9In the meantime Saul kept up his violent threats of murder against the followers of the Lord. He went to the High PriestG1161G4569G2089G1709G547G2532G5408G1519G3101G2962G4334G749 2and asked for letters of introduction to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he should find there any followers of the Way of the Lord, he would be able to arrest them, both men and women, and bring them back to Jerusalem.G154G3844G846G1992G1519G1154G4314G4864G3704G1437G2147G5100G3598G5037G5607G435G2532G1135G71G1210G1519G2419 3As Saul was coming near the city of Damascus, suddenly a light from the sky flashed around him.G1161G846G4198G1722G1096G1448G1154G2532G1810G4015G846G5457G575G3772 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute me?"G2532G4098G1909G1093G191G5456G3004G846G4549G4549G5101G1377G3165 5"Who are you, Lord?" he asked. "I am Jesus, whom you persecute," the voice said.G1161G2036G5101G1488G2962G1161G2962G2036G1473G1510G2424G3739G4771G1377G4642G4671G2979G4314G2759 6"But get up and go into the city, where you will be told what you must do."G5037G5141G2532G2284G2036G2962G5101G2309G3165G4160G2532G2962G4314G846G450G2532G1525G1519G4172G2532G2980G4671G5101G4571G1163G4160 7The men who were traveling with Saul had stopped, not saying a word; they heard the voice but could not see anyone.G1161G435G3588G4922G846G2476G1769G191G3303G5456G1161G2334G3367 8Saul got up from the ground and opened his eyes, but could not see a thing. So they took him by the hand and led him into Damascus.G1161G4569G1453G575G1093G1161G846G3788G455G991G3762G1161G5496G846G5496G1521G1519G1154 9For three days he was not able to see, and during that time he did not eat or drink anything.G2532G2258G5140G2250G3361G991G2532G3756G5315G3761G4095 10There was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. He had a vision, in which the Lord said to him, "Ananias!" "Here I am, Lord," he answered.G1161G2258G5100G3101G1722G1154G3686G367G2532G4314G846G2036G2962G1722G3705G367G1161G2036G2400G1473G2962 11The Lord said to him, "Get ready and go to Straight Street, and at the house of Judas ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying,G1161G2962G4314G846G450G4198G1909G4505G3588G2564G2117G2532G2212G1722G3614G2455G3686G4569G5018G1063G2400G4336 12and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and place his hands on him so that he might see again."G2532G1492G1722G3705G435G3686G367G1525G2532G2007G5495G2007G846G3704G308 13Ananias answered, "Lord, many people have told me about this man and about all the terrible things he has done to your people in Jerusalem.G1161G367G611G2962G191G575G4183G4012G5127G435G3745G2556G4160G4675G40G1722G2419 14And he has come to Damascus with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who worship you."G2532G5602G2192G1849G3844G749G1210G3956G1941G4675G3686 15The Lord said to him, "Go, because I have chosen him to serve me, to make my name known to Gentiles and kings and to the people of Israel.G1161G2962G2036G4314G846G4198G3754G3778G2076G1589G4632G3427G941G3450G3686G1799G1484G2532G935G5037G5207G2474 16And I myself will show him all that he must suffer for my sake."G1063G1473G5263G846G3745G846G1163G3958G5228G3450G3686G5228 17So Ananias went, entered the house where Saul was, and placed his hands on him. "Brother Saul," he said, "the Lord has sent me - Jesus himself, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here. He sent me so that you might see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit."G1161G367G565G2532G1525G1519G3614G2532G2007G5495G1909G846G2036G80G4549G2962G2424G3700G4671G1722G3598G3739G2064G649G3165G3704G308G2532G4130G40G4151 18At once something like fish scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he was able to see again. He stood up and was baptized;G2532G2112G634G575G846G3788G5616G3013G308G3916G5037G450G2532G907 19and after he had eaten, his strength came back. Saul stayed for a few days with the believers in Damascus.G2532G2983G5160G1765G1161G1096G4569G5100G2250G3326G3101G1722G1154 20He went straight to the synagogues and began to preach that Jesus was the Son of God.G2532G2112G2784G5547G1722G4864G3754G3778G2076G5207G2316 21All who heard him were amazed and asked, "Isn't he the one who in Jerusalem was killing those who worship that man Jesus? And didn't he come here for the very purpose of arresting those people and taking them back to the chief priests?"G1161G3956G191G1839G2532G3004G2076G3756G3778G4199G3588G1941G5124G3686G1722G2419G2532G2064G5602G1519G5124G1519G2443G71G846G1210G1909G749 22But Saul's preaching became even more powerful, and his proofs that Jesus was