Barnabas and Saul sent out
1In 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. 2While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3So after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. 4Sent out by the Holy Spirit, the two went down to Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus. 5Arriving at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues; and they had John with them as their helper.
The sorcerer at Paphos
6They crossed the whole island as far as Paphos, where they came upon a sorcerer, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7who was attached to the proconsul Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. The proconsul sent for Barnabas and Saul, eager to hear the word of God; 8but Elymas the sorcerer — that is what his name means — opposed them, trying to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9Then Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked him full in the face 10and said, “You are full of every deceit and every trick, you son of the devil, you enemy of everything right! Will you never stop twisting the straight ways of the Lord? 11And now, look: the hand of the Lord is upon you. You will be blind, unable to see the sun, for a time.” At once a mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about for someone to lead him by the hand. 12When the proconsul saw what had happened he believed, astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
Paul speaks in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia
13Paul and his companions put out from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them and went back to Jerusalem. 14They went on from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia. On the Sabbath they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15After the reading of the law and the prophets, the synagogue leaders sent word to them: “Brothers, if you have a word of encouragement for the people, speak.” 16Paul stood up, motioned with his hand and said: “Israelites, and you who fear God, listen. 17The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors. He made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with a raised arm he led them out of it. 18For some forty years he put up with them in the wilderness; 19he overthrew seven nations in the land of Canaan and gave them their land as an inheritance. 20All this took about four hundred and fifty years. After that he gave them judges, until Samuel the prophet. 21Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22He removed him and raised up David as their king, and he testified about him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do everything I want.’ 23From this man’s offspring God has brought Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. 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, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not the one. But after me comes one whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’
Forgiveness through the risen one
26Brothers, children of Abraham’s line, and those among you who fear God: it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. 27The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize him, and by condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. 28Though they found no ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed; 29and when they had carried out everything written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30But God raised him from the dead, 31and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and they are now his witnesses to the people. 32So we bring you the good news: what God promised our ancestors he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising Jesus, 33as it is written in the second psalm: ‘You are my son; today I have become your father.’ 34And that he raised him from the dead, never to return to decay, he stated in these words: ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’ 35That is why he also says elsewhere: ‘You will not let your Holy One see decay.’ 36Now David, after serving God’s purpose in his own generation, fell asleep, was laid with his ancestors and did see decay; 37but the one God raised did not see decay. 38So let it be known to you, brothers, that through him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you; 39and everyone who believes is set right through him in every matter in which the law of Moses could not set you right. 40See to it, then, that what the prophets said does not come upon you: 41‘Look, you scoffers, be amazed and perish; for in your days I am doing a work, a work you would never believe if someone told you of it.’”
The turn to the Gentiles
42As they were leaving, the people begged them to speak about these things again on the following Sabbath. 43When the assembly broke up, many Jews and devout converts followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to hold fast to the grace of God. 44On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45When the Jews saw the crowds they were filled with jealousy, and they contradicted what Paul was saying and hurled insults at him. 46Then Paul and Barnabas answered boldly: “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first. Since you push it away and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the nations, so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” 48When the Gentiles heard this they were glad and praised the word of the Lord, and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. 49And the word of the Lord spread through the whole region. 50But the Jews stirred up the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, and they raised a persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their territory. 51So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went on to Iconium, 52and the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
