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since they have known about me for a longtime, if they are willing to testify, that I lived as a 1Pharisee2according to the strictest3sect of our religion.
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"And now I am standingtrial4for the hope of 5the promisemade by God to our fathers;
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the promise 6to which our twelvetribeshope to attain, as they earnestly*serve God night and day. And for this7hope, O King, I am being 8accused by Jews.
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"Why is it consideredincredibleamong you people 9ifGod does raise the dead?
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"Sothen, 10I thought to myself that I had to domanythingshostile to 11the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
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"And this is justwhat I 12did in Jerusalem; not only* did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having 13receivedauthority from the chiefpriests, but also when they were being put to death I 14cast my voteagainst them.
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"And 15as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being 16furiouslyenraged at them, I kept pursuing them 17even to foreigncities.
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"Whileso engaged 18as I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chiefpriests,
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at midday*, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighterthan the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me.
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"And when we had 19allfallen to the ground, I heard a voicesaying to me in the 20Hebrewdialect, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kickagainst the goads.'
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"And I said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And the Lordsaid, 'I amJesuswhom you are persecuting.