul. They started watching the gates day and night, so that they might kill him;

²⁵so the disciples took him by night and passed him through the wall, lowering him in a hamper.

²⁶Now upon arriving in Jerusalem Saul kept trying to join himself to the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.

²⁷But Barnabas took him in tow and brought him to the apostles, and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken fearlessly in the name of the Lord Jesus.

²⁸So he was with them in Jerusalem, going in and out, and speaking fearlessly in the name of Jesus.

²⁹He kept on speaking and debating with the Hellenists, so they started trying to kill him.

³⁰Upon finding it out, the brothers brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

³¹So then the congregations throughout all Judea and Galilee, and Samaria, had peace and were built up; and proceeding in the fear of the Lord and in the enabling of the Holy Spirit they were being multiplied.

³²Now it happened, as Peter went through all those parts, that he also went down to the saints who were living in Lydda.

³³And there he found a certain man named Aeneas who was paralyzed—he had been lying on a pallet for eight years.

³⁴Peter said to him: “Aeneas, Jesus the Messiah is healing you. Get up and make your bed!” And immediately he stood up!

³⁵All who were living in Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

³⁶Now there was a certain disciple in Joppa named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds that she kept doing.

³⁷But it happened in those days that she took sick and died; so when they had washed her they placed her in the upper room.

³⁸Now Lydda was near Joppa; the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent to him imploring him not to delay in coming to them.

³⁹So Peter got up and went with them; upon arriving they took him up to the upper room; all the widows stood around him weeping and showing the coats and garments that Dorcas was making while she was with them.