Acts 13:2-52

2While they were 1serving the Lord and fasting, 2the Holy Spirit said, “Set 3Barnabas and Saul apart for Me for 4the work to which I have called them.” 3Then, when they had fasted, 5prayed, and 6laid their hands on them, 7they sent them away.

4So, being 8sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to 9Cyprus. 5When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in 10the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had 11John as their helper. 6When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a 12magician, a Jewish 13false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus, 7who was with the 14proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8But Elymas the 15magician (for so his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the 16proconsul away from 17the faith. 9But Saul, who was also known as Paul, 1819filled with the Holy Spirit, stared at him, 10and said, “20You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you 21son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not stop making crooked 22the straight ways of the Lord? 11Now, behold, 23the 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. 12Then the 24proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at 25the teaching of the Lord.

13Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from 26Paphos and came to 27Perga in 28Pamphylia; but 29John left them and returned to Jerusalem. 14But going on from Perga, they arrived at 30Pisidian 31Antioch, and on 32the Sabbath day they went into 33the synagogue and sat down. 15After 34the reading of the Law and 35the Prophets, 36the synagogue officials sent word to them, saying, “37Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it.” 16Paul stood up, and 38motioning with his hand said,

“Men of Israel, and 39you who fear God, listen: 17The God of this people Israel 40chose our fathers and 4142made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm 43He led them out from it. 18For 44a period of about forty years 45He put up with them in the wilderness. 1946When He had destroyed 47seven nations in the land of Canaan, He 48distributed their land as an inheritance--all of which took 49about 450 years. 20After these things He 50gave them judges until 51Samuel the prophet. 21Then they 52asked for a king, and God gave them 53Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22After He had 54removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘55I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My 56will.’ 2357From the descendants of this man, 58according to promise, God has brought to Israel 59a Savior, Jesus, 24after 60John had proclaimed, before 61His coming, a 62baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25And while John 63was completing his course, 64he 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.’

26“65Brothers, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us the message of 66this salvation has been sent. 27For those who live in Jerusalem, and their 67rulers, 68recognizing neither Him nor the 69declarations of 70the prophets which are 71read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him. 28And though they found no grounds for putting Him to death, they 72asked Pilate that He be executed. 29When they had 73carried out everything that was written concerning Him, 74they took Him down from the 7576cross and 77laid Him in a tomb. 30But God 78raised Him from the dead; 31and for many days 79He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now 80His witnesses to the people. 32And we 81preach to you the good news of 82the promise made to the fathers, 33that God has fulfilled this promise to those of us who are the descendants by 83raising Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm: ‘84You are My Son; today I have fathered You.’ 34As for the fact that He 85raised Him from the dead, never again to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: ‘86I will give you the holy and faithful mercies of David.’ 35Therefore, He also says in another Psalm: ‘87You will not 88allow Your 89Holy One to 90undergo decay.’ 36For 91David, after he had 92served God’s 93purpose in his own generation, 94fell asleep, and was 95buried among his fathers and 96underwent decay; 37but He whom God 97raised did not 98undergo decay. 38Therefore let it be known to you, 99brothers, that 100through 101Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39and 102through Him 103everyone who believes is 104freed from all things, from which you could not be 105freed 106through the Law of Moses. 40Therefore, see that the thing spoken of 107in the Prophets does not come upon you:41‘108Look, you scoffers, and be astonished, and 109perish; For I am accomplishing a work in your days, A work which you will never believe, though someone should describe it to you.’”

42As 110Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people repeatedly begged to have these 111things spoken to them the next 112Sabbath. 43Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and the 113God-fearing 114115proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking to them and urging them to continue in 116the grace of God.

44The next 117Sabbath nearly all the city assembled to hear the word of 118the Lord. 45But when 119the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were 120blaspheming. 46Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you 121first. Since you repudiate it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, 122we are turning to the Gentiles. 47For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘123I have appointed You as a 124light 125to the Gentiles, That You may 126bring salvation to the end of the earth.’”

48When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying 127the word of 128the Lord; and all who 129had been appointed to eternal life believed. 49And 130the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region. 50But 131the Jews incited the 132133devout women 134of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their 135region. 51But 136they shook off the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to 137Iconium. 52And the disciples were continually 138filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.