1Now in 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 ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
3Then, after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
4So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
5When they arrived in Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they also had John as their helper.
6When they had traveled through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus,
7who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.
8But Elymas the magician (for that is how his name is translated) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
9But Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, stared at him
10and said, “O you who are full of all deceit and all villainy, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?
11And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand.
12Then the proconsul, when he saw what had happened, believed, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.
13Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. But John left them and returned to Jerusalem.
14But they went on from Perga and arrived at Pisidian Antioch. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.
15After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, please speak.”
16So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand, said: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen.
17The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and exalted the people during their sojourn in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm he led them out of it.
18and for a period of about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness.
19And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance
20for about four hundred and fifty years. And after that, he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet.
21And then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
22And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all my will.’
23From this man’s descendants, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, according to his promise.
24Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
25And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘Who 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“Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent.
27For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.
28And though they found no ground for the death penalty, they asked Pilate to have him executed.
29And when they had carried out all 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.
31He appeared for many days to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.
32And we proclaim to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers,
33that God has fulfilled this promise to us their children by raising up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm: ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you.’
34And 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.’
35Therefore he also says in another Psalm: ‘You will not let your Holy One see decay.’
36For David, after serving the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was gathered to his fathers, and he saw decay.
37But the one whom God raised did not see decay.
38Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through this one forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and from everything from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses,
39by this one everyone who believes is justified.
40Take care, therefore, that what was spoken in the Prophets does not come upon you:
41‘Look, you scoffers, and wonder, and perish! For I am doing a work in your days, a work you will never believe, even if someone declares it to you.’
42As they were going out, the people were urging that these words be spoken to them on the next Sabbath.
43When the synagogue was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and were urging them to continue in the grace of God.
44On the next Sabbath, almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of God.
45But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what Paul was saying, reviling him.
46Then Paul and Barnabas spoke boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first. Since you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.
47For so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the end of the earth.’”
48When the Gentiles heard this, they began to rejoice and glorify the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.
49And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.
50But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, and they stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their district.
51But they shook the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium.
52And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
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