Acts 9 - Prayer Tents

Saul’s Conversion

9Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord's followers. So he went to the high priest.G1161G4569G2089G1709G547G2532G5408G1519G3101G2962G4334G749 2He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.G154G3844G846G1992G1519G1154G4314G4864G3704G1437G2147G5100G3598G5037G5607G435G2532G1135G71G1210G1519G2419 3As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him.G1161G846G4198G1722G1096G1448G1154G2532G1810G4015G846G5457G575G3772 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?"G2532G4098G1909G1093G191G5456G3004G846G4549G4549G5101G1377G3165 5"Who are you, lord?" Saul asked And the voice replied, "I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!G1161G2036G5101G1488G2962G1161G2962G2036G1473G1510G2424G3739G4771G1377G4642G4671G2979G4314G2759 6Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."G5037G5141G2532G2284G2036G2962G5101G2309G3165G4160G2532G2962G4314G846G450G2532G1525G1519G4172G2532G2980G4671G5101G4571G1163G4160 7The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone's voice but saw no one!G1161G435G3588G4922G846G2476G1769G191G3303G5456G1161G2334G3367 8Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus.G1161G4569G1453G575G1093G1161G846G3788G455G991G3762G1161G5496G846G5496G1521G1519G1154 9He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink.G2532G2258G5140G2250G3361G991G2532G3756G5315G3761G4095 10Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, "Ananias!" "Yes, Lord!" he replied.G1161G2258G5100G3101G1722G1154G3686G367G2532G4314G846G2036G2962G1722G3705G367G1161G2036G2400G1473G2962 11The Lord said, "Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now.G1161G2962G4314G846G450G4198G1909G4505G3588G2564G2117G2532G2212G1722G3614G2455G3686G4569G5018G1063G2400G4336 12I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again."G2532G1492G1722G3705G435G3686G367G1525G2532G2007G5495G2007G846G3704G308 13"But Lord," exclaimed Ananias, "I've heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem!G1161G367G611G2962G191G575G4183G4012G5127G435G3745G2556G4160G4675G40G1722G2419 14And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name."G2532G5602G2192G1849G3844G749G1210G3956G1941G4675G3686 15But the Lord said, "Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.G1161G2962G2036G4314G846G4198G3754G3778G2076G1589G4632G3427G941G3450G3686G1799G1484G2532G935G5037G5207G2474 16And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name's sake."G1063G1473G5263G846G3745G846G1163G3958G5228G3450G3686G5228 17So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."G1161G367G565G2532G1525G1519G3614G2532G2007G5495G1909G846G2036G80G4549G2962G2424G3700G4671G1722G3598G3739G2064G649G3165G3704G308G2532G4130G40G4151 18Instantly something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.G2532G2112G634G575G846G3788G5616G3013G308G3916G5037G450G2532G907

Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem

19Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength. Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days.G2532G2983G5160G1765G1161G1096G4569G5100G2250G3326G3101G1722G1154 20And immediately he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is indeed the Son of God!"G2532G2112G2784G5547G1722G4864G3754G3778G2076G5207G2316 21All who heard him were amazed. "Isn't this the same man who caused such devastation among Jesus' followers in Jerusalem?" they asked. "And didn't he come here to arrest them and take them in chains to the leading priests?"G1161G3956G191G1839G2532G3004G2076G3756G3778G4199G3588G1941G5124G3686G1722G2419G2532G2064G5602G1519G5124G1519G2443G71G846G1210G1909G749 22Saul's preaching became more and more powerful, and the Jews in Damascus couldn't refute his proofs that Jesus was indeed the Messiah.G1161G4569G1743G3123G1743G2532G4797G2453G3588G2730G1722G1154G4822G3754G3778G2076G5547 23After a while some of the Jews plotted together to kill him.G1161G5613G2425G2250G4137G2453G4823G337G846 24They were watching for him day and night at the city gate so they could murder him, but Saul was told about their plot.G1161G846G1917G1097G4569G5037G3906G4439G2250G2532G3571G3704G337G846 25So during the night, some of the other believers lowered him in a large basket through an opening in the city wall.G1161G3101G2983G846G3571G2524G5465G1223G5038G1722G4711 26When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer!G1161G4569G3854G1519G2419G3987G2853G3101G2532G5399G3956G5399G846G4100G3361G3754G2076G3101 27Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus.G1161G921G1949G846G71G4314G652G2532G1334G846G4459G1492G2962G1722G3598G2532G3754G2980G846G2532G4459G3955G1722G1154G1722G3686G2424 28So Saul stayed with the apostles and went all around Jerusalem with them, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.G2532G2258G3326G846G1531G2532G1607G1722G2419 29He debated with some Greek-speaking Jews, but they tried to murder him.G2532G2980G3955G1722G3686G2962G2424G5037G2532G4802G4314G1675G1161G2021G337G846 30When the believers heard about this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus, his hometown.G1161G80G1921G2609G846G2609G1519G2542G2532G1821G846G1821G1519G5019 31The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers.G3303G3767G2192G1577G1515G2596G3650G2449G2532G1056G2532G4540G3618G2532G4198G5401G2962G2532G3874G40G4151G4129

Peter Heals Aeneas and Raises Dorcas

32Meanwhile, Peter traveled from place to place, and he came down to visit the believers in the town of Lydda.G1161G1096G1330G4074G1330G1223G3956G2718G2532G4314G40G3588G2730G3069 33There he met a man named Aeneas, who had been paralyzed and bedridden for eight years.G1161G1563G2147G5100G444G3686G132G2621G1909G2895G1537G3638G2094G3739G2258G3886 34Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you! Get up, and roll up your sleeping mat!" And he was healed instantly.G2532G4074G2036G846G132G2424G5547G2390G4571G2390G450G2532G4766G4572G4766G2532G450G2112 35Then the whole population of Lydda and Sharon saw Aeneas walking around, and they turned to the Lord.G2532G3956G2730G3069G2532G4565G1492G846G3748G1994G1909G2962 36There was a believer in Joppa named Tabitha (which in Greek is Dorcas). She was always doing kind things for others and helping the poor.G1161G2258G1722G2445G5100G3102G3686G5000G3739G1329G3004G1393G3778G846G2258G4134G18G2041G2532G1654G3739G4160 37About this time she became ill and died. Her body was washed for burial and laid in an upstairs room.G1161G1096G1722G1565G2250G770G599G1161G846G3068G846G5087G1722G5253 38But the believers had heard that Peter was nearby at Lydda, so they sent two men to beg him, "Please come as soon as possible!"G1161G5607G3069G1451G2445G3101G191G3754G4074G2076G1722G846G649G4314G846G1417G435G3870G3635G3361G3635G1330G2193G846 39So Peter returned with them; and as soon as he arrived, they took him to the upstairs room. The room was filled with widows who were weeping and showing him the coats and other clothes Dorcas had made for them.G1161G4074G450G4905G846G3739G3854G321G1519G5253G2532G3956G5503G3936G846G2799G2532G1925G5509G2532G2440G3745G1393G4160G5607G3326G846 40But Peter asked them all to leave the room; then he knelt and prayed. Turning to the body he said, "Get up, Tabitha." And she opened her eyes! When she saw Peter, she sat up!G1161G4074G1544G3956G1854G5087G1119G4336G2532G1994G4314G4983G2036G5000G450G1161G455G846G3788G2532G1492G4074G339 41He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then he called in the widows and all the believers, and he presented her to them alive.G1161G1325G846G5495G450G846G450G1161G5455G40G2532G5503G3936G846G2198 42The news spread through the whole town, and many believed in the Lord.G1161G1096G1110G2596G3650G2445G2532G4183G4100G1909G2962 43And Peter stayed a long time in Joppa, living with Simon, a tanner of hides.G1161G1096G846G3306G2425G2250G1722G2445G3844G5100G4613G1038