3 But Saul was ^dravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.

The Conversion of Saul

1 ^cBut Saul, still ^dbreathing ^ethreats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the ^fWay, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

4 I ^dpersecuted this ^eWay to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.

9 ^d“I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the ^ename of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. 11 And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in ^fraging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

9 For ^fI am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I ^gpersecuted the church of God.

13 For you have heard of my former life in ^uJudaism, how I ^vpersecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.

13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, ^dpersecutor, and insolent opponent. But I ^ereceived mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief,