Acts 9 - New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995)

The Conversion of Saul

9 ^(A)Now ^[a]Saul, still ^(B)breathing ^[b]threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, ² and asked for ^(C)letters from him to ^(D)the synagogues at ^(E)Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to ^(F)the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. ³ As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and ^(G)suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; ⁴ and ^(H)he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” ⁵ And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, ⁶ but get up and enter the city, and ^(I)it will be told you what you must do.” ⁷ The men who traveled with him ^(J)stood speechless, ^(K)hearing the ^[c]voice but seeing no one. ⁸ Saul got up from the ground, and ^(L)though his eyes were open, he ^[d]could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into ^(M)Damascus. ⁹ And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰ Now there was a disciple at ^(N)Damascus named ^(O)Ananias; and the Lord said to him in ^(P)a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 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 ^(Q)Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, ¹² and he has seen ^[e]in a vision a man named Ananias come in and ^(R)lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.” ¹³ But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, ^(S)how much harm he did to ^(T)Your ^[f]saints at Jerusalem; ¹⁴ and here he ^(U)has authority from the chief priests to bind all who ^(V)call on Your name.” ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for ^(W)he is a chosen ^[g]instrument of Mine, to bear My name before ^(X)the Gentiles and ^(Y)kings and the sons of Israel; ¹⁶ for ^(Z)I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” ¹⁷ So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after ^(AA)laying his hands on him said, “^(AB)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 ^(AC)filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; ¹⁹ and he took food and was strengthened.

Saul Begins to Preach Christ

Now ^(AD)for several days he was with ^(AE)the disciples who were at Damascus, ²⁰ and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus ^(AF)in the synagogues, ^[h]saying, “He is ^(AG)the Son of God.” ²¹ All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not he who in Jerusalem ^(AH)destroyed those who ^(AI)called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” ²² But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the ^[i]Christ.

²³ When ^(AJ)many days had elapsed, ^(AK)the Jews plotted together to do away with him, ²⁴ but ^(AL)their plot became known to Saul. ^(AM)They were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; ²⁵ but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

^{26 (AN)}When he came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; ^[j]but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. ²⁷ But ^(AO)Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had ^(AP)seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how ^(AQ)at Damascus he had ^(AR)spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. ²⁸ And he was with them, ^[k]moving about freely in Jerusalem, ^(AS)speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹ And he was talking and arguing with the ^[l](AT)Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death. ³⁰ But when ^(AU)the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to ^(AV)Caesarea and ^(AW)sent him away to ^(AX)Tarsus.

³¹ So ^(AY)the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria ^[m]enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.

Peter’s Ministry

³² Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he came down also to ^(AZ)the ^[n]saints who lived at ^[o](BA)Lydda. ³³ There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years, for he was paralyzed. ³⁴ Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your bed.” Immediately he got up. ³⁵ And all who lived at ^[p](BB)Lydda and ^(BC)Sharon saw him, and they ^(BD)turned to the Lord.

³⁶ Now in ^(BE)Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated in Greek is called ^[q]Dorcas); this woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which she continually did. ³⁷ And it happened ^[r]at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an ^(BF)upper room. ³⁸ Since Lydda was near ^(BG)Joppa, ^(BH)the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, imploring him, “Do not delay in coming to us.” ³⁹ So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the ^(BI)upper room; and all the ^(BJ)widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the ^[s]tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them. ⁴⁰ But Peter ^(BK)sent them all out and ^(BL)knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, “^(BM)Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. ⁴¹ And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling ^(BN)the ^[t]saints and ^(BO)widows, he presented her alive. ⁴² It became known all over ^(BP)Joppa, and ^(BQ)many believed in the Lord. ⁴³ And Peter stayed many days in ^(BR)Joppa with ^(BS)a tanner named Simon.

Footnotes

1. Acts 9:1 Later called Paul
2. Acts 9:1 Lit threat
3. Acts 9:7 Or sound
4. Acts 9:8 Lit was seeing
5. Acts 9:12 A few early mss do not contain in a vision
6. Acts 9:13 Or holy ones
7. Acts 9:15 Or vessel
8. Acts 9:20 Lit that
9. Acts 9:22 I.e. Messiah
10. Acts 9:26 Lit and
11. Acts 9:28 Lit going in and going out
12. Acts 9:29 Jews who adopted the Gr language and much of Gr culture through acculturation
13. Acts 9:31 Lit was having
14. Acts 9:32 Or holy ones
15. Acts 9:32 OT: Lod
16. Acts 9:35 OT: Lod
17. Acts 9:36 I.e. Gazelle
18. Acts 9:37 Lit in those days
19. Acts 9:39 Or inner garments
20. Acts 9:41 Or holy ones

Cross references

1. Acts 9:1 : Acts 9:1-22; 22:3-16; 26:9-18
2. Acts 9:1 : Acts 8:3; 9:13-21
3. Acts 9:2 : Acts 9:14, 21; 22:5; 26:10
4. Acts 9:2 : Matt 10:17
5. Acts 9:2 : Gen 14:15; 2 Cor 11:32; Gal 1:17
6. Acts 9:2 : John 14:6; Acts 18:25f; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22
7. Acts 9:3 : 1 Cor 15:8
8. Acts 9:4 : Acts 22:7; 26:14
9. Acts 9:6 : Acts 9:16
10. Acts 9:7 : Acts 26:14
11. Acts 9:7 : John 12:29f; Acts 22:9
12. Acts 9:8 : Acts 9:18; 22:11
13. Acts 9:8 : Gen 14:15; 2 Cor 11:32; Gal 1:17
14. Acts 9:10 : Gen 14:15; 2 Cor 11:32; Gal 1:17
15. Acts 9:10 : Acts 22:12
16. Acts 9:10 : Acts 10:3, 17, 19; 11:5; 12:9; 16:9f; 18:9
17. Acts 9:11 : Acts 9:30; 11:25; 21:39; 22:3
18. Acts 9:12 : Mark 5:23; Acts 6:6; 9:17
19. Acts 9:13 : Acts 8:3
20. Acts 9:13 : Acts 9:32, 41; 26:10; Rom 1:7; 15:25, 26, 31; 16:2, 15; 1 Cor 1:2
21. Acts 9:14 : Acts 9:2, 21
22. Acts 9:14 : Acts 7:59
23. Acts 9:15 : Acts 13:2; Rom 1:1; 9:23; Gal 1:15; Eph 3:7
24. Acts 9:15 : Acts 22:21; 26:17; Rom 1:5; 11:13; 15:16; Gal 1:16; 2:7ff; Eph 3:1, 8; 1 Tim 2:7; 2 Tim 4:17
25. Acts 9:15 : Acts 25:22f; 26:1, 32; 2 Tim 4:17
26. Acts 9:16 : Acts 20:23; 21:4, 11, 13; 2 Cor 6:4f; 11:23-27; 1 Thess 3:3
27. Acts 9:17 : Mark 5:23; Acts 6:6; 9:12
28. Acts 9:17 : Acts 22:13
29. Acts 9:17 : Acts 2:4
30. Acts 9:19 : Acts 26:20
31. Acts 9:19 : Acts 9:26, 38; 11:26
32. Acts 9:20 : Acts 13:5, 14; 14:1; 16:13; 17:2, 10; 18:4, 19; 19:8
33. Acts 9:20 : Matt 4:3; Acts 9:22; 13:33
34. Acts 9:21 : Acts 8:3; 9:13; Gal 1:13, 23
35. Acts 9:21 : Acts 9:14
36. Acts 9:23 : Gal 1:17, 18
37. Acts 9:23 : 1 Thess 2:16
38. Acts 9:24 : Acts 20:3, 19; 23:12, 30; 25:3
39. Acts 9:24 : 2 Cor 11:32f
40. Acts 9:26 : Acts 22:17-20; 26:20
41. Acts 9:27 : Acts 4:36
42. Acts 9:27 : Acts 9:3-6
43. Acts 9:27 : Acts 9:20, 22
44. Acts 9:27 : Acts 4:13, 29; 9:29
45. Acts 9:28 : Acts 4:13, 29; 9:29
46. Acts 9:29 : Acts 6:1
47. Acts 9:30 : Acts 1:15
48. Acts 9:30 : Acts 8:40
49. Acts 9:30 : Gal 1:21
50. Acts 9:30 : Acts 9:11
51. Acts 9:31 : Acts 5:11; 8:1; 16:5
52. Acts 9:32 : Acts 9:13
53. Acts 9:32 : 1 Chr 8:12; Ezra 2:33; Neh 7:37; 11:35
54. Acts 9:35 : 1 Chr 8:12; Ezra 2:33; Neh 7:37; 11:35
55. Acts 9:35 : 1 Chr 5:16; 27:29; Is 33:9; 35:2; 65:10
56. Acts 9:35 : Acts 2:47; 9:42; 11:21
57. Acts 9:36 : Josh 19:46; 2 Chr 2:16; Ezra 3:7; Jon 1:3; Acts 9:38, 42f; 10:5, 8, 23, 32; 11:5, 13
58. Acts 9:37 : Acts 1:13; 9:39
59. Acts 9:38 : Josh 19:46; 2 Chr 2:16; Ezra 3:7; Jon 1:3; Acts 9:36, 42f; 10:5, 8, 23, 32; 11:5, 13
60. Acts 9:38 : Acts 11:26
61. Acts 9:39 : Acts 1:13; 9:37
62. Acts 9:39 : Acts 6:1
63. Acts 9:40 : Matt 9:25
64. Acts 9:40 : Luke 22:41; Acts 7:60
65. Acts 9:40 : Mark 5:41
66. Acts 9:41 : Acts 9:13, 32
67. Acts 9:41 : Acts 6:1
68. Acts 9:42 : Josh 19:46; 2 Chr 2:16; Jon 1:3; Acts 9:38, 42f; 10:5, 8, 23, 32; 11:5, 13
69. Acts 9:42 : Acts 9:35
70. Acts 9:43 : Josh 19:46; 2 Chr 2:16; Ezra 3:7; Jon 1:3; Acts 9:38, 42f; 10:5, 8, 23, 32; 11:13, 15
71. Acts 9:43 : Acts 10:6