Acts 9:13

THE MESSAGE

Ananias protested, "Master, you can't be serious. Everybody's talking about this man and the terrible things he's been doing, his reign of terror against your people in Jerusalem! And now he's shown up here with papers from the Chief Priest that give him license to do the same to us."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem.

King James Version (1611)
Then Ananias answered, Lord, I haue heard by many of this man, how much euill hee hath done to thy Saints at Hierusalem:

King James Version
Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:

English Standard Version
But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem.

New American Standard Bible
But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints in Jerusalem;

New Century Version
But Ananias answered, "Lord, many people have told me about this man and the terrible things he did to your holy people in Jerusalem.

Amplified Bible
But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, especially how much suffering and evil he has brought on Your saints (God's people) at Jerusalem;

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem;

Legacy Standard Bible
But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem.

Berean Standard Bible
But Ananias answered, "Lord, many people have told me about this man and all the harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.

Contemporary English Version
Ananias replied, "Lord, a lot of people have told me about the terrible things this man has done to your followers in Jerusalem.

Complete Jewish Bible
But Hananyah answered, "Lord, many have told me about this man, how much harm he has done to your people in Yerushalayim;

Darby Translation
And Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many concerning this man how much evil he has done to thy saints at Jerusalem;

Easy-to-Read Version
But Ananias answered, "Lord, many people have told me about this man. They told me about the many bad things he did to your holy people in Jerusalem.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Ananias answered, Lord, I haue heard by many of this man, howe much euill hee hath done to thy saints at Hierusalem.

George Lamsa Translation
Then An-a-ni''as said, My LORD, I have heard from many concerning this man, how much misery he has brought to your saints in Jerusalem.

Good News Translation
Ananias answered, "Lord, many people have told me about this man and about all the terrible things he has done to your people in Jerusalem.

Lexham English Bible
But Ananias replied, "Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem,

Literal Translation
And Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how many bad things he did to Your saints in Jerusalem.

American Standard Version
But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many of this man, how much evil he did to thy saints at Jerusalem:

Bible in Basic English
But Ananias said, Lord, I have had accounts of this man from a number of people, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem:

Hebrew Names Version
But Hananyah answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he did to your holy ones at Yerushalayim.

International Standard Version
But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard many people tell how much evil this man has done to your saints in Jerusalem.Acts 9:1;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
And Hanania said, My Lord, I have heard from many concerning this man, of how much evil he hath brought upon thy saints in Urishlem.

Murdock Translation
And Ananias said: My Lord, I have heard of this man, from many, how much evil he hath perpetrated towards thy saints at Jerusalem.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then Ananias aunswered: Lorde, I haue heard by many, of this man, how much euyll he hath done to thy saintes, at Hierusalem.

English Revised Version
But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many of this man, how much evil he did to thy saints at Jerusalem:

World English Bible
But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he did to your saints at Jerusalem.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem.

Weymouth's New Testament
"Lord," answered Ananias, "I have heard about that man from many, and I have heard of the great mischief he has done to Thy people in Jerusalem;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Ananye answerde, Lord, Y haue herd of many of this man, how greete yuelis he dide to thi seyntis in Jerusalem;

Update Bible Version
But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many of this man, how much evil he did to your saints at Jerusalem:

Webster's Bible Translation
Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:

New English Translation
But Ananias replied, "Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem,

New King James Version
Then Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.

New Living Translation
"But Lord," exclaimed Ananias, "I've heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem!

New Life Bible
Ananias said, "But Lord, many people have told me about this man. He is the reason many of Your followers in Jerusalem have had to suffer much.

New Revised Standard
But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Ananias, answered - Lord! I have heard from many concerning this man, how many evil things unto thy saints he hath done in Jerusalem;

Douay-Rheims Bible
But Ananias answered: Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints in Jerusalem.

Revised Standard Version
But Anani'as answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to thy saints at Jerusalem;

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Then Ananias answered: Lorde I have hearde by many of this man how moche evell he hath done to thy sainctes at Ierusalem

Young's Literal Translation
And Ananias answered, `Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how many evils he did to Thy saints in Jerusalem,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Ananias answered: LORDE, I haue herde by many of this mau, how moch euell he hath done to thy sayntes at Ierusale.

Mace New Testament (1729)
then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many that this man has done a world of mischief to thy saints at Jerusalem: he is now here,

Simplified Cowboy Version
"Whoa, wait just a minute, Lord." Ananias said. "This guy is bad news to those of us who ride for you.

