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   [2] (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they   
   kept the more silence: and he saith,)   
   [3] I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet   
   brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the   
   perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye   
   all are this day.   
   [4] And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into   
   prisons both men and women.   
   [5] As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the   
   elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to   
   Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be   
   punished.   
      
   Paul Tells of His Conversion   
      
   Ac 9:1-19; 26:12-18   
      
   6 "As I journeyed and came near Damascus, about noon suddenly a great   
   light from heaven shone around me.   
   7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me,   
   'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?'   
   8 "I answered, 'Who are You, Lord?'   
   "He said to me, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.'   
   9 (Ac 9:7; Da 10:7) Those who were with me saw the light and were afraid,   
   but they did not hear the voice of Him who was speaking to me.   
   10 (Ac 16:30) "I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?'   
   "The Lord said to me, 'Rise and go into Damascus. There you will be told   
   what you have been appointed to do.'   
   11 Since I was blinded by the glory of that light, those who were with me   
   led me by the hand into Damascus.   
   12 (Ac 10:22; 6:3) "Ananias, a devout man according to the law,   
   who was well spoken of by all the Jews living there,   
   13 came and stood by me, and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight.'   
   And at that moment I looked up at him.   
   14 (Ac 26:16; 1Co 9:1; 15:8) "Then he said, 'The God of our fathers has   
   appointed you to know His will and to see the Just One and to hear His   
   voice,   
   15 (Ac 23:11; 4:20) for you will be His witness to all men of what you   
   have seen and heard.   
   16 (Ac 2:38; Heb 10:22; 1Co 6:11) And now why do you wait? Rise, be   
   baptized and wash away your sins, and call on the name of the Lord.'   
      
   [6] And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto   
   Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round   
   about me.   
   [7] And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul,   
   Saul, why persecutest thou me?   
   [8] And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of   
   Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.   
   [9] And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but   
   they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.   
   [10] And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise,   
   and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which   
   are appointed for thee to do.   
   [11] And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the   
   hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.   
   [12] And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good   
   report of all the Jews which dwelt there,   
   [13] Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy   
   sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.   
   [14] And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou   
   shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice   
   of his mouth.   
   [15] For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and   
   heard.   
   [16] And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy   
   sins, calling on the name of the Lord.   
      
   Paul Sent to the Gentiles   
      
   17 (2Co 12:1-4) "When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying   
   in the temple, I fell into a trance   
   18 and saw Him saying to me, 'Hurry! Get out of Jerusalem immediately,   
   for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.'   
   19 (Mt 10:17; Ac 22:4) "I said, 'Lord, they know that I imprisoned   
   and beat those who believed in You in every synagogue.   
   20 (Ac 7:58; 8:1) And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed,   
   I was standing by consenting to his death, guarding the clothes   
   of those who killed him.'   
   21 (Ac 9:15) "Then He said to me, 'Depart, for I will send you far away   
   to the Gentiles.' "   
      
   [17] And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even   
   while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;   
   [18] And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of   
   Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.   
   [19] And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every   
   synagogue them that believed on thee:   
   [20] And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing   
   by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew   
   him.   
   [21] And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the   
   Gentiles.   
      
   Paul and the Roman Commander   
      
   22 (Ac 25:24; 21:36) They listened to him up to this word, and then   
   they lifted up their voices and said, "Away with such a man from   
   the earth, for he is not fit to live!"   
   23 As they shouted and threw off their garments and threw dust into the air,   
   24 (Ac 21:34; 23:10) the commander ordered him to be brought   
   into the barracks and examined with scourging, so that he might learn   
   what crime they were alleging against him.   
   25 (Ac 16:37) As they stretched him forward with straps, Paul said   
   to the centurion standing by, "Is it legal for you to flog   
   an uncondemned Roman citizen?"   
   26 On hearing this, the centurion reported to the commander, saying,   
   "What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen."   
   27 The commander came and said to him, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?"   
   He said, "Yes."   
   28 The commander answered, "I bought my citizenship for a large sum."   
   So Paul said, "But I was born a citizen."   
   29 Therefore those who were about to examine Paul immediately backed away   
   from him. And the commander feared, knowing that he was a Roman citizen   
   and because he had bound him.   
      
   [22] And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their   
   voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit   
   that he should live.   
   [23] And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into   
   the air,   
   [24] The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade   
   that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they   
   cried so against him.   
   [25] And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that   
   stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and   
   uncondemned?   
   [26] When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain,   
   saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.   
   [27] Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a   
   Roman? He said, Yea.   
   [28] And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this   
   freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.   
   [29] Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him:   
   and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman,   
   and because he had bound him.   
      
   Paul Before the Sanhedrin   
      
   30 (Ac 23:28; 21:33) On the next day, desiring to know exactly   
   why he was accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief   
   priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble,   
   and he brought Paul down to stand before them.   
      
   [30] On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he   
   was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the   
   chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and   
   set him before them.   
      
   Acts 23   
      
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)