Acts 13Book 44 of 66 · 52 verses · MBT primary, NKJV fallback where MBT pending
Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Then, after they had fasted and prayed, they laid hands on them and sent them away.
So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
When they arrived in Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews, and they also had John as their assistant.
When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus.
He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.
But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight at him.
And said, “You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery, you son of the devil and enemy of all that is right. Won’t you ever stop perverting the straight paths of the Lord?
Now, look, the Lord’s hand is against you. You are going to be blind and will not see the sun for a time.” Immediately a mist and darkness fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.
Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, because he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
Now when Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia, but John left them and returned to Jerusalem.
But going on from Perga, they arrived at Pisidian Antioch, and on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.
After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, you can speak.”
So Paul stood up and motioned with his hand and said: “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen!
The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, made the people prosper during their stay in the land of Egypt, and led them out of it with a mighty arm.
And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness;
And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance.
This all took about 450 years. After this, he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet.
Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
After removing him, he raised up David as their king and testified about him: ‘I have found David the son of Jesse to be a man after my own heart, who will carry out all my will.’
From this man’s descendants, as he promised, God brought to Israel the Savior, Jesus.
Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
As John was finishing his course, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not he. But behold, there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’
Brothers and sisters, children of Abraham’s race, and those among you who fear God, it is to us that the word of this salvation has been sent.
For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled their words by condemning him.
And though they found no grounds for the death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him killed.
When they had carried out all that had been written about him, they took him down from the tree and put him in a tomb.
But God raised him from the dead.
And he appeared for many days to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.
And we ourselves proclaim to you the good news of the promise that was made to our ancestors.
God has fulfilled this for us, their children, by raising up Jesus, as it is written in the second Psalm: ‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father.’
As to his raising him from the dead, never to return to decay, he has spoken in this way, ‘I will give you the holy and sure promises of David.’
Therefore he also says in another passage, ‘You will not let your Holy One see decay.’
For David, after serving God’s purpose in his own generation, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and decayed,
but the one God raised up did not decay.
Therefore, let it be known to you, brothers and sisters, that through this man forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you.
Everyone who believes is justified through him from everything that you could not be justified from through the law of Moses.
So beware that what is said in the prophets does not happen to you:
Look, you scoffers, marvel and vanish away, because I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will never believe, even if someone were to explain it to you.
So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these things might be preached to them the next Sabbath.
Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of the Lord.
But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him.
Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.
For so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’
Now when the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and honored the word of the Lord, and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.
And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.
But the Jews incited the prominent God-fearing women and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their district.
But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium.
And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.