Contextual Overview

¹⁰ There was a disciple in Damascus by the name of Ananias. The Master spoke to him in a vision: "Ananias." "Yes, Master?" he answered. ¹¹"Get up and go over to Straight Avenue. Ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus. His name is Saul. He's there praying. He has just had a dream in which he saw a man named Ananias enter the house and lay hands on him so he could see again." ¹³Ananias protested, "Master, you can't be serious. Everybody's talking about this man and the terrible things he's been doing, his reign of terror against your people in Jerusalem! And now he's shown up here with papers from the Chief Priest that give him license to do the same to us." ¹⁵But the Master said, "Don't argue. Go! I have picked him as my personal representative to non-Jews and kings and Jews. And now I'm about to show him what he's in for—the hard suffering that goes with this job." ¹⁷So Ananias went and found the house, placed his hands on blind Saul, and said, "Brother Saul, the Master sent me, the same Jesus you saw on your way here. He sent me so you could see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." No sooner were the words out of his mouth than something like scales fell from Saul's eyes—he could see again! He got to his feet, was baptized, and sat down with them to a hearty meal. Saul spent a few days getting acquainted with the Damascus disciples, but then went right to work, wasting no time, preaching in the meeting places that this Jesus was the Son of God. They were caught off guard by this and, not at all sure they could trust him, they kept saying, "Isn't this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem among the believers? And didn't he come here to do the same thing—arrest us and drag us off to jail in Jerusalem for sentencing by the high priests?" But their suspicions didn't slow Saul down for even a minute. His momentum was up now and he plowed straight into the opposition, disarming the Damascus Jews and trying to show them that this Jesus was the Messiah. After this had gone on quite a long time, some Jews conspired to kill him, but Saul got wind of it. They were watching the city gates around the clock so they could kill him. Then one night the disciples engineered his escape by lowering him over the wall in a basket. Back in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him. They didn't trust him one bit. Then Barnabas took him under his wing. He introduced him to the apostles and stood up for him, told them how Saul had seen and spoken to the Master on the Damascus Road and how in Damascus itself he had laid his life on the line with his bold preaching in Jesus' name. After that he was accepted as one of them, going in and out of Jerusalem with no questions asked, uninhibited as he preached in the Master's name. But then he ran afoul of a group called Hellenists—he had been engaged in a running argument with them—who plotted his murder. When his friends learned of the plot, they got him out of town, took him to Caesarea, and then shipped him off to Tarsus. Things calmed down after that and the church had smooth sailing for a while. All over the country—Judea, Samaria, Galilee—the church grew. They were permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God. The Holy Spirit was with them, strengthening them. They prospered wonderfully. Peter went off on a mission to visit all the churches. In the course of his travels he arrived in Lydda and met with the believers there. He came across a man—his name was Aeneas—who had been in bed eight years paralyzed. Peter said, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed!" And he did it—jumped right out of bed. Everybody who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him walking around and woke up to the fact that God was alive and active among them. Down the road a way in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, "Gazelle" in our language. She was well-known for doing good and helping out. During the time Peter was in the area she became sick and died. Her friends prepared her body for burial and put her in a cool room. Some of the disciples had heard that Peter was visiting in nearby Lydda and sent two men to ask if he would be so kind as to come over. Peter got right up and went with them. They took him into the room where Tabitha's body was laid out. Her old friends, most of them widows, were in the room mourning. They showed Peter pieces of clothing the Gazelle had made while she was with them. Peter put the widows all out of the room. He knelt and prayed. Then he spoke directly to the body: "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes. When she saw Peter, she sat up. He took her hand and helped her up. Then he called in the believers and widows, and presented her to them alive. When this became known all over Joppa, many put their trust in the Master. Peter stayed on a long time in Joppa as a guest of Simon the Tanner. ²⁰The Blinding of Saul All this time Saul was breathing down the necks of the Master's disciples, out for the kill. He went to the Chief Priest and got arrest warrants to take to the meeting places in Damascus so that if he found anyone there belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he could arrest them and bring them to Jerusalem. He set off. When he got to the outskirts of Damascus, he was suddenly dazed by a blinding flash of light. As he fell to the ground, he heard a voice: "Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?" He said, "Who are you, Master?" "I am Jesus, the One you're hunting down. I want you to get up and enter the city. In the city you'll be told what to do next." His companions stood there dumbstruck—they could hear the sound, but couldn't see anyone—while Saul, picking himself up off the ground, found himself stone-blind. They had to take him by the hand and lead him into Damascus. He continued blind for three days. He ate nothing, drank nothing. There was a disciple in Damascus by the name of Ananias. The Master spoke to him in a vision: "Ananias." "Yes, Master?" he answered. "Get up and go over to Straight Avenue. Ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus. His name is Saul. He's there praying. He has just had a dream in which he saw a man named Ananias enter the house and lay hands on him so he could see again." Ananias protested, "Master, you can't be serious. Everybody's talking about this man and the terrible things he's been doing, his reign of terror against your people in Jerusalem! And now he's shown up here with papers from the Chief Priest that give him license to do the same to us." But the Master said, "Don't argue. Go! I have picked him as my personal representative to non-Jews and kings and Jews. And now I'm about to show him what he's in for—the hard suffering that goes with this job." So Ananias went and found the house, placed his hands on blind Saul, and said, "Brother Saul, the Master sent me, the same Jesus you saw on your way here. He sent me so you could see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." No sooner were the words out of his mouth than something like scales fell from Saul's eyes—he could see again! He got to his feet, was baptized, and sat down with them to a hearty meal. Saul spent a few days getting acquainted with the Damascus disciples, but then went right to work, wasting no time, preaching in the meeting places that this Jesus was the Son of God. They were caught off guard by this and, not at all sure they could trust him, they kept saying, "Isn't this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem among the believers? And didn't he come here to do the same thing—arrest us and drag us off to jail in Jerusalem for sentencing by the high priests?" But their suspicions didn't slow Saul down for even a minute. His momentum was up now and he plowed straight into the opposition, disarming the Damascus Jews and trying to show them that this Jesus was the Messiah. After this had gone on quite a long time, some Jews conspired to kill him, but Saul got wind of it. They were watching the city gates around the clock so they could kill him. Then one night the disciples engineered his escape by lowering him over the wall in a basket. Back in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him. They didn't trust him one bit. Then Barnabas took him under his wing. He introduced him to the apostles and stood up for him, told them how Saul had seen and spoken to the Master on the Damascus Road and how in Damascus itself he had laid his life on the line with his bold preaching in Jesus' name. After that he was accepted as one of them, going in and out of Jerusalem with no questions asked, uninhibited as he preached in the Master's name. But then he ran afoul of a group called Hellenists—he had been engaged in a running argument with them—who plotted his murder. When his friends learned of the plot, they got him out of town, took him to Caesarea, and then shipped him off to Tarsus. Things calmed down after that and the church had smooth sailing for a while. All over the country—Judea, Samaria, Galilee—the church grew. They were permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God. The Holy Spirit was with them, strengthening them. They prospered wonderfully. Peter went off on a mission to visit all the churches. In the course of his travels he arrived in Lydda and met with the believers there. He came across a man—his name was Aeneas—who had been in bed eight years paralyzed. Peter said, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed!" And he did it—jumped right out of bed. Everybody who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him walking around and woke up to the fact that God was alive and active among them. Down the road a way in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, "Gazelle" in our language. She was well-known for doing good and helping out. During the time Peter was in the area she became sick and died. Her friends prepared her body for burial and put her in a cool room. Some of the disciples had heard that Peter was visiting in nearby Lydda and sent two men to ask if he would be so kind as to come over. Peter got right up and went with them. They took him into the room where Tabitha's body was laid out. Her old friends, most of them widows, were in the room mourning. They showed Peter pieces of clothing the Gazelle had made while she was with them. Peter put the widows all out of the room. He knelt and prayed. Then he spoke directly to the body: "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes. When she saw Peter, she sat up. He took her hand and helped her up. Then he called in the believers and widows, and presented her to them alive. When this became known all over Joppa, many put their trust in the Master. Peter stayed on a long time in Joppa as a guest of Simon the Tanner. ²¹The Blinding of Saul All this time Saul was breathing down the necks of the Master's disciples, out for the kill. He went to the Chief Priest and got arrest warrants to take to the meeting places in Damascus so that if he found anyone there belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he could arrest them and bring them to Jerusalem. He set off. When he got to the outskirts of Damascus, he was suddenly dazed by a blinding flash of light. As he fell to the ground, he heard a voice: "Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?" He said, "Who are you, Master?" "I am Jesus, the One you're hunting down. I want you to get up and enter the city. In the city you'll be told what to do next." His companions stood there dumbstruck—they could hear the sound, but couldn't see anyone—while Saul, picking himself up off the ground, found himself stone-blind. They had to take him by the hand and lead him into Damascus. He continued blind for three days. He ate nothing, drank nothing. There was a disciple in Damascus by the name of Ananias. The Master spoke to him in a vision: "Ananias." "Yes, Master?" he answered. "Get up and go over to Straight Avenue. Ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus. His name is Saul. He's there praying. He has just had a dream in which he saw a man named Ananias enter the house and lay hands on him so he could see again." Ananias protested, "Master, you can't be serious. Everybody's talking about this man and the terrible things he's been doing, his reign of terror against your people in Jerusalem! And now he's shown up here with papers from the Chief Priest that give him license to do the same to us." But the Master said, "Don't argue. Go! I have picked him as my personal representative to non-Jews and kings and Jews. And now I'm about to show him what he's in for—the hard suffering that goes with this job." So Ananias went and found the house, placed his hands on blind Saul, and said, "Brother Saul, the Master sent me, the same Jesus you saw on your way here. He sent me so you could see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." No sooner were the words out of his mouth than something like scales fell from Saul's eyes—he could see again! He got to his feet, was baptized, and sat down with them to a hearty meal. Saul spent a few days getting acquainted with the Damascus disciples, but then went right to work, wasting no time, preaching in the meeting places that this Jesus was the Son of God. They were caught off guard by this and, not at all sure they could trust him, they kept saying, "Isn't this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem among the believers? And didn't he come here to do the same thing—arrest us and drag us off to jail in Jerusalem for sentencing by the high priests?" ²² But their suspicions didn't slow Saul down for even a minute. His momentum was up now and he plowed straight into the opposition, disarming the Damascus Jews and trying to show them that this Jesus was the Messiah.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Lord: Exodus 4:13-19, 1 Samuel 16:2, 1 Kings 18:9-14, Jeremiah 20:9, Jeremiah 20:10, Ezekiel 3:14, Jonah 1:2, Jonah 1:3, Matthew 10:16

