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the promise 1to which our twelvetribeshope to attain, as they earnestly*serve God night and day. And for this2hope, O King, I am being 3accused by Jews.
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"Why is it consideredincredibleamong you people 4ifGod does raise the dead?
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"Sothen, 5I thought to myself that I had to domanythingshostile to 6the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
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"And this is justwhat I 7did in Jerusalem; not only* did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having 8receivedauthority from the chiefpriests, but also when they were being put to death I 9cast my voteagainst them.
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"And 10as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being 11furiouslyenraged at them, I kept pursuing them 12even to foreigncities.
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"Whileso engaged 13as 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 14allfallen to the ground, I heard a voicesaying to me in the 15Hebrewdialect, '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.
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'But get up and 16stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to 17appoint you a 18minister and 19a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you;
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20rescuing you 21from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you,