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in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch), and Saul. 2 As they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work that I have called them to.” 3 Then after they had fasted and prayed, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Selucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. They also had John to assist them.
6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came across a sorcerer, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man sent for Barnabas and Saul so he could hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas, the sorcerer (for that is how his name is translated) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at the sorcerer 10 and said, “You are son of the Devil, an enemy of all righteousness, and filled with all deceit and fraud. Won’t you ever stop perverting the straight paths of the Lord? 11 Now look, the hand of the Lord is against you, and you are going to be blind, and unable to see the light of day for a time.”
Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul, seeing what happened, believed and was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.
13 Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them and went back to Jerusalem. 14 They continued on from Perga, and arrived at Antioch in Persidia. On the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the people, you can speak.”
16 Then Paul stood up, motioned with his hand and spoke: “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen! 17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made them prosper during their stay in the land of Egypt. Then with an uplifted arm He led them out of that country, 18 and for about forty years He put up with them in the wilderness. 19 After He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He gave their land to the Israelites as an inheritance. 20 This all took place over a period of about four hundred and fifty years.
“After this, God gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 Then the people asked for a king, so God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 When He had removed him, He raised up David as their king, of whom He testified, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart who will do all My will’.
23 “From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel a Saviour, Jesus, whom He promised. 24 Before the coming of Jesus, John had first preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 Then as John was completing his work, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not the One. No, but One is coming after me, and I am not worthy to untie the sandals on His feet
26 “Men and brothers, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us this message of salvation has been sent. 27 For the residents of Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize Him for the voices of the prophets that are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled those words by condemning Him. 28 Though they could find no grounds for the death penalty, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death. 29 When they had fulfilled all that was written off Him, they took Him down from the tree, and laid him in tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days He appeared to those who had travelled up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now His witnesses to the people.
32 “We declare to you the good news of the promise that was made to our fathers. 33 God has fulfilled this for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm:
‘You are My Son;
today I have become Your Father’.
34 “Since He raised Him from the dead, never to decay, He has spoken in this way:
‘I will give You the holy and sure blessings
promised to David’.
35 “Therefore He has also said in another Psalm:
‘You will not allow Your Holy One to see decay’.
36 “For when David had served God’s purpose his own generation, he fell asleep and was buried with his fathers, and his body decayed. 37 But the One whom God raised up did not decay. 38 Therefore, let it be known to you, brothers, that through this Man forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you. 39 Everyone who believes in Jesus is justified from everything that you could not be justified from through the law of Moses. 40 So be careful that what is spoken of in the prophets does not happen to you:
41 ‘Look, you scoffers,
wonder and perish,
for I am doing a work in your days,
a work that you will never believe,
even if someone were to explain it to you’.”
42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people begged them to speak about these things again the next Sabbath. 43 When the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking with them and urging them to continue in the grace of God.
44 The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and became blasphemous and contradicted what Paul was saying.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas boldly said to them, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
‘I have appointed you as a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth’.”
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who had been appointed to eternal life believed.
49 So the word of the Lord spread through the whole region. 50 But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from their region. 51 So they shook off the dust from their feet against them, and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.