Chapter 9
Saul’s Conversion. 1 [a]Now Saul, still breathing murderous
threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked
him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men
or women who belonged to the Way,[b] he might bring them back to Jerusalem in
chains. 3 On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky
suddenly flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying
to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 He said, “Who are you,
sir?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 Now get up and
go into the city and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men who were
traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could see no
one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see
nothing;[c] so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. 9 For
three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.
Saul’s Baptism. 10 There was a disciple in Damascus named
Ananias and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I
am, Lord.” 11 The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called
Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is
there praying, 12 and [in a vision] he has seen a man named Ananias come in and
lay [his] hands on him, that he may regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias replied,
“Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has
done to your holy ones[d] in Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the
chief priests to imprison all who call upon your name.” 15 But the Lord said to
him, “Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before
Gentiles, kings, and Israelites, 16 and I will show him what he will have to
suffer for my name.” 17 So Ananias went and entered the house; laying his hands
on him, he said, “Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to
you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled
with the holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and
he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized, 19 and when he had eaten, he
recovered his strength.[e]
Saul Preaches in Damascus. He stayed some days with the
disciples in Damascus, 20 and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the
synagogues, that he is the Son of God.[f] 21 All who heard him were astounded
and said, “Is not this the man who in Jerusalem ravaged those who call upon
this name, and came here expressly to take them back in chains to the chief
priests?” 22 But Saul grew all the stronger and confounded [the] Jews who lived
in Damascus, proving that this is the Messiah.
Saul Visits Jerusalem. 23 After a long time had passed, the
Jews conspired to kill him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. Now they
were keeping watch on the gates day and night so as to kill him, 25 but his
disciples took him one night and let him down through an opening in the wall,
lowering him in a basket.
26 When he arrived in Jerusalem[g] he tried to join the
disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a
disciple. 27 Then Barnabas took charge of him and brought him to the apostles,
and he reported to them how on the way he had seen the Lord and that he had
spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of
Jesus. 28 He moved about freely with them in Jerusalem and spoke out boldly in
the name of the Lord. 29 He also spoke and debated with the Hellenists,[h] but
they tried to kill him. 30 And when the brothers learned of this, they took him
down to Caesarea and sent him on his way to Tarsus.
The Church at Peace. 31 [i]The church throughout all Judea,
Galilee and Samaria were at peace. It was being built up and walked in the fear
of the Lord, and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers.
Peter Heals Aeneas at Lydda. 32 As Peter was passing through
every region, he went down to the holy ones living in Lydda. 33 There he found
a man named Aeneas, who had been confined to bed for eight years, for he was
paralyzed. 34 Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and
make your bed.” He got up at once. 35 And all the inhabitants of Lydda and
Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.
Peter Restores Tabitha to Life. 36 Now in Joppa there was a
disciple named Tabitha (which translated means Dorcas).[j] She was completely
occupied with good deeds and almsgiving. 37 Now during those days she fell sick
and died, so after washing her, they laid [her] out in a room upstairs. 38
Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent
two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.” 39 So Peter
got up and went with them. When he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs
where all the widows came to him weeping and showing him the tunics and cloaks
that Dorcas had made while she was with them. 40 Peter sent them all out and
knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to her body and said, “Tabitha, rise up.”
She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. 41 He gave her his hand and raised
her up, and when he had called the holy ones and the widows, he presented her
alive. 42 This became known all over Joppa, and many came to believe in the
Lord. 43 [k]And he stayed a long time in Joppa with Simon, a tanner.
Footnotes
9:1–19 This is the first of three accounts of Paul’s
conversion (with Acts 22:3–16 and Acts 26:2–18) with some differences of detail
owing to Luke’s use of different sources. Paul’s experience was not visionary
but was precipitated by the appearance of Jesus, as he insists in 1 Cor 15:8.
The words of Jesus, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” related by Luke
with no variation in all three accounts, exerted a profound and lasting
influence on the thought of Paul. Under the influence of this experience, he
gradually developed his understanding of justification by faith (see the
letters to the Galatians and Romans) and of the identification of the Christian
community with Jesus Christ (see 1 Cor 12:27). That Luke would narrate this
conversion three times is testimony to the importance he attaches to it. This
first account occurs when the word is first spread to the Gentiles. At this
point, the conversion of the hero of the Gentile mission is recounted. The
emphasis in the account is on Paul as a divinely chosen instrument (Acts 9:15).
9:2 The Way: a name used by the early Christian community
for itself (Acts 18:26; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). The Essene community at
Qumran used the same designation to describe its mode of life.
9:8 He could see nothing: temporary blindness (Acts 9:18)
symbolizing the religious blindness of Saul as persecutor (cf. Acts 26:18).
9:13 Your holy ones: literally, “your saints.”
9:19–30 This is a brief resume of Paul’s initial experience
as an apostolic preacher. At first, he found himself in the position of being
regarded as an apostate by the Jews and suspect by the Christian community of
Jerusalem. His acceptance by the latter was finally brought about through his
friendship with Barnabas (Acts 9:27).
9:20 Son of God: the title “Son of God” occurs in Acts only
here, but cf. the citation of Ps 2:7 in Paul’s speech at Antioch in Pisidia
(Acts 13:33).
9:26 This visit of Paul to Jerusalem is mentioned by Paul in
Gal 1:18.
9:29 Hellenists: see note on Acts 6:1–7.
9:31–43 In the context of the period of peace enjoyed by the
community through the cessation of Paul’s activities against it, Luke
introduces two traditions concerning the miraculous power exercised by Peter as
he was making a tour of places where the Christian message had already been
preached. The towns of Lydda, Sharon, and Joppa were populated by both Jews and
Gentiles and their Christian communities may well have been mixed.
9:36 Tabitha (Dorcas), respectively the Aramaic and Greek
words for “gazelle,” exemplifies the right attitude toward material possessions
expressed by Jesus in the Lucan Gospel (Lk 6:30; 11:41; 12:33; 18:22; 19:8).
9:43 The fact that Peter lodged with a tanner would have
been significant to both the Gentile and Jewish Christians, for Judaism
considered the tanning occupation unclean.
Source Catholic Bible: New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)
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