how: Acts 9:1, Acts 8:3, Acts 22:4, Acts 22:19, Acts 22:20, Acts 26:10, Acts 26:11, 1 Timothy 1:13-15

Reciprocal: Genesis 19:18 - General Psalms 16:3 - the saints Isaiah 11:6 - General Matthew 2:22 - he was Matthew 4:23 - teaching Mark 13:9 - take Luke 8:38 - saying Acts 9:17 - Brother Acts 9:21 - destroyed Acts 9:32 - the saints Galatians 1:13 - how Galatians 1:23 - he which 1 Thessalonians 2:14 - even

Cross-References

Revelation 10:1
I saw another powerful Angel coming down out of Heaven wrapped in a cloud. There was a rainbow over his head, his face was sun-radiant, his legs pillars of fire. He had a small book open in his hand. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left foot on land, then called out thunderously, a lion roar. When he called out, the Seven Thunders called back. When the Seven Thunders spoke, I started to write it all down, but a voice out of Heaven stopped me, saying, "Seal with silence the Seven Thunders; don't write a word."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then Ananias answered, Lord,.... Though Ananias knew that it was the Lord that spoke, and acknowledged his power and dominion, and expressed his readiness to obey his commands; yet there was a timidity in him, and which was the more inexcusable, that it should appear after the Lord had told him of the vision which Saul had had of him; and yet still he was fearful of putting himself into his hands, who had been so violent a persecutor; and therefore obliquely excuses himself, by observing what Saul had done at Jerusalem, and the powers he came with to Damascus:

I have heard by many of this man; which shows that Ananias had been at Damascus some time, and was not an eyewitness of the havoc Saul made of the church, only had the account of it from others; and these many who fled to Damascus upon the persecution, which Saul was at the head of; and being so, was particularly spoken of, and his name was well known, and was become infamous for his cruelty and barbarity;

how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem; by entering into their houses with violence, haling men and women from thence, committing them to prison, and persecuting them unto death. Believers in Christ are called his "saints", because separated by his grace for his service, and sanctified by his Spirit, and to whom he is made sanctification; and because they live holy lives and conversations; all which is an aggravation of the evil done them, and which will be avenged by Christ in his own time.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I have heard by many ... - This was in the vision, Acts 9:10. The passage of such a train of thoughts through the mind was perfectly natural at the command to go and search out Saul. There would instantly occur all that had been heard of his fury in persecution; and the expression here may indicate the state of a mind amazed that such a one should need his counsel, and afraid, perhaps, of entrusting himself to one thus bent on persecution. All this evidently passed in the dream or vision of Ananias, and perhaps cannot be considered as any deliberate unwillingness to go to him. It is clear, however, that such thoughts should have been banished, and that he should have gone at once to the praying Saul. When Christ commands, we should suffer no suggestion of our own thoughts, and no apprehension of our own danger, to interfere.

By many - Probably many who had fled from persecution, and had taken refuge in Damascus. It is also evident Acts 9:14 that Ananias had been apprised, perhaps by letters from the Christians at Jerusalem, of the purpose which Saul had in view in now going to Damascus.

To thy saints - Christians; called saints ἅγιοι hagioi because they are holy, or consecrated to God.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 9:13. Lord, I have heard by many of this man — This was all done in a dream, else this sort of reasoning with his Maker would have been intolerable in Ananias. Saul had been a notorious persecutor; many could testify of his outrageous acts against the poor followers of Christ.

Thy saints — That is, the Christians, or followers of Christ. αγιοι signifies not only holy persons, but also consecrated persons; from α, negative, and γη, the earth; persons who are separated from all earthly uses, and consecrated to the service of God alone.