The Church at Antioch Commissions Barnabas and Saul

13:1 Now there were these prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch:¹ Barnabas, Simeon called Niger,² Lucius the Cyrenian,³ Manaen (a close friend of Herod⁴ the tetrarch⁵ from childhood⁶) and Saul. 13:2 While they were serving⁷ the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart⁸ for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 13:3 Then, after they had fasted⁹ and¹⁰ prayed and placed their hands¹¹ on them, they sent them off.

Paul and Barnabas Preach in Cyprus

13:4 So Barnabas and Saul,¹² sent out by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia,¹³ and from there they sailed to Cyprus.¹⁴ 13:5 When¹⁵ they arrived¹⁶ in Salamis,¹⁷ they began to proclaim¹⁸ the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. (Now they also had John¹⁹ as their assistant.)²⁰ 13:6 When they had crossed over²¹ the whole island as far as Paphos,²² they found a magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus,²³ 13:7 who was with the proconsul²⁴ Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. The proconsul²⁵ summoned²⁶ Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear²⁷ the word of God. 13:8 But the magician Elymas²⁸ (for that is the way his name is translated)²⁹ opposed them, trying to turn the proconsul³⁰ away from the faith. 13:9 But Saul (also known as Paul),³¹ filled with the Holy Spirit,³² stared straight³³ at him 13:10 and said, “You who are full of all deceit and all wrongdoing,³⁴ you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness—will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?³⁵ 13:11 Now³⁶ look, the hand of the Lord is against³⁷ you, and you will be blind, unable to see the sun for a time!” Immediately mistiness³⁸ and darkness came over³⁹ him, and he went around seeking people⁴⁰ to lead him by the hand. 13:12 Then when the proconsul⁴¹ saw what had happened, he believed,⁴² because he was greatly astounded⁴³ at the teaching about⁴⁴ the Lord.

Paul and Barnabas at Pisidian Antioch

13:13 Then Paul and his companions put out to sea⁴⁵ from Paphos⁴⁶ and came to Perga⁴⁷ in Pamphylia,⁴⁸ but John⁴⁹ left them and returned to Jerusalem.⁵⁰ 13:14 Moving on from⁵¹ Perga,⁵² they arrived at Pisidian Antioch,⁵³ and on the Sabbath day they went into⁵⁴ the synagogue and sat down. 13:15 After the reading from the law and the prophets,⁵⁵ the leaders of the synagogue⁵⁶ sent them a message,⁵⁷ saying, “Brothers,⁵⁸ if you have any message⁵⁹ of exhortation⁶⁰ for the people, speak it.”⁶¹ 13:16 So Paul stood up,⁶² gestured⁶³ with his hand and said,

“Israelite men, and you Gentiles who fear God,⁶⁴ listen: 13:17 The God of this people Israel⁶⁵ chose our ancestors⁶⁶ and made the people great⁶⁷ during their stay as foreigners⁶⁸ in the country⁶⁹ of Egypt, and with uplifted arm⁷⁰ he led them out of it. 13:18 For⁷¹ a period of about forty years he put up with⁷² them in the wilderness.⁷³ 13:19 After⁷⁴ he had destroyed⁷⁵ seven nations⁷⁶ in the land of Canaan, he gave his people their land as an inheritance.⁷⁷ 13:20 All this took⁷⁸ about four hundred fifty years. After this⁷⁹ he gave them judges until the time of⁸⁰ Samuel the prophet. 13:21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled⁸¹ forty years. 13:22 After removing him, God⁸² raised up⁸³ David their king. He testified about him:⁸⁴ ‘I have found David⁸⁵ the son of Jesse to be a man after my heart,⁸⁶ who will accomplish everything I want him to do.’⁸⁷ 13:23 From the descendants⁸⁸ of this man⁸⁹ God brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, just as he promised.⁹⁰ 13:24 Before⁹¹ his coming John⁹² had proclaimed a baptism for repentance⁹³ to all the people of Israel. 13:25 But while John was completing his mission⁹⁴ he said repeatedly,⁹⁵ ‘What do you think I am? I am not he. But look, one is coming after me. I am not worthy to untie the sandals on his feet!’⁹⁶ 13:26 Brothers,⁹⁷ descendants⁹⁸ of Abraham’s family,⁹⁹ and those Gentiles among you who fear God,¹⁰⁰ the message¹⁰¹ of this salvation has been sent to us. 13:27 For the people who live in Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize¹⁰² him,¹⁰³ and they fulfilled the sayings¹⁰⁴ of the prophets that are read every Sabbath by condemning¹⁰⁵ him.¹⁰⁶ 13:28 Though¹⁰⁷ they found¹⁰⁸ no basis¹⁰⁹ for a death sentence,¹¹⁰ they asked Pilate to have him executed. 13:29 When they had accomplished¹¹¹ everything that was written¹¹² about him, they took him down¹¹³ from the cross¹¹⁴ and placed him¹¹⁵ in a tomb. 13:30 But God raised¹¹⁶ him from the dead, 13:31 and¹¹⁷ for many days he appeared to those who had accompanied¹¹⁸ him from Galilee to Jerusalem. These¹¹⁹ are now his witnesses to the people. 13:32 And we proclaim to you the good news about the promise to our ancestors,¹²⁰ 13:33 that this promise¹²¹ God has fulfilled to us, their children, by raising¹²² Jesus, as also it is written in the second psalm, ‘You are my Son;¹²³ today I have fathered you.’¹²⁴ 13:34 But regarding the fact that he has raised Jesus¹²⁵ from the dead, never¹²⁶ again to be¹²⁷ in a state of decay, God¹²⁸ has spoken in this way: ‘I will give you¹²⁹ the holy and trustworthy promises¹³⁰ made to David.’¹³¹ 13:35 Therefore he also says in another psalm,¹³² ‘You will not permit your Holy One¹³³ to experience¹³⁴ decay.’¹³⁵ 13:36 For David, after he had served¹³⁶ God’s purpose in his own generation, died,¹³⁷ was buried with his ancestors,¹³⁸ and experienced¹³⁹ decay; 13:37 but the one¹⁴⁰ whom God raised up did not experience¹⁴¹ decay. 13:38 Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through this one¹⁴² forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 13:39 and by this one¹⁴³ everyone who believes is justified¹⁴⁴ from everything from which the law of Moses could not justify¹⁴⁵ you.¹⁴⁶ 13:40 Watch out,¹⁴⁷ then, that what is spoken about by¹⁴⁸ the prophets does not happen to you:

13:41 ‘Look, you scoffers; be amazed and perish!¹⁴⁹
For I am doing a work in your days,
A work you would never believe, even if someone tells you.’”¹⁵⁰

13:42 As Paul and Barnabas¹⁵¹ were going out,¹⁵² the people¹⁵³ were urging¹⁵⁴ them to speak about these things¹⁵⁵ on the next Sabbath. 13:43 When the meeting of the synagogue had broken up,¹⁵⁶ many of the Jews and God-fearing proselytes¹⁵⁷ followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking with them and were persuading¹⁵⁸ them¹⁵⁹ to continue¹⁶⁰ in the grace of God.

13:44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city assembled together to hear the word of the Lord.¹⁶¹ 13:45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy,¹⁶² and they began to contradict¹⁶³ what Paul was saying¹⁶⁴ by reviling him.¹⁶⁵ 13:46 Both Paul and Barnabas replied courageously,¹⁶⁶ “It was necessary to speak the word of God¹⁶⁷ to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy¹⁶⁸ of eternal life, we¹⁶⁹ are turning to the Gentiles.¹⁷⁰ 13:47 For this¹⁷¹ is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have appointed¹⁷² you to be a light¹⁷³ for the Gentiles, to bring salvation¹⁷⁴ to the ends of the earth.’”¹⁷⁵ 13:48 When the Gentiles heard this, they began to rejoice¹⁷⁶ and praise¹⁷⁷ the word of the Lord, and all who had been appointed for eternal life¹⁷⁸ believed. 13:49 So the word of the Lord was spreading¹⁷⁹ through the entire region. 13:50 But the Jews incited¹⁸⁰ the God-fearing women of high social standing and the prominent men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and threw them out¹⁸¹ of their region. 13:51 So after they shook¹⁸² the dust off their feet¹⁸³ in protest against them, they went to Iconium.¹⁸⁴ 13:52 And the disciples were filled with joy¹⁸⁵ and with the Holy Spirit.