Acts 9:5-24

⁵“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, the one you're persecuting,” he replied.

⁶“Get up, go on into the city, and you'll be told what to do.”

⁷The men who were traveling with Saul stood there speechless. They heard the voice speaking, but they didn't see anyone.

⁸Saul got to his feet, and when he opened his eyes, he couldn't see anything. His companions took him by the hand and led him into Damascus.

⁹For three days he couldn't see, and he didn't eat or drink anything.

¹⁰A follower of Jesus called Ananias lived in Damascus, and the Lord spoke to him in a vision. “Ananias!” he called. “I'm here, Lord,” Ananias responded.

¹¹“Get up, and go to Straight Street,” the Lord told him. “Ask at Judas' house for someone called Saul, from Tarsus. He's praying.

¹²He's seen in vision a man called Ananias come and place his hands on him so he can regain his sight.”

¹³“But Lord,” Ananias replied, “I've heard a lot about this man—about all the evil things he did to the believers in Jerusalem.

¹⁴The chief priests have given him the power to arrest everyone here that worships and follows you.”

¹⁵But the Lord told him, “Get on your way, because he is the person I have chosen to take my name to foreigners and kings, as well as to Israel.

¹⁶I will show him what he'll have to suffer for my name's sake.”

¹⁷So Ananias left and went to the house. He placed his hands on Saul. “Brother Saul,” he said, “The Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were traveling here, has sent me so you can regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

¹⁸Immediately, something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. He got up and was baptized.

¹⁹He also had something to eat and felt stronger. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.

²⁰He immediately started speaking in the synagogues, saying, “Jesus is the Son of God.”

²¹All who heard him were amazed, and asked, “Isn't this the man who caused so much trouble in Jerusalem for those who believed in Jesus? Wasn't he coming here to have the believers arrested and taken in chains to the chief priests?”

²²Saul grew more and more confident, proving Jesus was the Messiah so convincingly that the Jews who lived in Damascus could not refute him.

²³Some time later the Jews plotted together to kill him,

²⁴but Saul learned of their intentions. Day and night they waited by the city gates looking for the chance to murder him.