9:1 Now ①Saul, still breathing ②threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest,
▷ ①Later called Paul ②Lit threat
9:2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to ①the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them in shackles to Jerusalem.
▷ ①See John 14:6
9:3 Now as he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him;
9:4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
9:5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,
9:6 but get up and enter the city, and it will be told to you what you must do.”
9:7 The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the ①voice but seeing no one.
▷ ①Or sound
9:8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he ①could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus.
▷ ①Lit was seeing
9:9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
9:10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”
9:11 And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying,
9:12 and he has seen ①in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.”
▷ ①A few early mss do not contain in a vision
9:13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he did to Your ①saints in Jerusalem;
▷ ①Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
9:14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to ①arrest all who call on Your name.”
▷ ①Lit bind
9:15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen ①instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;
▷ ①Or vessel
9:16 for I will show him how much he must suffer in behalf of My name.”
9:17 So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
9:18 And immediately something like fish scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized;
9:19 and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were in Damascus,
9:20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, ①saying, “He is the Son of God.”
▷ ①Lit that
9:21 All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not the one who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?”
9:22 But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the ①Christ.
▷ ①I.e., Messiah
9:23 When many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him,
9:24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were also closely watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death;
9:25 but his disciples took him at night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.
9:26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried repeatedly to associate with the disciples; and yet they were all afraid of him, as they did not believe that he was a disciple.
9:27 But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus at Damascus.
9:28 And he was with them, ①moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord.
▷ ①Lit going in and going out
9:29 And he was talking and arguing with the ①Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death.
▷ ①Jews who adopted the Gr language and much of Gr culture through acculturation
9:30 Now when the ①brothers learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.
▷ ①I.e., disciples
9:31 So the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria ①enjoyed peace, as it was being built up; and as it ②continued in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it kept increasing.
▷ ①Lit was having ②Lit went
9:32 Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he also came down to the ①saints who lived at ②Lydda.
▷ ①Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people ②OT: Lod
9:33 There he found a man named Aeneas who had been bedridden for eight years, ①because he was paralyzed.
▷ ①Lit who was
9:34 Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your own bed.” Immediately he got up.
9:35 And all who lived at ①Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.
▷ ①OT: Lod
9:36 Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which when translated means ①Dorcas); this woman was ②excelling in acts of kindness and charity which she did habitually.
▷ ①I.e., Gr for Gazelle ②Lit full of
9:37 But it happened ①at that time that she became sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upstairs room.
▷ ①Lit in those days
9:38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Do not delay in coming to us.”
9:39 So Peter got ready and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the room upstairs; and all the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the ①tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.
▷ ①A long shirt worn next to the skin
9:40 But Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
9:41 And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling the ①saints and widows, he presented her alive.
▷ ①Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
9:42 It became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.
9:43 And Peter stayed in Joppa many days with a tanner named Simon.