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"Sothen, 1I thought to myself that I had to domanythingshostile to 2the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
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"And this is justwhat I 3did in Jerusalem; not only* did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having 4receivedauthority from the chiefpriests, but also when they were being put to death I 5cast my voteagainst them.
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"And 6as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being 7furiouslyenraged at them, I kept pursuing them 8even to foreigncities.
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"Whileso engaged 9as 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 10allfallen to the ground, I heard a voicesaying to me in the 11Hebrewdialect, '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 12stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to 13appoint you a 14minister and 15a 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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16rescuing you 17from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you,
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to 18open their eyes so that they may turn from 19darkness to light and from the dominion of 20Satan to God, that they may receive21forgiveness of sins and an 22inheritanceamongthose who have been sanctified by 23faith in Me.'