These things his parents said because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone should confess that He was Christ, he would be excommunicated.

They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and do you teach us?" And they cast him out.

Nevertheless even from among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be excommunicated;

Blessed are you when men shall hate you, and when they shall exclude you, and shall revile you, and cast out your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.

being defamed, we encourage; we have become as the sweepings of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.

who say, Depart from me, draw not near to me, for I am pure. This is the smoke of My wrath, a fire burns with it continually.

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both the soul and the body in hell.

Then they will hand you over to tribulation and they will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations, on account of My name.

But when they heard this, they were infuriated and were resolving to kill them.

And they put forward false witnesses saying, "This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against the holy place and the law;

for we have heard him saying that this Jesus the Nazarene will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses handed down to us."

and he said, "Behold! I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"

and casting him outside the city, they stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes beside the feet of a young man named Saul.

Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And having said this, he fell asleep."

Now Saul was agreeing with them in his murder. And in that day there arose a great persecution against the church which was in Jerusalem; and they all were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

But Saul was doing injury to the church, going in from house to house, and dragging away both men and women, and committing them to prison.

Then Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest

and requested from him letters [of authority] to the synagogues of Damascus, that if he should find any who were of the Way, both men or women, he might bring them, having been bound, to Jerusalem.

"I am indeed a Jew, having been born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but having been brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, having been educated according to the exactness of the law of our forefathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today.

I, who persecuted this Way to death, binding and handing over to prisons both men and women,

"And I said, 'Lord, they know that in every synagogue I was imprisoning and beating those believing on You.

"Then He said to me, 'Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'"

And as they were crying out and throwing off their clothes, and throwing dust in the air,

Therefore I thought in myself that it was necessary to do many hostile things against the name of Jesus the Nazarene;

And I punished them often in all the synagogues, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even as far as to foreign cities.

For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

For they, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

For you have heard of my former conduct at one time in Judaism, that beyond measure I used to persecute the church of God, and I was devastating it.

And I was advancing in Judaism above many my own age, being far more zealous for the traditions of my forefathers.

with respect to zeal, persecuting the church; with respect to righteousness which is in the law, blameless.