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

And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was shed, I myself was standing by consenting to his murder, and guarding the clothes of those murdering him.'

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.

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.

But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how many wicked things he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem;

and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who are calling on Your name."

And all those who heard were astounded, and were saying, "Is this not the one who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might take them having been bound, to the chief priests?"

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 am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

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

I, who was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I was shown mercy because, being ignorant, I did it in unbelief,

Faithful is this word, and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am first.

This girl, following after Paul and us, was crying out, saying, "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation."

And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. And when Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

But when some became hardened and disbelieving, speaking evil against the Way before the multitude, he withdrew from them and separated the disciples, each day debating in the school of a certain Tyrannus.

Now there arose during that time a serious disturbance concerning the Way.

But I confess this to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing in all things which are written throughout the Law and in the Prophets,