ActsChapter 13

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¹In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers. They were Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius from Cyrene, Manaen, and Saul. Manaen had grown up with Herod the tetrarch. ²They were worshiping the Lord and fasting. Then the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart Barnabas and Saul for me. Set them apart for the work I have called them to do." ³They fasted and prayed. Then they laid their hands on them and sent them off. ⁴So Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit. They went down to Seleucia. From there they sailed to Cyprus. ⁵They came to Salamis. There they preached the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper. ⁶They went across the whole island as far as Paphos. There they found a Jewish man who did magic. He was a false prophet named Bar-Jesus. ⁷He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul was a wise man. He sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. ⁸But Elymas the sorcerer worked against them. That is what his name means. He tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith. ⁹Then Saul, who was also called Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit. He looked right at Elymas ¹⁰and said, "You child of the devil! You are an enemy of all that is right. You are full of every kind of lie and trick! Will you never stop twisting the straight paths of the Lord? ¹¹Now look, the hand of the Lord is against you. You will be blind for a time. You won't be able to see the light of the sun." Right away mist and darkness came over him. He felt his way around, looking for someone to lead him by the hand. ¹²The proconsul saw what had happened, and he believed. He believed because he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord. ¹³Paul and the men with him set sail from Paphos. They came to Perga in Pamphylia. There John left them and went back to Jerusalem. ¹⁴From Perga they went inland to Antioch in Pisidia. On the Sabbath they went into the synagogue and sat down. ¹⁵The Law and the Prophets were read. Then the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them. "Brothers," they said, "if you have a word to cheer and help the people, please speak." ¹⁶Paul stood up and waved his hand. Then he began to speak. "Men of Israel, and you Gentiles who fear God, listen to me! ¹⁷The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers. He made them into a great people while they lived in Egypt. With a lifted arm he led them out of that land. ¹⁸For about forty years he put up with the way they acted in the wilderness. ¹⁹He wiped out seven nations in Canaan. Then he gave their land to his people as an inheritance. ²⁰All this took about 450 years. After this, God gave them judges. They led until the time of Samuel the prophet. ²¹Then the people asked for a king. God gave them Saul son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin. He ruled for forty years. ²²God took Saul away. Then he made David their king. God said this about him: 'I have found David son of Jesse. He is a man after my own heart. He will do all that I want him to do.' ²³God has brought Israel a Savior from this man's family. He is Jesus. God had promised to send him. ²⁴Before Jesus came, John preached to all the people of Israel. He told them to repent and be baptized. ²⁵John was coming to the end of his work. He said, 'Who do you think I am? I am not the One. But someone is coming after me. I am not good enough to untie his sandals.' ²⁶Brothers, children of Abraham, and you Gentiles who fear God! This message about being saved has been sent to us. ²⁷The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not know who Jesus was. But when they condemned him, they made the prophets' words come true. Those words are read every Sabbath. ²⁸They found no reason to put him to death. Still, they asked Pilate to have him killed. ²⁹They did everything that was written about him. Then they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. ³⁰But God raised him from the dead. ³¹For many days he was seen by those who had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. Now they are his witnesses to our people. ³²And now we bring you the good news. God made a promise to our fathers. ³³He has kept that promise for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. It is written in the second Psalm: 'You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.' ³⁴God raised him from the dead, and his body will never rot. God has said, 'I will give you the holy and sure blessings I promised to David.' ³⁵So he also says in another Psalm, 'You will not let your Holy One's body rot.' ³⁶For David served God's plan in his own time. Then he fell asleep in death. He was buried with his fathers, and his body rotted away. ³⁷But the One God raised from the dead did not rot. ³⁸So, brothers, I want you to know this. Through Jesus, the forgiveness of sins is being told to you. ³⁹Through Jesus, everyone who believes is made right with God from everything. The law of Moses could not make you right with God from those things. ⁴⁰So be careful! Don't let what the prophets said happen to you: ⁴¹'Look, you who mock, be amazed and perish! For I am doing a work in your days. You would never believe it, even if someone told you.'" ⁴²Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue. The people begged them to say more about this on the next Sabbath. ⁴³The meeting broke up. Many Jews and faithful people who had become Jews followed Paul and Barnabas. Paul and Barnabas talked with them. They urged them to keep living in the grace of God. ⁴⁴On the next Sabbath, almost the whole city came to hear the word of the Lord. ⁴⁵But the Jews saw the crowds and were filled with jealousy. They spoke against what Paul was saying, and they spoke evil words. ⁴⁶Then Paul and Barnabas boldly answered them. "We had to speak the word of God to you first. But you push it away. You judge yourselves not worthy of eternal life. So now we are turning to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷For this is what the Lord has commanded us: 'I have made you a light for the Gentiles. You will bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" ⁴⁸The Gentiles heard this and were glad. They praised the word of the Lord. All who were appointed for eternal life believed. ⁴⁹And the word of the Lord spread through that whole area. ⁵⁰But the Jews stirred up the leading women who worshiped God. They also stirred up the leading men of the city. They started to attack Paul and Barnabas, and they drove them out of their area. ⁵¹So Paul and Barnabas shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them. Then they went to Iconium. ⁵²And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.