Barnabas and Saul Are Chosen and Sent
1 The church at Antioch had several prophets and teachers. They were Barnabas, Simeon, also called Niger, Lucius from Cyrene, Manaen, who was Herod's close friend, and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and going without eating, the Holy Spirit told them, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul to do the work for which I have chosen them.” 3 Everyone prayed and went without eating for a while longer. Next, they placed their hands on Barnabas and Saul to show that they had been appointed to do this work. Then everyone sent them on their way.
Barnabas and Saul in Cyprus
4 After Barnabas and Saul had been sent by the Holy Spirit, they went to Seleucia. From there they sailed to the island of Cyprus. 5 They arrived at Salamis and began to preach God's message in the synagogues. They also had John as a helper.
6 Barnabas and Saul went all the way to the city of Paphos on the other end of the island, where they met a Jewish man named Bar-Jesus. He practiced witchcraft and was a false prophet. 7 He also worked for Sergius Paulus, who was very smart and was the governor of the island. Sergius Paulus wanted to hear God's message, and he sent for Barnabas and Saul. 8 But Bar-Jesus, whose other name was Elymas, was against them. He even tried to keep the governor from having faith in the Lord.
9 Then Saul, better known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit. He looked straight at Elymas 10 and said, “You son of the devil! You are a liar, a crook, and an enemy of everything that is right. When will you stop speaking against the true ways of the Lord? 11 The Lord is going to punish you by making you completely blind for a while.”
Suddenly the man's eyes were covered by a dark mist, and he went around trying to get someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the governor saw what had happened, he was amazed at this teaching about the Lord. So he put his faith in the Lord.
Paul and Barnabas in Antioch of Pisidia
13 Paul and the others left Paphos and sailed to Perga in Pamphylia. But John left them and went back to Jerusalem. 14 The rest of them went on from Perga to Antioch in Pisidia. Then on the Sabbath they went to the synagogue and sat down.
15 After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the leaders sent someone over to tell Paul and Barnabas, “Friends, if you have anything to say that will help the people, please say it.”
16 Paul got up. He motioned with his hand and said:
People of Israel, and everyone else who worships God, listen! 17 The God of Israel chose our ancestors, and he let our people prosper while they were living in Egypt. Then with his mighty power he led them out, 18 and for about 40 years he took care of them in the desert. 19 He destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan and gave their land to our people. 20 All this happened in about 450 years.
Then God gave our people judges until the time of the prophet Samuel, 21 but the people demanded a king. So for 40 years God gave them King Saul, the son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. 22 Later, God removed Saul and let David rule in his place. God said about him, “David the son of Jesse is the kind of person who pleases me most! He does everything I want him to do.”
23 God promised that someone from David's family would come to save the people of Israel, and this one is Jesus. 24 But before Jesus came, John was telling everyone in Israel to turn back to God and be baptized. 25 Then, when John's work was almost done, he said, “Who do you people think I am? Do you think I am the Promised One? He will come later, and I am not good enough to untie his sandals.”
26 Now listen, you descendants of Abraham! Pay attention, all of you Gentiles who are here to worship God! Listen to this message about how to be saved, because it is for everyone. 27 The people of Jerusalem and their leaders didn't realize who Jesus was. And they didn't understand the words of the prophets they read each Sabbath. So they condemned Jesus just as the prophets had said.
28-29 They did exactly what the Scriptures said they would. Even though they couldn't find any reason to put Jesus to death, they still asked Pilate to have him killed.
After Jesus had been put to death, he was taken down from the cross and placed in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from death! 31 Then for many days Jesus appeared to his followers who had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. Now they are telling our people about him.
32 God made a promise to our ancestors. And we are here to tell you the good news 33 that he has kept this promise to us. It is just as the second Psalm says about Jesus,
“You are my son because today
I have become your Father.”
34 God raised Jesus from death and will never let his body decay. It is just as God said,
“I will make to you
the same holy promises
that I made to David.”
