Acts 13
13
1In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers. Among them were Barnabas, Simeon, and Lucius from Cyrene. Simeon was also called Niger. Another was Manaen. He had been brought up with Herod, the ruler of Galilee. Saul was among them too. 2While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit spoke. “Set apart Barnabas and Saul for me,” he said. “I have appointed them to do special work.” 3The prophets and teachers fasted and prayed. They placed their hands on Barnabas and Saul. Then they sent them off.
Events on Cyprus
4Barnabas and Saul were sent on their way by the Holy Spirit. They went down to Seleucia. From there they sailed to Cyprus. 5They arrived at Salamis. There they preached God’s word in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.
6They traveled all across the island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jew named Bar-Jesus. He was an evil magician and a false prophet. 7He was an attendant of Sergius Paulus, the governor. Paulus was a man of understanding. He sent for Barnabas and Saul. He wanted to hear God’s word. 8But the evil magician named Elymas opposed them. The name Elymas means Magician. He tried to keep the governor from becoming a believer. 9Saul was also known as Paul. He was filled with the Holy Spirit. He looked straight at Elymas. He said to him, 10“You are a child of the devil! You are an enemy of everything that is right! You cheat people. You use all kinds of tricks. Won’t you ever stop twisting the right ways of the Lord? 11Now the Lord’s hand is against you. You are going to go blind. For a while you won’t even be able to see the light of the sun.”
Right away mist and darkness came over him. He tried to feel his way around. He wanted to find someone to lead him by the hand. 12When the governor saw what had happened, he believed. He was amazed at what Paul was teaching about the Lord.
Paul Preaches in Pisidian Antioch
13From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia. There John Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem. 14From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath day they entered the synagogue and sat down. 15The Law and the Prophets were read aloud. Then the leaders of the synagogue sent word to Paul and his companions. They said, “Brothers, do you have any words of instruction for the people? If you do, please speak.”
16Paul stood up and motioned with his hand. Then he said, “Fellow Israelites, and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! 17The God of Israel chose our people who lived long ago. He blessed them greatly while they were in Egypt. With his mighty power he led them out of that country. 18He put up with their behavior for about 40 years in the desert. 19And he destroyed seven nations in Canaan. Then he gave the land to his people as their rightful share. 20All this took about 450 years.
“After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. 21Then the people asked for a king. He gave them Saul, son of Kish. Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin. He ruled for 40 years. 22God removed him and made David their king. Here is God’s witness about him. ‘David, son of Jesse, is a man dear to my heart,’ he said. ‘David will do everything I want him to do.’
23“From this man’s family line God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus. This is what he had promised. 24Before Jesus came, John preached that we should turn away from our sins and be baptized. He preached this to all Israel. 25John was coming to the end of his work. ‘Who do you suppose I am?’ he said. ‘I am not the one you are looking for. But there is someone coming after me. I am not good enough to untie his sandals.’
26“Listen, fellow children of Abraham! Listen, you Gentiles who worship God! This message of salvation has been sent to us. 27The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus. By finding him guilty, they made the prophets’ words come true. These are read every Sabbath day. 28The people and their rulers had no reason at all for sentencing Jesus to death. But they asked Pilate to have him killed. 29They did everything that had been written about Jesus. Then they took him down from the cross. They laid him in a tomb. 30But God raised him from the dead. 31For many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. Now they are telling our people about Jesus.
32“We are telling you the good news. What God promised our people long ago 33he has done for us, their children. He has raised up Jesus. This is what is written in the second Psalm. It says,
“ ‘You are my son.
Today I have become your father.’ (Psalm 2:7)
34God raised Jesus from the dead. He will never rot in the grave. As God has said,
“ ‘Holy and sure blessings were promised to David.
I will give them to you.’ (Isaiah 55:3)
35In another place it also says,
“ ‘You will not let your holy one rot away.’ (Psalm 16:10)
36“David carried out God’s purpose while he lived. Then he died. He was buried with his people. His body rotted away. 37But the one whom God raised from the dead did not rot away.
38“My friends, here is what I want you to know. I announce to you that your sins can be forgiven because of what Jesus has done. 39Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin. Moses’ law could not make you right in God’s eyes. 40Be careful! Don’t let what the prophets spoke about happen to you. They said,
41“ ‘Look, you who make fun of the truth!
