Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible



Then [when] the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, [because he] was astounded at the teaching about the Lord.

who was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul [and] wished to hear the word of God.

In {this activity} I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and full power of the chief priests. 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. 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!' read more.
So I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 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, rescuing you from the people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you, 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.' "Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 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. On account of these [things] the Jews seized me in the temple [courts] [and] were attempting to kill [me]. Therefore I have experienced help from God until this day, [and] I stand here testifying to both small and great, saying nothing except what both the prophets and Moses have said were going to happen, that the Christ was to suffer [and] that [as] the first of the resurrection from the dead, he was going to proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles."


nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those [who were] apostles before me, but I went away to Arabia and I returned again to Damascus.

In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to take me into custody,

as indeed the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me, from whom also I received letters to the brothers in Damascus, [and] was traveling [there] to lead away those who were there also tied up to Jerusalem so that they could be punished. "And it happened that [as] I was traveling and approaching Damascus around noon, suddenly a very bright light from heaven flashed around me, and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' read more.
And I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' And he said to me, 'I am Jesus the Nazarene whom you are persecuting.' (Now those who were with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.) So I said, 'What should I do, Lord?' And the Lord said to me, 'Get up [and] proceed to Damascus, and there it will be told to you about all [the things] that have been appointed for you to do.' And as I could not see as a result of the brightness of that light, I arrived in Damascus led by the hand of those who were with me. And a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who live [there], came to me and stood by [me] [and] said to me, 'Brother Saul, regain [your] sight!' And [at that] same time I looked up at him [and saw him]. And he said, 'The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will, and to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth, because you will be a witness for him to all people of what you have seen and heard. And now why are you delaying? Get up, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name!'

In {this activity} I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and full power of the chief priests. 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. 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!' read more.
So I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 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, rescuing you from the people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you, 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.' "Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 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.


And looking intently at the Sanhedrin, Paul said, "Men [and] brothers, I have lived my life in all good conscience before God to this day." So the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near him to strike his mouth. Then Paul said to him, "God is going to strike you, [you] whitewashed wall! And are you sitting [there] judging me according to the law, and acting contrary to the law do you order me to be struck?" read more.
And those who stood nearby said, "Are you reviling the high priest of God? And Paul said, "I did not know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, 'You must not speak evil [of] a ruler of your people.'" Now [when] Paul realized that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he shouted out in the Sanhedrin, "Men [and] brothers! I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees! I am being judged concerning the hope and the resurrection of the dead!"

And [when] the governor gestured for him to speak, Paul replied, "[Because I] know you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I defend myself cheerfully [with respect to] the things concerning myself. You can ascertain that {it has not been more than} twelve days {since} I went up to Jerusalem to worship. And neither did they find me arguing with anyone or making a crowd develop in the temple [courts] nor in the synagogues nor throughout the city. read more.
Nor can they prove [the things] to you concerning which they are now accusing me. But I do confess this to you, that according to the Way (which they call a sect), so I worship the God of our fathers, believing all things [that are] in accordance with the law and that are written in the prophets, having a hope in God which these [men] also themselves await: [that] there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. {For this reason} also myself {always} do my best to have a clear conscience toward God and people. So after many years, I came to practice charitable giving and offerings to my people, in which they found me purified in the temple [courts], not with a crowd or with a disturbance. But [there are] some Jews from Asia who ought to be present before you and bring charges against [me], if they have anything against me, or these [men] themselves should say what crime they found [when] I stood before the Sanhedrin, other than concerning this one declaration that I shouted [while] standing there before them: 'I am being judged before you today concerning the resurrection of the dead!'"

