'Persecuting' in the Bible

So the Jewish leaders began persecuting Jesus, because he kept doing such things on the Sabbath.

He dropped to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting me?"

The voice said, "I'm Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up, go into the city, and you will be told what you are to do."

I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, "Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?'

"He told me, "I'm Jesus from Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.' The men who were with me saw the light but didn't understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me.

"All of us fell to the ground, and I heard a voice asking me in the Hebrew language, "Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me? It is hurting you to keep on kicking against the cattle prods.'

"The Lord answered, "I'm Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and stand on your feet, because I've appeared to you for the very purpose of appointing you to be my servant and witness of what you've seen and of what I'll show you.

For you have heard about my earlier life in Judaism how I kept violently persecuting God's church and was trying to destroy it.