Wonder and die!
I am going to do something in your days
that you would never believe.
You wouldn’t believe it even if someone told you.’ ” (Habakkuk 1:5)
42Paul and Barnabas started to leave the synagogue. The people invited them to say more about these things on the next Sabbath day. 43The people were told they could leave the service. Many Jews followed Paul and Barnabas. Many Gentiles who faithfully worshiped the God of the Jews did the same. Paul and Barnabas talked with them. They tried to get them to keep living in God’s grace.
44On the next Sabbath day, almost the whole city gathered. They gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45When the Jews saw the crowds, they became very jealous. They began to disagree with what Paul was saying. They said evil things against him.
46Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly. “We had to speak God’s word to you first,” they said. “But you don’t accept it. You don’t think you are good enough for eternal life. So now we are turning to the Gentiles. 47This is what the Lord has commanded us to do. He said,
“ ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles.
You will bring salvation to the whole earth.’ ” (Isaiah 49:6)
48When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad. They honored the word of the Lord. All who were appointed for eternal life believed.
49The word of the Lord spread through the whole area. 50But the Jewish leaders stirred up the important women who worshiped God. They also stirred up the men who were leaders in the city. The Jewish leaders tried to get the women and men to attack Paul and Barnabas. They threw Paul and Barnabas out of that area. 51Paul and Barnabas shook the dust off their feet. This was a warning to the people who had opposed them. Then Paul and Barnabas went on to Iconium. 52The believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
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Acts 13: NIrV
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Acts 13
13
Preparing for the Mission Field
1Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, a close friend of Herod the tetrarch,#Mt 14:1; Ac 4:36; 11:19,22,27; 1Co 12:28 and Saul.
2As they were worshiping#13:2 Or 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.”#Ac 8:29; 9:15; Rm 1:1; Gl 1:15 3Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off.#Ac 6:6; 14:26
The Mission to Cyprus
4So being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5Arriving in Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. They also had John as their assistant.#Ac 9:20; 12:12 6When they had traveled the whole island as far as Paphos, they came across a sorcerer, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus.#Mt 7:15; Ac 8:9 7He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God.#Ac 18:12; 19:38 8But Elymas the sorcerer (that is the meaning of his name) opposed#Ex 7:11; 2Tm 3:8 them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith.#Ac 6:7; 8:9
9But Saul — also called Paul — filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight at Elymas 10and said, “You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery, you son of the devil#Mt 13:38; Jn 8:44 and enemy of all that is right. Won’t you ever stop perverting the straight paths#Hs 14:9; 2Pt 2:15 of the Lord? 11Now, look, the Lord’s hand is against you.#Ex 9:3; 1Sm 5:6–7; Ps 32:4; Heb 10:31 You are going to be blind, and will not see the sun for a time.” Immediately a mist and darkness fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.
12Then, when he saw what happened, the proconsul believed, because he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.#Ac 13:49; 15:35–36
Paul’s Sermon in Antioch of Pisidia
13Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia, but John left them and went back to Jerusalem.#Ac 12:12; 13:6; 15:38 14They continued their journey from Perga and reached Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.#Ac 9:20; 14:19,21; 16:3; 17:2; 18:4 15After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, you can speak.”#Mk 5:22; Ac 15:21
16Paul stood up and motioned with his hand and said, “Fellow Israelites, and you who fear God, listen!#Ac 10:2; 12:17 17The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors, made the people prosper during their stay in the land of Egypt, and led them out of it with a mighty#13:17 Lit with an uplifted arm.#Ex 1:6; 6:6; Dt 7:6–8; Ac 7:17 18And for about forty years he put up with them#13:18 Other mss read he cared for them in the wilderness;#Dt 1:31; Ac 7:36 19and after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan,#Dt 7:1; Jos 14:1; 19:51; Ps 78:55; Ac 7:45 he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20This all took about 450 years. After this, he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet.#Jdg 2:16; 1Sm 3:20; Ac 3:24 21Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.#1Sm 8:5; 9:1; 10:1 22After removing him,#1Sm 15:23,26; 16:13 he raised up David as their king and testified about him, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse to be a man after my own heart,#13:221Sm 13:14; Ps 89:20#1Sm 13:14; Ps 89:20 who will carry out all my will.’
