Now there were at aAntioch
, in the bchurch
that was there, cprophets
and dteachers
: eBarnabas
, and Simeon
who was called
Niger
, and Lucius
of fCyrene
, and Manaen
who had been brought
up with gHerod
the tetrarch
, and Saul
.
While they were ministering to the Lord
and fasting
, athe Holy
Spirit
said
, "Set
apart
for Me bBarnabas
and Saul
for cthe work
to which
I have called
them."
Then, when they had fasted
and aprayed
and blaid
their hands
on them, cthey sent
them away
.
So, being asent
out by the Holy
Spirit
, they went
down
to Seleucia
and from there
they sailed
to bCyprus
.
When they reached Salamis
, they began to proclaim
the word
of God
in athe synagogues
of the Jews
; and they also
had
bJohn
as their helper
.
When they had gone through
the whole
island
as far
as Paphos
, they found
a amagician
, a Jewish
bfalse
prophet
whose
name
was Bar-Jesus
,
who was with the aproconsul
, Sergius
Paulus
, a man
of intelligence
. This
man
summoned
Barnabas
and Saul
and sought
to hear
the word
of God
.
But Elymas the amagician
(for so
his name
is translated
) was opposing
them, seeking
to turn
the bproconsul
away
from cthe faith
.
But Saul, who
was also
known as Paul
, 1 afilled
with the Holy
Spirit
, fixed
his gaze
on him,
and said, "You who are full
of all
deceit
and fraud
, you ason
of the devil
, you enemy
of all
righteousness
, will you not cease
to make
crooked
bthe straight
ways
of the Lord
?
"Now, behold
, athe hand
of the Lord
is upon you, and you will be blind
and not see
the sun
for a time
." And immediately
a mist
and a darkness
fell
upon him, and he went
about
seeking
those who
would lead
him by the hand
.
Then the aproconsul
believed
when he saw
what had happened
, being amazed
at bthe teaching
of the Lord
.
Now Paul
and his companions
put
out to sea
from aPaphos
and came
to bPerga
in cPamphylia
; but dJohn
left
them and returned
to Jerusalem
.
But going on from Perga
, they arrived
at aPisidian
bAntioch
, and on cthe Sabbath
day
they went
into dthe synagogue
and sat
down
.
After athe reading
of the Law
and bthe Prophets
cthe synagogue
officials
sent
to them, saying
, "Brethren
, if
you have any
word
of exhortation
for the people
, say
it."
Paul stood
up, and amotioning
with his hand
said
,
"Men of Israel
, and byou who fear
God
, listen
:
"The God of this
people
Israel
achose
our fathers
and 1 bmade
the people
great
during
their stay
in the land
of Egypt
, and with an uplifted
arm
cHe led
them out from it.
"For aa period of about
forty
years
bHe put
up with them in the wilderness
.
" aWhen He had destroyed bseven
nations
in the land
of Canaan
, He cdistributed
their land
as an inheritance
--all of which took dabout
four
hundred
and fifty
years
.
"After these
things
He agave
them judges
until
bSamuel
the prophet
.
"Then they aasked
for a king
, and God
gave
them bSaul
the son
of Kish
, a man
of the tribe
of Benjamin
, for forty
years
.
"After He had aremoved
him, He raised
up David
to be their king
, concerning whom
He also
testified
and said
, ` bI HAVE FOUND
DAVID
the son of Jesse
, A MAN
AFTER
MY HEART
, who
will do
all
My 1will
.'
" aFrom the descendants of this
man
, baccording
to promise
, God
has brought
to Israel
ca Savior
, Jesus
,
after aJohn had proclaimed
before
1His coming
a bbaptism
of repentance
to all
the people
of Israel
.
"And while John
awas completing
his course
, bhe kept saying
, `What
do you suppose
that I am
? I am
not He. But behold
, one is coming
after
me the sandals
of whose
feet
I am
not worthy
to untie
.'
"Brethren, sons
of Abraham's
family
, and those
among
you who fear
God
, to us the message
of athis
salvation
has been sent
.
"For those who live
in Jerusalem
, and their arulers
, brecognizing
neither Him nor
the 1utterances
of cthe prophets
which are dread
every
Sabbath
, fulfilled
these by condemning
Him.
"And though they found no
ground
for putting Him to death, they aasked
Pilate
that He be 1executed
.
"When they had acarried
out all
that was written
concerning
Him, bthey took
Him down
from cthe 1cross
and dlaid
Him in a tomb
.
"But God araised
Him from the dead
;
and for many days
aHe appeared
to those
who came
up with Him from Galilee
to Jerusalem
, the very ones
who
are now
bHis witnesses
to the people
.
"And we apreach to you the good
news
of bthe promise
made
to the fathers
,
that God has fulfilled
this
promise 1to our children
in that He araised
up Jesus
, as it is also
written
in the second
Psalm
, ` bYOU ARE MY SON
; TODAY
I HAVE BEGOTTEN
YOU.'
"As for the fact that He araised Him up from the dead
, no
longer
to return
to decay
, He has spoken
in this
way
: ` bI WILL GIVE
YOU THE HOLY
and 1SURE
blessings OF DAVID
.'
"Therefore He also
says
in another
Psalm, ` aYOU WILL NOT 1ALLOW
YOUR 2HOLY
ONE
TO 3UNDERGO
DECAY
.'
"For aDavid, after he had 1served
bthe purpose
of God
in his own
generation
, cfell
asleep
, and was laid
among
his fathers
and 2underwent
decay
;
but He whom God
araised
did not 1undergo
decay
.
"Therefore let it be known
to you, brethren
, that athrough
1Him forgiveness
of sins
is proclaimed
to you,
and 1through Him aeveryone
who believes
is 2freed
3from all
things
, from which
you could
not be 2freed
3through
the Law
of Moses
.
"Therefore take
heed
, so
that the thing
spoken
of ain the Prophets
may not come
upon you:
` aBEHOLD, YOU SCOFFERS
, AND MARVEL
, AND 1PERISH
; FOR I AM ACCOMPLISHING
A WORK
IN YOUR DAYS
, A WORK
WHICH
YOU WILL NEVER
BELIEVE
, THOUGH
SOMEONE
SHOULD DESCRIBE
IT TO YOU.' "
As 1Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people kept begging
that these
2things
might be spoken
to them the next
aSabbath
.
Now when the meeting of the synagogue
had broken
up, many
of the Jews
and of the aGod-fearing
1 bproselytes
followed
Paul
and Barnabas
, who
, speaking
to them, were urging
them to continue
in cthe grace
of God
.
The next aSabbath
nearly
the whole
city
assembled
to hear
the word
of 1the Lord
.
But when athe Jews saw
the crowds
, they were filled
with jealousy
and began contradicting
the things
spoken
by Paul
, and were 1blaspheming
.
Paul and Barnabas
spoke
out boldly
and said
, "It was necessary
that the word
of God
be spoken
to you afirst
; since
you repudiate
it and judge
yourselves
unworthy
of eternal
life
, behold
, bwe are turning
to the Gentiles
.
"For so the Lord
has commanded
us, ` aI HAVE PLACED
YOU AS A bLIGHT
FOR THE GENTILES
, THAT YOU MAY 1BRING
SALVATION
TO THE END
OF THE EARTH
.' "
When the Gentiles heard
this, they began rejoicing
and glorifying
athe word
of 1the Lord
; and as many
as bhad been
appointed
to eternal
life
believed
.
And athe word of the Lord
was being spread
through
the whole
region
.
But athe Jews incited
the 1 bdevout
women
cof prominence
and the leading
men
of the city
, and instigated
a persecution
against
Paul
and Barnabas
, and drove
them out of their 2district
.
But athey shook off
the dust
of their feet
in protest against
them and went
to bIconium
.
And the disciples were continually afilled
with joy
and with the Holy
Spirit
.