Acts 22:1-11 ▼

1 “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense before you.”

2 When they heard that he was addressing them in Aramaic, they became even quieter.

3 He continued, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strictness of our ancestral law. I was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.

4 I persecuted this Way to the death, arresting and putting both men and women in jail,

5 as both the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. After I received letters from them to the brothers, I traveled to Damascus to arrest those who were there and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.

6 “As I was traveling and approaching Damascus, about noon an intense light from heaven suddenly flashed around me.

7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? ’

8 “I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord? ’ “He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, the one you are persecuting.’

9 Now those who were with me saw the light, but they did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.

10 “I said, ‘What should I do, Lord? ’ “The Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything that you have been assigned to do.’

11 “Since I couldn’t see because of the brightness of the light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and went into Damascus.