Acts 13

1In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

2While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

3So after they had fasted and prayed, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

4So Barnabas and Saul, sent out by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.

5When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John with them as their assistant.

6They traveled through the whole island as far as Paphos, and there they met a Jewish magician and false prophet named Bar-Jesus.

7He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. The proconsul called for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God.

8But Elymas the magician (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith.

9Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at him

10and said, “You are full of every kind of deceit and trickery, you son of the devil, you enemy of all that is right! Will you never stop twisting the straight paths of the Lord?

11Now look, the hand of the Lord is against you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” At once mist and darkness came over him, and he went around looking for someone to lead him by the hand.

12When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching of the Lord.

13Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. But John left them and returned to Jerusalem.

14They went on from Perga and arrived at Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.

15After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent a message to them: “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, please speak.”

16So Paul stood up, motioned with his hand, and said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen.

17The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm he led them out of it.

18For about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness.

19After he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave their land to his people as an inheritance.

20All this took about 450 years. After that he gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.

21Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned forty years.

22After removing him, he raised up David to be their king. God testified about him, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do everything I want him to do.’

23From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.

24Before Jesus came, John proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

25As John was finishing his work, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not the one. No, someone is coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’

26Brothers, descendants of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, it is to us that the message of this salvation has been sent.

27For the people who live in Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize him or understand the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath, and so they fulfilled those words by condemning him.

28Though they found no grounds for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed.

29When they had carried out everything that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.

30But God raised him from the dead,

31and for many days he was seen by those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to the people.

32And we are proclaiming to you the good news that what God promised to our ancestors

33he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father.’

34As for the fact that he raised him from the dead, never again to return to decay, he has spoken in this way: ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’

35So he also says in another place, ‘You will not let your Holy One see decay.’

36For David, after he had served God’s purpose in his own generation, fell asleep. He was laid with his ancestors and saw decay,

37but the one whom God raised up did not see decay.

38So let it be known to you, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.

39And by him everyone who believes is justified from everything from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

40Be careful, then, that what is said in the Prophets does not happen to you:

41‘Look, you scoffers, be amazed and perish, for I am doing a work in your days, a work you will never believe, even if someone tells you.’”

42As Paul and Barnabas were leaving, the people urged them to speak about these things again the next Sabbath.

43When the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.

44On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.

45But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and they contradicted what Paul was saying and reviled him.

46Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first. Since you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we are now turning to the Gentiles.

47For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, so that you may bring salvation to the end of the earth.’”

48When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and honored the word of the Lord, and all who were appointed to eternal life believed.

49And the word of the Lord spread throughout the whole region.

50But the Jews stirred up the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They started a persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their region.

51So they shook the dust off their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.

52And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.