So Agrippa said to Paul, "It is permitted for you to speak for yourself." Then Paul extended [his] hand [and] began to defend himself: "Concerning all [the things] of which I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate [that] before you I am about to defend myself today, [because] you are especially acquainted with both all the customs and controversial questions with respect to the Jews. Therefore I beg [you] to listen to me with patience. read more.
"Now all the Jews know my manner of life from [my] youth, that had taken place from the beginning among my [own] people and in Jerusalem, having known me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that in accordance with the strictest party of our religion I lived [as] a Pharisee. And now I stand here on trial on the basis of hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, 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! Why is it thought incredible by you [people] that God raises the dead? Indeed, I myself thought it was necessary to do many [things] opposed to the name of Jesus the Nazarene, 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]. 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. In {this activity} I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and full power of the chief priests. 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. 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!' So I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 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, rescuing you from the people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you, 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.' "Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 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. On account of these [things] the Jews seized me in the temple [courts] [and] were attempting to kill [me]. Therefore I have experienced help from God until this day, [and] I stand here testifying to both small and great, saying nothing except what both the prophets and Moses have said were going to happen, that the Christ was to suffer [and] that [as] the first of the resurrection from the dead, he was going to proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles."



And the Lord [said] to him, "Get up, go to the street called 'Straight' and in the house of Judas look for {a man named Saul from Tarsus}. For behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man {named} Ananias coming in and placing hands on him so that he may regain [his] sight." But Ananias replied, "Lord, I have heard from many [people] about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, read more.
and here he has authority from the chief priests to tie up all who call upon your name!" But the Lord said to him, "Go, because this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel.

In {this activity} I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and full power of the chief priests. 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. 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!' read more.
So I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 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, rescuing you from the people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you, 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.'

Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Therefore, inasmuch as I am apostle to the Gentiles, I promote my ministry,

For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism, that to an extraordinary degree I was persecuting the church of God, and trying to destroy it, and was progressing in Judaism beyond many contemporaries in my nation, [because] I was a far more zealous adherent of the traditions handed down by my forefathers. But when the one who set me apart from my mother's womb and called [me] by his grace was pleased read more.
to reveal his Son in me in order that I would proclaim the gospel [about] him among the Gentiles, immediately I did not consult with flesh and blood,

On account of this I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles --if indeed you have heard [about] the stewardship of God's grace given to me for you. According to revelation the mystery was made known to me, just as I wrote beforehand in brief, read more.
so that you may be able when you read to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ (which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit): [that] the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and fellow sharers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I became a servant, according to the gift of God's grace given to me, according to the working of his power. To me, the least of all the saints, was given this grace: to proclaim the good news of the fathomless riches of Christ to the Gentiles,


They have [as] king over them the angel of the abyss, {whose name} in Hebrew [is] Abaddon, and in Greek he has the name Apollyon.

Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool called in Aramaic Bethzatha, which has five porticoes.

So many of the Jews read this notice, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city. And it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, [and] in Greek.

So [when] he permitted [him], Paul, standing there on the steps, motioned with [his] hand to the people. And [when there] was a great silence, he addressed [them] in the Aramaic language, saying,

And [when they] heard that he was addressing them in the Aramaic language, {they became even more silent}. And he said,

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!'


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!'

Then the chief commander stood and called with a great voice in Judean, and he spoke and said, "Hear the word of the king, the great king of Assyria!


Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?

and last of all, as it were to one born at the wrong time, he appeared also to me.

{I give thanks} to the one who strengthens me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he considered me faithful, placing [me] into ministry, [although I] was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, but I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief,

For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism, that to an extraordinary degree I was persecuting the church of God, and trying to destroy it,

