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HARMONY OF SCRIPTURES
Below is a harmony of the biblical accounts of Saul's
conversion. [Adapted from F. J Foakes-Jackson, A BRIEF BIBLE
HISTORY (New York: Harper and Brothers Publishing Company,
n. d.), p. 144]. The parallel passages are taken from Acts
9:1-22; Acts 22:1-16; and 26:1-20 in the New International
Version. The first column is Luke's account, and the next
two are Luke' s recording of Paul' s autobiographical
accounts.
CHAPTER 9 CHAPTER 22 CHAPTER 26
Then Agrippa said to
Paul, "You have per-
mission to speak for
yourself."
"So Paul motioned with
his hand and began his
defense: "King Agrippa,
I consider myself for-
tunate to stand before
you today as I make my
defense against all the
accusations of the
Jews, and especially so
because you are so well
acquainted with all the
Jewish customs and con-
troversies. Therefore,
I beg you to listen to
me patiently.
"The Jews all know the
way I have lived ever
since I was a child,
from the beginning of
my life in my own coun-
try, and also in Jeru-
salem. They have known
me for a long time and
can testify, if they
are willing, that ac-
cording to the strict-
est sect of our reli-
gion, I lived as a
Pharisee. And now it is
because of my hope in
what God has promised
our fathers that I am
on trial today. This is
the promise our twelve
tribes are hoping to
see fulfilled as they
earnestly serve God day
and night. O king, it
is because of this hope
that the Jews are ac-
cusing me. Why should
any of you consider it
incredible that God
raises the dead?
"I too was convinced
that I ought to do all
that was possible to
oppose the name of
Jesus of Nazareth. And
that is just what I did
in Jerusalem. On the
authority of the chief
priests I put many of
the saints in prison,
and when they were put
to death, I cast my
vote against them. Many
a time I went from one
synagogue to another to
have them punished, and
I tried to force them
to blaspheme. In my ob-
session against them,
I even went to foreign
cities to persecute
them.
"Brothers and fathers,
listen now to my de-
fense."
When they heard him
speak to them in Ara-
maic, they became very
quiet.
Then Paul said, "I am
a Jew. born in Tarsus
of Celicia, but brought
up in this city. Under
Gamaliel I was thor-
oughly trained in the
law of our fathers and
was just as zealous for
God as any of you are
today. I persecuted the
followers of this Way
to their death, arrest-
ing both men and women
and throwing them into
prison,
Meanwhile Saul, was
still breathing out
murderous threats a-
gainst the Lord's dis-
ciples. He went to the
as also the
high priest and all the
high priest and asked Council can testify. I
him for letters to the even obtained letters
synagogues in Damascus, from them to their bro-
so that if he found any thers in Damascus, and "On one of these jour-
there who belonged to went there to bring neys I was going to
the Way, whether men or these people as prison- Damascus with the au-
women, he might take ers to Jerusalem to be thority and commission
them as prisoners to punished. of the chief priests.
Jerusalem.
As he neared Damascus "About noon as I came About noon, O king, as
on his journey, sudden- near Damascus, suddenly I was on the road, I
ly a light from heaven a bright light from saw a light from heav-
flashed around him. He heaven flashed around en, brighter than the
fell to the ground and me. I fell to the sun, blazing around me
heard a voice say to and heard a voice say and my companions. We
him, to me, all fell to the ground,
"Saul, Saul, why do you `Saul! Saul! Why do you and I heard a voice
persecute me?" persecute me?' saying to me in Arama-
ic, `Saul, Saul, why do
you persecute me? It
is hard for you to kick
against the goads.'
"Who are you, Lord?" "`Who are you, Lord?' "Then I asked, `Who
Saul asked. I asked. are you, Lord?"
"I am Jesus, whom you "`I am Jesus of Naza- "`I am Jesus, whom
are persecuting," he reth, whom you are you are persecuting,'
persecuting,' he re- the Lord replied.
replied. plied.
"Now get up `Now get up and stand
and go into the city, on your feet.
and you will be told
what you must do."
My companions saw the
light, but they did not
understand the voice of
him who was speaking to
me.
The men traveling
with Saul stood there
speechless; they heard
the sound but did not
see anyone.
"`What shall I do,
Lord?' I asked.
"`Get up,' the Lord
said, `and go into Da-
mascus. There you will
be told all that you
have been assigned to
do.'
Saul got
up from the ground, but
when he opened his eyes
he could see nothing.
So they led him by the My companions led me by
hand into Damascus. the hand into Damascus,
because the brilliance
of the light had blind-
ed me.
For three days he was
blind, and did not eat
or drink anything.
In Damascus there was
a disciple named
Ananias. The Lord call-
ed to him in a vision,
"Ananias!"
"Yes, Lord," he an-
swered.
The Lord told him,
"Go to the house of
Judas on Straight
Street and ask for a
man from Tarsus named
Saul, for he is pray-
ing. In a vision he
has seen a man named
Ananias come and place
his hands on him to re-
store his sight."
"Lord," Ananias an-
swered, "I have heard
many reports about this
man and all the harm he
has done to your saints
in Jerusalem. And he
has come here with au-
thority from the chief
priests to arrest all
who call on your name."
But the Lord said to
Ananias, "Go! This man
is my chosen instrument
to carry my name before
the Gentiles and their
kings and before the
people of Israel. I
will show him how much
he must suffer for my
name."
Then Ananias went to "A man named Ananias
the house and entered came to see me. He was
it. a devout observer of
the law and highly re-
spected by all the Jews
living there.
Placing his hands
on Saul, he said,
"Brother Saul, the Lord
--Jesus, who appeared
to you on the road as
you were coming here--
has sent me so that you
may see again and be
filled with the Holy
Spirit."
He stood beside me and
Immediately, said, `Brother Saul,
something like scales receive your sight!'
fell from Saul's eyes And at that very moment
and he could see again. I was able to see him.
"Then he said: `The
God of our fathers has
chosen you to know his
will and to see the
Righteous One and to
hear words from his
mouth.
I have appeared to you
to appoint you as a
servant and as a wit-
You will be his ness of what you have
witness to all men of seen of me
what you have seen and
heard.
and what I
will show you. I will
rescue you from your
own people and from
the Gentiles. I am
sending you to them to
open their eyes and
turn them from dark-
ness to light, and from
the power of Satan to
God, so that they may
receive forgiveness of
sins and a place among
those who are sancti-
fied by faith in me.'
And now what are
you waiting for? Get
up, be baptized and
wash your sins away,
calling on his name.'
He got up and was bap-
tized, and after taking
some food, he regained
his strength.
Saul spent several
days with the disciples
in Damascus.
"So then, King A-
grippa, I was not dis-
obedient to the vision
from heaven. First to
those in Damascus...."
At once
he began to preach in
the synagogues that
Jesus is the Son of God.
All those who heard him
were astonished and
asked, "Isn't he the
man who raised havoc in
Jerusalem among those
who call on this name?
And hasn't he come here
to take them as prison-
ers to the chief
priests?" Yet Saul
grew more and more
powerful and baffled
the Jews living in
Damascus by proving
that Jesus is the
Christ.
