3 Saul, though, began to ravage the congregation. He would invade one house after another, dragging out both men and women and turning them over to prison.+

9 But Saul, still breathing threat and murder against the disciples of the Lord,+ went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that he might bring bound to Jerusalem any whom he found who belonged to The Way,+ both men and women.

9 I, for one, was convinced that I should commit many acts of opposition against the name of Jesus the Naz·a·reneʹ. 10 This is exactly what I did in Jerusalem, and I locked up many of the holy ones in prisons,+ for I had received authority from the chief priests;+ and when they were to be executed, I cast my vote against them. 11 By punishing them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to recant; and since I was extremely furious with them, I went so far as to persecute them even in outlying cities.

12 I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who imparted power to me, because he considered me faithful by assigning me to a ministry,+ 13 although formerly I was a blasphemer and a persecutor and an insolent man.+ Nevertheless, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and with a lack of faith.