Now as [he] proceeded, it happened that [when] he approached Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" So he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he [said], "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting! read more.
But get up and enter into the city, and it will be told to you {what you must do}." (Now the men who were traveling together with him stood speechless, [because they] heard the voice but saw no one.) So Saul got up from the ground, but [although] his eyes were open he could see nothing. And leading him by the hand, they brought [him] into Damascus. And he was {unable to see} [for] three days, and he did not eat or drink. Now there was a certain disciple in Damascus {named} Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias!" And he said, "Behold, [here] I [am], Lord!" And the Lord [said] to him, "Get up, go to the street called 'Straight' and in the house of Judas look for {a man named Saul from Tarsus}. For behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man {named} Ananias coming in and placing hands on him so that he may regain [his] sight." But Ananias replied, "Lord, I have heard from many [people] about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, and here he has authority from the chief priests to tie up all who call upon your name!" But the Lord said to him, "Go, because this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." So Ananias departed and entered into the house, and placing [his] hands on him, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me so that you may regain [your] sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." And immediately [something] like scales fell from his eyes and he regained [his] sight and got up [and] was baptized, and [after] taking food, he regained his strength. And he was with the disciples in Damascus several days. And immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: "This one is the Son of God!" And all who heard [him] were amazed, and were saying, "Is this not the one who was wreaking havoc in Jerusalem [on] those who call upon this name, and had come here for this [reason], that he could bring them tied up to the chief priests?" But Saul was increasing in strength even more, and was confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus [by] proving that this one is the Christ.

{I} persecuted this Way to the death, tying up and delivering to prison both men and women, as indeed the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me, from whom also I received letters to the brothers in Damascus, [and] was traveling [there] to lead away those who were there also tied up to Jerusalem so that they could be punished. "And it happened that [as] I was traveling and approaching Damascus around noon, suddenly a very bright light from heaven flashed around me, read more.
and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' And I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' And he said to me, 'I am Jesus the Nazarene whom you are persecuting.' (Now those who were with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.) So I said, 'What should I do, Lord?' And the Lord said to me, 'Get up [and] proceed to Damascus, and there it will be told to you about all [the things] that have been appointed for you to do.' And as I could not see as a result of the brightness of that light, I arrived in Damascus led by the hand of those who were with me. And a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who live [there], came to me and stood by [me] [and] said to me, 'Brother Saul, regain [your] sight!' And [at that] same time I looked up at him [and saw him]. And he said, 'The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will, and to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth, because you will be a witness for him to all people of what you have seen and heard. And now why are you delaying? Get up, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name!' "And it happened that [when] I returned to Jerusalem and I was praying in the temple courts, I was in a trance, and saw him saying to me, 'Hurry and depart {quickly} from Jerusalem, because they will not accept your testimony about me.' And I said, 'Lord, they themselves know that from synagogue [to synagogue] I was imprisoning and beating those who believed in you.

Indeed, I myself thought it was necessary to do many [things] opposed to the name of Jesus the Nazarene, 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]. 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. read more.
In {this activity} I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and full power of the chief priests. 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. 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!' So I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.


Now as [he] proceeded, it happened that [when] he approached Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" So he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he [said], "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting! read more.
But get up and enter into the city, and it will be told to you {what you must do}."

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. 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!' So I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.


Like the appearance of a bow that is in the cloud on {a rainy day}, such [was] the radiance around it; [thus was] the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Yahweh. And I saw, and I fell on my face, and I heard a voice speaking.

And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard {as far as} the outer courtyard; [it was] like the voice of God Shaddai {when he speaks}.

And I heard the sound of their wings like [the] sound of many waters, like the voice of Shaddai, [and] {when they moved} [there was] a sound of tumult like [the] sound of an army; {when they stood still} they lowered their wings.

And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"

And the Father who sent me, that one has testified about me. You have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his form.

Father, glorify your name!" Then a voice came from heaven, "I have both glorified [it], and I will glorify [it] again." Now the crowd that stood [there] and heard [it] said {it had thundered}. Others were saying, "An angel has spoken to him!" Jesus answered and said, "This voice has not happened for my sake, but [for] your sake.

And [when] Moses saw [it], he was astonished at the sight, and [when] he approached to look at [it], the voice of the Lord came:

(Now the men who were traveling together with him stood speechless, [because they] heard the voice but saw no one.)

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!' So I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.