35 And in another psalm it says, “God will never let the body of his Holy One decay.”
36 When David was alive, he obeyed God. Then after he died, he was buried in the family grave, and his body decayed. 37 But God raised Jesus from death, and his body did not decay.
38 My friends, the message is that Jesus can forgive your sins! The Law of Moses could not set you free from all your sins. 39 But everyone who has faith in Jesus is set free. 40 Make sure what the prophets have said doesn't happen to you. They said,
41 “Look, you people
who make fun of God!
Be amazed
and disappear.
I will do something today
that you won't believe,
even if someone
tells you about it!”
42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people begged them to say more about these same things on the next Sabbath. 43 After the service, many Jews and a lot of Gentiles who worshiped God went with them. Paul and Barnabas begged them all to remain faithful to God, who had treated them with undeserved grace.
44 The next Sabbath almost everyone in town came to hear the message about the Lord. 45 When the Jewish people saw the crowds, they were very jealous. They insulted Paul and spoke against everything he said.
46 But Paul and Barnabas bravely said:
We had to tell God's message to you before we told it to anyone else. But you rejected the message! This proves that you don't deserve eternal life. Now we are going to the Gentiles. 47 The Lord has given us this command,
“I have placed you here
as a light
for the Gentiles.
You are to take
the saving power of God
to people everywhere on earth.”
48 This message made the Gentiles glad, and they praised what they had heard about the Lord. Everyone who had been chosen for eternal life then put their faith in the Lord.
49 The message about the Lord spread all over this region. 50 But the Jewish leaders went to some of the important men in the town and to some respected women who were religious. They turned them against Paul and Barnabas and started making trouble for them. They even chased them out of this part of the country.
51 Paul and Barnabas shook the dust from that place off their feet and went on to the city of Iconium.
52 But the Lord's followers in Antioch were very happy and were filled with the Holy Spirit.
1 There were also in the Church that was at Antiochia, certaine Prophets and teachers, as Barnabas, and Simeon called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manahen (which had bin brought vp with Herod the Tetrarche) and Saul. 2 Nowe as they ministred to the Lord, and fasted, the holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul, for the worke whereunto I haue called them. 3 Then fasted they and prayed, and layde their hands on them, and let them goe. 4 And they, after they were sent foorth of the holy Ghost, came downe vnto Seleucia, and from thence they sayled to Cyprus. 5 And when they were at Salamis, they preached the worde of God in the Synagogues of the Iewes: and they had also Iohn to their minister. 6 So when they had gone throughout the yle vnto Paphus, they found a certaine sorcerer, a false prophet, being a Iewe, named Bariesus, 7 Which was with the Deputie Sergius Paulus, a prudent man. He called vnto him Barnabas and Saul, and desired to heare the woorde of God. 8 But Elymas, ye sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstoode them, and sought to turne away the Deputie from the faith. 9 Then Saul (which also is called Paul) being full of the holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, 10 And sayde, O full of all subtiltie and all mischiefe, the childe of the deuill, and enemie of all righteousnesse, wilt thou not cease to peruert the straight waies of the Lord? 11 Nowe therefore behold, the hand of the Lord is vpon thee, and thou shalt be blinde, and not see the sunne for a season. And immediately there fel on him a mist and a darknes; and he went about, seeking some to leade him by the hand. 12 Then the Deputie when he sawe what was done, beleeued, and was astonied at the doctrine of the Lord. 13 Nowe when Paul and they that were with him were departed by shippe from Paphus, they came to Perga a citie of Pamphylia: then Iohn departed from them, and returned to Hierusalem. 14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antiochia a citie of Pisidia, and went into the Synagogue on ye Sabbath day, and sate downe. 15 And after the lecture of the Law and Prophets, the rulers of ye Synagogue sent vnto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye haue any word of exhortation for the people, say on. 16 Then Paul stoode vp and beckened with the hand, and sayde, Men of Israel, and yee that feare God, hearken. 