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And when they heard that he was addressing them in the 1Hebrewdialect, they became even morequiet; and he said,
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"2I am3a Jew, born in 4Tarsus of 5Cilicia, but brought up in thiscity, educatedunder**6Gamaliel, 7strictlyaccording to the law of our fathers, beingzealous for Godjust as 8you all are today.
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"9I persecutedthis10Way to the death, binding and puttingbothmen and women into prisons,
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as also11the highpriest and all12the Council of the elders can testify. From them I also13receivedletters to 14the brethren, and started off for 15Damascus in order to bringeventhose who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners to be punished.
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"16But it happened that as I was on my way, approachingDamascusaboutnoontime, a verybrightlightsuddenlyflashed from heavenallaround me,
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and I fell to the ground and heard a voicesaying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?'
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"And I answered, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said to me, 'I am17Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.'
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"And thosewho were with me 18saw the light, to be sure, but 19did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me.
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"And I said, '20What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lordsaid to me, 'Get up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.'
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"But since I 21could not seebecause of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and came into Damascus.
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"A certain22Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law, and 23wellspoken of by all the Jews who lived there,