6. And now I stand here on trial on the basis of hope in the promise made by God to our fathers,
7. to which our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve him night and day. Concerning this hope I am being accused by the Jews, O king!
8. Why is it thought incredible by you people that God raises the dead?
9. Indeed, I myself thought it was necessary to do many things opposed to the name of Jesus the Nazarene,
10. which I also did in Jerusalem, and not only did I lock up many of the saints in prison, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being executed, I cast my vote against them.
11. And throughout all the synagogues I punished them often and tried to force them to blaspheme, and because I was enraged at them beyond measure, I was pursuing them even as far as to foreign cities.
12. In this activity I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and full power of the chief priests.
13. In the middle of the day along the road, O king, I saw a light from heaven, more than the brightness of the sun, shining around me and those who were traveling with me.
14. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Aramaic language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads!’
15. So I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.
16. But get up and stand on your feet, because for this reason I have appeared to you, to appoint you a servant and witness both to the things in which you saw me and to the things in which I will appear to you,
17. rescuing you from the people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you,
18. to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
19. “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,
20. but to those in Damascus first, and in Jerusalem and all the region of Judea and to the Gentiles, I proclaimed that they should repent and turn to God, doing deeds worthy of repentance.
21. On account of these things the Jews seized me in the temple courts and were attempting to kill me.