Acts 13:1-23

Now in the Antioch community, there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen (brought up since childhood with Herod the Tetrarch), and Saul. While they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Ruach ha-Kodesh said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting, praying, and laying hands on them, they sent them off. So, sent out by the Ruach ha-Kodesh, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. They also had John as a helper. When they had gone throughout the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a man who was a magician—a Jewish false prophet, whose name was Bar-Yeshua. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for so his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who is also Paul, filled with the Ruach ha-Kodesh, fixed his gaze on him and said, “O you, full of all deceit and trickery, son of the devil, enemy of all righteousness—will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind and not see the sun for awhile.” Immediately, cloudiness and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. When he saw what had happened, the proconsul believed, because he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord. Setting sail from Paphos, Paul’s company came to Perga in Pamphylia. John left them and returned to Jerusalem. But they passed on from Perga and came to Antioch of Pisidia. Entering the synagogue on the Shabbat, they sat down. After the reading of the Torah and the Prophets, the synagogue leaders sent to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, speak.” So Paul, standing up and motioning with his hand, said, “Men of Israel and God-fearers, listen. The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an outstretched arm He led them out of there. For about forty years He put up with them in the wilderness. And when He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He gave their land as an inheritance— all of this took about 450 years. After that, he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul, son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. After removing him, He raised up David to be their king. He also testified about him and said, ‘I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do My will.’ “From this man’s seed, in keeping with His promise, God brought to Israel a Savior—Yeshua.