Acts 13

¹ Now there were in Antioch, to accord with the ecclesia which is there, prophets and teachers, both Barnabas and Simeon, called Niger, and Lucius the Cyrenian, besides Manaen, the tetrarch Herod's foster brother, and Saul. ² Now, at their ministering to the Lord and fasting, the holy spirit said, "Sever, by all means, to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them". ³ Then, fasting and praying and placing their hands on them, they dismiss them. ⁴ They, indeed, then, being sent out by the holy spirit, came down into Seleucia. Besides, from thence they sail away to Cyprus. ⁵ And, coming to be in Salamis, they announced the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. Now they had John also as a deputy. ⁶ Now, passing through the whole island up to Paphos, they found a certain man, a magician, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-Jesus, ⁷ who was with the proconsul Sergius Paul, an intelligent man. He, calling to him Barnabas and Saul, seeks to hear the word of God. ⁸ Now Elymas, the "Magician" (for thus is his name construed), withstood them, seeking to pervert the proconsul from the faith. ⁹ Now Saul, who is also Paul, being filled with holy spirit, looking intently at him, ¹⁰ said, "O, full of all guile and all knavery, son of the Adversary, enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? ¹¹ And now, lo! the hand of the Lord is on you, and you shall be blind, not observing the sun until the appointed time." Now instantly there falls on him a fog and darkness, and, going about, he sought someone to lead him by the hand. ¹² Then the proconsul, perceiving what has occurred, believes, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord. ¹³ Now setting out from Paphos, those about Paul came to Perga of Pamphylia. Yet John, departing from them, returns to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ Now they, passing through from Perga, came along into Antioch, Pisidia, and, entering into the synagogue the day of the sabbaths, they are seated. ¹⁵ Now, after the reading of the law and the prophets, the chiefs of the synagogue dispatch to them, saying, "Men, brethren, if there is in you any word of entreaty for the people, say it." ¹⁶ Now Paul, rising and gesturing with his hand, said "Men, Israelites, and those who are fearing God, hear!" ¹⁷ The God of this people Israel chooses our fathers, and exalts the people in the sojourn in the land of Egypt, and with a high arm He led them out of it. ¹⁸ And for about forty years' time He carries them, as a nurse, in the wilderness. ¹⁹ And, pulling down seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributes their land by lot ²⁰ (about four hundred and fifty years). And after this He gives judges till Samuel the prophet. ²¹ And thence they request a king, and God gives them Saul, son of Kish, a man out of the tribe of Benjamin, forty years. ²² And, deposing him, He rouses David for their king, to whom He said also, in testifying, 'I found David, of Jesse, a man according to My heart, who will be doing all My will.' ²³ From this one's seed, God, according to the promise, led to Israel a Saviour, Jesus. ²⁴ The previous heralding of John, before His personal entrance, was the baptism of repentance to the entire people of Israel. ²⁵ Now as John completed his career, he said, 'What you are suspecting me to be, I am not. But lo! coming after me is One, the sandal of Whose feet I am not worthy to loose.' ²⁶ Men! Brethren! Sons of the race of Abraham, and those among you who are fearing God! To us was the word of this salvation dispatched. ²⁷ For those dwelling in Jerusalem and their chiefs, being ignorant of Him and of the voices of the prophets which are read on every sabbath, fulfill them in judging Him. ²⁸ And, finding not one cause of death, they request Pilate to have Him despatched. ²⁹ Now as they accomplish all that which is written concerning Him, taking Him down from the pole, they place Him in a tomb. ³⁰ Yet God rouses Him from among the dead: ³¹ Who was seen on more days by those who ascend with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now His witnesses to the people. ³² And we are bringing to you the evangel which comes to be a promise to the fathers, ³³ that God has fully fulfilled this for our children in raising Jesus, as it is written in the second psalm also, 'My Son art Thou; I, today, have begotten Thee.' ³⁴ Now, seeing that He raises Him from among the dead, by no means longer about to return to decay, He has thus declared that, I shall be giving you the faithful benignities of David.' ³⁵ Wherefore, in a different place also, He is saying, 'Thou wilt not be giving Thy Benign One to be acquainted with decay.' ³⁶ For David, indeed, subserving his own generation by God's counsel, was put to repose, and was added to his fathers, and was acquainted with decay; ³⁷ yet He Whom God rouses was not acquainted with decay. ³⁸ Let it then be known to you, men, brethren that through this One is being announced to you the pardon of sins, ³⁹ and from all from which you could not be justified in the law of Moses, in this One everyone who is believing is being justified. ⁴⁰ Beware then, that that which has been declared in the prophets may not be coming on you: ⁴¹ 'Perceive, you despisers, and marvel, and disappear! for a work am I working in your days - a work which you should by no means be believing if anyone should be detailing it to you.'" ⁴² Now, at their being out, they entreated that these declarations be spoken to them on the intervening sabbath. ⁴³ Now the synagogue having broken up, many of the Jews and the reverent proselytes follow Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to remain in the grace of God. ⁴⁴ Now on the coming sabbath almost the entire city was gathered to hear the word of the Lord. ⁴⁵ Yet the Jews, perceiving the throngs, are filled with jealousy, and they contradicted the things spoken by Paul, blaspheming. ⁴⁶ Being bold, both Paul and Barnabas, say, "To you first was it necessary that the word of God be spoken. Yet, since, in fact, you are thrusting it away, and are judging yourselves not worthy of eonian life, lo! we are turning to the nations. ⁴⁷ For thus the Lord has directed us: 'I have appointed Thee for a light of the nations; for Thee to be for salvation as far as the limits of the earth.'" ⁴⁸ Now on hearing this, the nations rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and they believe, whoever were set for life eonian. ⁴⁹ Now the word of the Lord was carried through the whole country. ⁵⁰ Yet the Jews spur on the reverent, respectable women, and the foremost ones of the city, and rouse up persecution for Paul and Barnabas, and they ejected them from their boundaries. ⁵¹ Now they, shaking the dust off their feet against them, came to Iconium. ⁵² And the disciples were filled with joy and holy spirit.