the Messiah were so convincing that the Jews who lived in Damascus could not answer him.G1161G4569G1743G3123G1743G2532G4797G2453G3588G2730G1722G1154G4822G3754G3778G2076G5547 23After many days had gone by, the Jews met together and made plans to kill Saul,G1161G5613G2425G2250G4137G2453G4823G337G846 24but he was told of their plan. Day and night they watched the city gates in order to kill him.G1161G846G1917G1097G4569G5037G3906G4439G2250G2532G3571G3704G337G846 25But one night Saul's followers took him and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.G1161G3101G2983G846G3571G2524G5465G1223G5038G1722G4711 26Saul went to Jerusalem and tried to join the disciples. But they would not believe that he was a disciple, and they were all afraid of him.G1161G4569G3854G1519G2419G3987G2853G3101G2532G5399G3956G5399G846G4100G3361G3754G2076G3101 27Then Barnabas came to his help and took him to the apostles. He explained to them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and that the Lord had spoken to him. He also told them how boldly Saul had preached in the name of Jesus in Damascus.G1161G921G1949G846G71G4314G652G2532G1334G846G4459G1492G2962G1722G3598G2532G3754G2980G846G2532G4459G3955G1722G1154G1722G3686G2424 28And so Saul stayed with them and went all over Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.G2532G2258G3326G846G1531G2532G1607G1722G2419 29He also talked and disputed with the Greek-speaking Jews, but they tried to kill him.G2532G2980G3955G1722G3686G2962G2424G5037G2532G4802G4314G1675G1161G2021G337G846 30When the believers found out about this, they took Saul to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.G1161G80G1921G2609G846G2609G1519G2542G2532G1821G846G1821G1519G5019 31And so it was that the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had a time of peace. Through the help of the Holy Spirit it was strengthened and grew in numbers, as it lived in reverence for the Lord.G3303G3767G2192G1577G1515G2596G3650G2449G2532G1056G2532G4540G3618G2532G4198G5401G2962G2532G3874G40G4151G4129 32Peter traveled everywhere, and on one occasion he went to visit God's people who lived in Lydda.G1161G1096G1330G4074G1330G1223G3956G2718G2532G4314G40G3588G2730G3069 33There he met a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had not been able to get out of bed for eight years.G1161G1563G2147G5100G444G3686G132G2621G1909G2895G1537G3638G2094G3739G2258G3886 34"Aeneas," Peter said to him, "Jesus Christ makes you well. Get up and make your bed." At once Aeneas got up.G2532G4074G2036G846G132G2424G5547G2390G4571G2390G450G2532G4766G4572G4766G2532G450G2112 35All the people living in Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.G2532G3956G2730G3069G2532G4565G1492G846G3748G1994G1909G2962 36In Joppa there was a woman named Tabitha, who was a believer. (Her name in Greek is Dorcas, meaning "a deer.") She spent all her time doing good and helping the poor.G1161G2258G1722G2445G5100G3102G3686G5000G3739G1329G3004G1393G3778G846G2258G4134G18G2041G2532G1654G3739G4160 37At that time she got sick and died. Her body was washed and laid in a room upstairs.G1161G1096G1722G1565G2250G770G599G1161G846G3068G846G5087G1722G5253 38Joppa was not very far from Lydda, and when the believers in Joppa heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him with the message, "Please hurry and come to us."G1161G5607G3069G1451G2445G3101G191G3754G4074G2076G1722G846G649G4314G846G1417G435G3870G3635G3361G3635G1330G2193G846 39So Peter got ready and went with them. When he arrived, he was taken to the room upstairs, where all the widows crowded around him, crying and showing him all the shirts and coats that Dorcas had made while she was alive.G1161G4074G450G4905G846G3739G3854G321G1519G5253G2532G3956G5503G3936G846G2799G2532G1925G5509G2532G2440G3745G1393G4160G5607G3326G846 40Peter put them all out of the room, and knelt down and prayed; then he turned to the body and said, "Tabitha, get up!" She opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.G1161G4074G1544G3956G1854G5087G1119G4336G2532G1994G4314G4983G2036G5000G450G1161G455G846G3788G2532G1492G4074G339 41Peter reached over and helped her get up. Then he called all the believers, including the widows, and presented her alive to them.G1161G1325G846G5495G450G846G450G1161G5455G40G2532G5503G3936G846G2198 42The news about this spread all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.G1161G1096G1110G2596G3650G2445G2532G4183G4100G1909G2962 43Peter stayed on in Joppa for many days with a tanner of leather named Simon.G1161G1096G846G3306G2425G2250G1722G2445G3844G5100G4613G1038
Dublin, OH
