- 1And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
- 2And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
- 3And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
- 4And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
- 5And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
- 6And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
- 7And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
- 8And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.
- 9And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.
- 10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
- 11And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,
- 12And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
- 13Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
- 14And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
- 15But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
- 16For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
- 17And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
- 18And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
- 19And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.
- 20And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.
- 21But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests?
- 22But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.
- 23 And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him:
- 24But their laying await was known of Saul. And they watched the gates day and night to kill him.
- 25Then the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket.
- 26And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.
- 27But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.
- 28And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem.
- 29And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him.
- 30Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Cæsarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus.
- 31Then had the churches rest throughout all Judæa and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.
- 32 And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda.
- 33And there he found a certain man named Æneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy.
- 34And Peter said unto him, Æneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately.
- 35And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord.
- 36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.
- 37And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid [ her] in an upper chamber.
- 38And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them.
- 39Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.
- 40But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
- 41And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.
- 42And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.
- 43And it came to pass, that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner.
KING JAMES VERSION
ACTS 9
Read the chapter, follow a linked verse, and continue into related Watchman 33 teaching.
CHAPTER VISUAL
Acts 9 — The persecutor Saul is confronted by the risen Jesus, receives sight and baptism, and begins boldly proclaiming that Jesus is the Son of God.
About this illustration
The Damascus-road encounter is the chapter’s central turning point. Jesus is represented by the overwhelming light Saul describes rather than a bodily figure; Aeneas and Tabitha’s later healings are not folded into this scene.
Scripture basis: Acts 9:1–43King James Version · Standardized 1769 text with Strong’s numbering · Public domain outside the United Kingdom
EXPLORE THE MESSAGE
Related Watchman 33 Resources
Archaeological Evidence
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEArtifact
9 BC–AD 40
Coins of Aretas IV Philopatris
Dated Nabataean silver and bronze issues name and portray Aretas IV, securely establishing the long-reigning king whom Paul names while leaving the scope of his ethnarch's authority in Damascus unresolved.
2 Corinthians 11:32–33 · Acts 9:23–25
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEManuscript
Fifth century AD
Codex Glazier (MS G.67): Coptic Acts
Codex Glazier is a remarkably intact late-fourth- or fifth-century parchment book of Acts 1:1–15:3 in Middle Egyptian Coptic, retaining early binding structures and a full-page cross image.
Acts 2:1–21 · Acts 9:1–19 · Acts 10:34–48
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEManuscript
3rd Century
Papyrus P53: Matthew 26:29–35 in a Greek Witness
Papyrus P53, University of Michigan Inv. 6652, comprises two third-century Greek codex leaves preserving Matthew 26:29–40 and Acts 9:33–10:1, an unusually early physical witness to both a Gospel and Acts in the same scribal hand.
Matthew 26:29–40 · Acts 9:33–43 · Acts 10:1
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEArchaeological site
Middle Bronze Age through Ottoman period
Jaffa/Joppa Archaeological Sequence and Harbor
Excavations at Jaffa document the long-lived port known biblically as Joppa, including Egyptian, Iron Age, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, and later occupation.
2 Chronicles 2:16 · Jonah 1:3 · Acts 9:36–43
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEManuscript
sixth–seventh century AD, usually assigned to the seventh (palaeographic estimate)
Papyrus P74: Bodmer XVII Acts and Catholic Epistles
Papyrus Bodmer XVII, Gregory-Aland P74, is a seventh-century Greek papyrus codex preserving almost all of Acts and important fragments of James, Peter, John, and Jude.
Acts 1:2–11 · Acts 2:2–47 · Acts 9:17–22
Sermons
Dangerous End-Time Errors, Part 2
In “Dangerous End-Time Errors, Part 2,” Pastor Dean Odle warns that online influence, confidence, and large audiences are not substitutes for biblical grounding or accountable ministry. Beginning with Romans 16:17-20 and 1 Timothy 1, he argues that Christians must identify teachings that create spiritual stumbling blocks, test teachers by sound doctrine, and refuse the assumption that every persuasive voice carries authority. He especially defends the apostolic authority of Paul from 2 Peter 3:15-17 and connects rejection of Paul to confusion about grace, the New Covenant, and the place of the Mosaic law.
Doctrine and DiscernmentApostasy and DeceptionBible Prophecy
View sermon The Book of Enoch
In “The Book of Enoch,” Pastor Dean Odle begins a series examining whether 1 Enoch should be received as genuine prophecy. He does not argue that it must be added to the biblical canon. Instead, he proposes that its claims should be judged by the written Word and the witness of the Holy Spirit, appealing especially to Genesis 5:21-24, Hebrews 11:5-6, and Jude 14-15. Jude’s attribution of a judgment prophecy to “Enoch the seventh from Adam” is the sermon’s central biblical basis.
Doctrine and DiscernmentApostasy and DeceptionBible ProphecySpiritual Warfare
View sermon Abraham Was Not a Torah Follower: Walking by Faith
Pastor Dean Odle contrasts New Covenant faith in Jesus Christ with efforts to place Christians under the Mosaic covenant. Beginning in Romans 3 and answering an appeal to James 2, he argues that believers are justified apart from the deeds of the law, while genuine faith still produces obedient action. James’s examples of Abraham and Rahab, in his reading, describe works that respond to God’s present command—not Sabbath, feast, dietary, circumcision, or other covenant observances.
Doctrine and DiscernmentScripture AloneChrist Alone
View sermon Showing 1–3 of 6 sermons
Music
Legally Blind
A sober prayer for spiritual sight that confronts self-deception, religious pride, shallow Bible reading, and blind leadership—calling believers to receive correction, obey the Word, examine their hearts, and be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.