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"1I persecutedthis2Way to the death, binding and puttingbothmen and women into prisons,
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as also3the highpriest and all4the Council of the elders can testify. From them I also5receivedletters to 6the brethren, and started off for 7Damascus in order to bringeventhose who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners to be punished.
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"8But 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 am9Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.'
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"And thosewho were with me 10saw the light, to be sure, but 11did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me.
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"And I said, '12What 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 13could 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 certain14Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law, and 15wellspoken of by all the Jews who lived there,
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came to me, and standingnearsaid to me, '16BrotherSaul, receive your sight!' And 17at that verytime I looked up at him.
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"And he said, '18The God of our fathers has 19appointed you to know His will and to 20see the 21RighteousOne and to hear an utterance from His mouth.