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"Why is it consideredincredibleamong you people 1ifGod does raise the dead?
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"Sothen, 2I thought to myself that I had to domanythingshostile to 3the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
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"And this is justwhat I 4did in Jerusalem; not only* did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having 5receivedauthority from the chiefpriests, but also when they were being put to death I 6cast my voteagainst them.
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"And 7as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being 8furiouslyenraged at them, I kept pursuing them 9even to foreigncities.
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"Whileso engaged 10as 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 11allfallen to the ground, I heard a voicesaying to me in the 12Hebrewdialect, '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 13stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to 14appoint you a 15minister and 16a 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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17rescuing you 18from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you,
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to 19open their eyes so that they may turn from 20darkness to light and from the dominion of 21Satan to God, that they may receive22forgiveness of sins and an 23inheritanceamongthose who have been sanctified by 24faith in Me.'