23“From this man’s descendants, as he promised, God brought to Israel#Ps 132:1; Mt 1:1; Lk 2:11; Ac 13:32 the Savior, Jesus.#13:23 Other mss read brought salvation 24Before his coming to public attention, John had previously proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.#Mt 3:1; Mk 1:4; Lk 3:3; Ac 1:22; 19:4 25Now as John was completing his mission, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not the one. But one is coming after me, and I am not worthy to untie the sandals on his feet.’#Mt 3:11; Mk 1:7; Lk 3:16; Jn 1:20,27; Ac 20:24
26“Brothers and sisters, children of Abraham’s race, and those among you who fear God, it is to us that the word of this salvation has been sent.#Ac 4:12; 5:20 27Since the residents of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize him or the sayings of the prophets that are read every Sabbath, they have fulfilled their words by condemning him.#Lk 24:27; Ac 3:17 28Though they found no grounds for the death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him killed.#Mt 27:22–23; Ac 3:14 29When they had carried out all that had been written about him, they took him down from the tree and put him in a tomb.#Mt 27:59; Lk 23:53; Ac 5:30 30But God raised him from the dead,#Mt 28:6; Ac 2:24 31and he appeared for many days to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.#Mt 28:16; Lk 24:48; Ac 1:3 32And we ourselves proclaim to you the good news of the promise that was made to our ancestors.#Ac 5:42; 26:6; Rm 4:13; 9:4 33God 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. # 13:33 Or I have begotten you # 13:33 Ps 2:7 #
Ps 2:7; Heb 1:5; 5:5
34As to his raising him from the dead, never to return to decay, he has spoken in this way, I will give you the holy and sure promises of David.#13:34Is 55:3#Is 55:3; Ac 13:30,37 35Therefore he also says in another passage, You will not let your Holy One see decay.#13:35Ps 16:10#Ps 16:10; Ac 2:27 36For David, after serving God’s purpose in his own generation, fell asleep,#Ac 7:60; 1Co 11:30; 15:6,18,20,51; 1Th 4:13–15 was buried with his fathers, and decayed,#1Kg 2:10; Ac 2:29; 13:22; 20:27 37but the one God raised up did not decay. 38Therefore, let it be known to you, brothers and sisters, that through this man forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you.#Lk 24:47; Ac 2:38 39Everyone who believes is justified#13:39 Or freed, also later in this verse through him from everything that you could not be justified from through the law of Moses.#Rm 3:28; 10:4 40So beware that what is said in the prophets does not happen to you:
41 Look, you scoffers,
marvel and vanish away,
because I am doing a work in your days,
a work that you will never believe,
even if someone were to explain it to you.”#13:41 Hab 1:5#Is 29:14; Hab 1:5
Paul and Barnabas in Antioch
42As they were leaving, the people#13:42 Other mss read they were leaving the synagogue of the Jews, the Gentiles urged them to speak about these matters the following Sabbath. 43After the synagogue had been dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking with them and urging them to continue in the grace of God.#Ac 11:23; 14:22
44The following Sabbath almost the whole town assembled to hear the word of the Lord.#13:44 Other mss read of God 45But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what Paul was saying, insulting him.#Ac 18:6; 1Th 2:16; 1Pt 4:4; Jd 10
46Paul and Barnabas boldly replied, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first. Since you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we are turning to the Gentiles.#Mt 21:43; Ac 3:26; 18:6; 22:21; 28:28 47For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
I have made you
a light for the Gentiles
to bring salvation
to the ends of the earth.”#13:47Is 49:6#Is 42:6; 49:6; Lk 2:32
48When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and honored the word of the Lord, and all who had been appointed to eternal life believed. 49The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. 50But the Jews incited the prominent God-fearing women and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from their district.#Ac 14:2,19; 2Tm 3:11 51But Paul and Barnabas shook the dust off their feet#Mt 10:14; Mk 6:11; Lk 9:5; Ac 18:6 against them#Ac 14:1,19,21; 16:2; 2Tm 3:11 and went to Iconium. 52And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.#Mt 5:12; Jn 16:22; Ac 2:4
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