17 The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt in the land of Egypt, and with an high arme brought them out thereof. 18 And about the time of fourtie yeeres, suffered he their maners in the wildernesse. 19 And he destroied seuen nations in the land of Chanaan, and deuided their lad to them by lot. 20 Then afterward he gaue vnto them Iudges about foure hundreth and fiftie yeeres, vnto the time of Samuel the Prophet. 21 So after that, they desired a King, and God gaue vnto them Saul, the sonne of Cis, a man of ye tribe of Beniamin, by the space of fourty yeres. 22 And after he had taken him away, he raised vp Dauid to be their King, of whom he witnessed, saying, I haue found Dauid the sonne of Iesse, a man after mine owne heart, which will doe all things that I will. 23 Of this mans seede hath God according to his promise raised vp to Israel, ye Sauiour Iesus: 24 When Iohn had first preached before his coming the baptisme of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And when Iohn had fulfilled his course, he saide, Whom ye thinke that I am, I am not he: but beholde, there commeth one after me, whose shooe of his feete I am not worthy to loose. 26 Yee men and brethren, children of the generation of Abraham, and whosoeuer among you feareth God, to you is the woorde of this saluation sent. 27 For the inhabitants of Hierusalem, and their rulers, because they knewe him not, nor yet the woordes of the Prophets, which are read euery Sabbath day, they haue fulfilled them in condemning him. 28 And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate to kill him. 29 And when they had fulfilled all things that were written of him, they tooke him downe from the tree, and put him in a sepulchre. 30 But God raised him vp from the dead. 31 And hee was seene many dayes of them, which came vp with him from Galile to Hierusalem, which are his witnesses vnto the people. 32 And we declare vnto you, that touching the promise made vnto the fathers, 33 God hath fulfilled it vnto vs their children, in that he raised vp Iesus, euen as it is written in the seconde Psalme, Thou art my Sonne: this day haue I begotten thee. 34 Nowe as concerning that he raised him vp from the dead, no more to returne to corruption, he hath said thus, I wil giue you the holy things of Dauid, which are faithfull. 35 Wherefore hee sayeth also in another place, Thou wilt not suffer thine Holy one to see corruption. 36 Howbeit, Dauid after hee had serued his time by the counsell of God, hee slept, and was laid with his fathers, and sawe corruption. 37 But he whom God raised vp, sawe no corruption. 38 Be it knowen vnto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached vnto you the forgiuenesse of sinnes. 39 And from al things, from which ye could not be iustified by the Law of Moses, by him euery one that beleeueth, is iustified. 40 Beware therefore lest that come vpon you, which is spoken of in the Prophets, 41 Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and vanish away: for I woorke a woorke in your daies, a woorke which yee shall not beleeue, if a man would declare it you. 42 And when they were come out of the Synagogue of the Iewes, the Gentiles besought, that they woulde preach these woordes to them the next Sabbath day. 43 Nowe when the congregation was dissolued, many of the Iewes and Proselytes that feared God, followed Paul and Barnabas, which spake to them, and exhorted them to continue in the grace of God. 44 And ye next Sabbath day came almost the whole citie together, to heare the worde of God. 45 But when the Iewes saw the people, they were full of enuie, and spake against those things, which were spoken of Paul, contrarying them, and railing on them. 46 Then Paul and Barnabas spake boldly, and sayde, It was necessarie that the woorde of God shoulde first haue beene spoken vnto you: but seeing yee put it from you, and iudge your selues vnworthie of euerlasting life, loe, we turne to the Gentiles. 47 For so hath the Lord commanded vs, saying, I haue made thee a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be the saluation vnto the end of the world. 48 And when the Gentiles heard it, they were glad, and glorified the woorde of the Lord: and as many as were ordeined vnto eternall life, beleeued. 49 Thus the worde of the Lord was published throughout the whole countrey. 50 But the Iewes stirred certaine deuoute and honourable women, and the chiefe men of the citie, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coastes. 51 But they shooke off the dust of their feete against them, and came vnto Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with ioy, and with the holy Ghost.