1 Paul said, “My friends and leaders, please listen to me.” ️ 2 He spoke in their own talk. The crowd got very quiet. 3 Paul said, “I am a Jew. I was born in Tarsus. I grew up in this city. A teacher named Gamaliel taught me. I tried very hard to obey God’s law, like you do.” 4 “I hurt people who followed Jesus. I put men and women in jail.” ⛓️ 5 “The big priest and leaders know this. I got letters from them. I went to Damascus to catch people and bring them here to be punished.” ✉️✈️ 6 “At noon, on the road, a bright light from heaven shone all around me.” ✨ 7 “I fell to the ground. I heard a voice say, <jesus>Saul, Saul, why do you hurt Me?</jesus>” ♂️⚡️ 8 “I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ He said, <jesus>I am Jesus of Nazareth.</jesus>” ✝️ 9 “My friends saw the light, but they did not understand the voice that spoke to me.” ❓ 10 “I said, ‘What do I do, Lord?’ The Lord said, <jesus>Get up. Go into the city. You will be told what to do.</jesus>” ♂️➡️️ 11 “The light made me not see. My friends held my hand and led me into Damascus.” ️ 12 “A good man named Ananias came. The Jews there said he was good and obeyed God.” 13 “He stood by me and said, ‘Brother Saul, see again.’ Right then I looked up and I could see him.” ✨ 14 “He said, ‘The God of our fathers chose you. You will know His plan. You will see Jesus and hear His voice.’” ☝️ 15 “You will be His helper to tell all people what you saw and heard.” ️ 16 “So why wait? Get up. Be baptized. Wash away your sin. Call on His name.” 17 “Later, I came back to Jerusalem. I prayed in the big house of God, the temple. I saw a vision.” ️✨ 18 “I saw Jesus say to me, <jesus>Hurry. Leave Jerusalem now. They will not listen to you about Me.</jesus>” ♂️➡️ 19 “I said, ‘Lord, they know I put Your people in jail and hit them in their meeting house.’” ⛓️ 20 “When Stephen was killed, I stood there. I agreed. I held the coats of the men who killed him.” 21 “Jesus said to me, <jesus>Go. I will send you far away to people who are not Jews.</jesus>” ✈️ 22 The crowd listened until this. Then they yelled, “Make him die! He should not live!” 23 They shouted, threw off their coats, and threw dust in the air. ️️ 24 The army boss ordered that Paul be taken into the fort. He said to beat Paul to learn why they shouted. ️⚠️ 25 They tied Paul with straps. Paul said to the guard, “Is it right to hit a Roman man who has no trial?” ⛓️❓ 26 The guard heard this and ran to the boss. He said, “Be careful! This man is Roman.” ♂️⚠️ 27 The boss came and asked, “Are you Roman?” Paul said, “Yes.” ️✅ 28 The boss said, “I paid a lot to be a Roman.” Paul said, “I was born a Roman.” 29 The men who were about to beat Paul moved away. The boss was afraid because he had tied a Roman man. ♂️⬅️ 30 The next day the boss wanted to know the truth. He took off the ropes. He told the big leaders and priests to meet. He put Paul in front of them. ⏭️✂️️