NOW there were at Antioch, according to the established church,
prophets and teachers; such as Barnabas, and Simeon called Niger the
black, and Lucius a Cyrenian, and Manaen, Herod the tetrarch's
foster-brother, and Saul. (2)And as they were employed in the ministry,
and kept a fast, the Holy Ghost said, Set apart for me now both
Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. (3)Then
having kept a fast and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent
them out. (4)They then being sent forth indeed by the Holy Ghost, went
down to Seleucia; and from thence sailed to Cyprus. (5)And being at
Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews:
and they had John also as their attendant. (6)Now as they travelled
through the island as far as Paphos, they found a certain person who
professed magic, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus:
(7)who was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man; he
inviting to his house Barnabas and Saul, desired earnestly to hear the
word of God. (8)But Elymas the magician (for such is his name when
interpreted) opposed them, seeking to pervert the proconsul from the
faith. (9)Then Saul (now Paul), filled with the Holy Ghost, and fixing
his eyes upon him, (10)said, O thou full of all guile and all mischief,
thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not
cease perverting the strait ways of the Lord? (11)And now, behold, the
hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, seeing the sun
no more for a season. And instantly there fell on him a thick mist and
darkness; and groping about he sought some to lead him by the hand.
(12)Then when the proconsul saw what was done, he believed, being
struck with the doctrine of the Lord.
(13)Hereupon sailing from Paphos, they who were about Paul came to
Perga in Pamphylia: but John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.
(14)And they departed from Perga, and came to Antioch in Pisidia, and
entering into the synagogue on the sabbath-day, they sat down. (15)Then
after the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the
synagogues sent to them, saying, Men and brethren, if ye are disposed
to give a word of exhortation to the people, speak.
(16)Then Paul arose, and waving his hand, said, Men of Israel, and ye
that fear God, hear me. (17)The God of this people Israel selected our
fathers, and exalted the people during their abode in the land of
Egypt, and with a mighty arm brought he them out of it. (18)And about
the space of forty years he bore with their behaviour in the
wilderness. (19)And destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he
distributed their territory to them by lot. (20)And after these things,
during a space of about four hundred and fifty years, he gave them
judges until Samuel the prophet. (21)And from that time they desired a
king: and God gave them Saul the son of Kis, a man of the tribe of
Benjamin, during forty years. (22)And removing him, he raised up unto
them David to be king; respecting whom also he spake testifying, "I
have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who shall
perform all my intentions[40]." (23)From this man's seed according to
the promise hath God raised up to Israel a Saviour, Jesus: (24)John
having preached before his first coming the baptism of repentance to
all the people of Israel. (25)But as John was finishing his course, he
said, Whom do ye suppose me to be? I am not _the Messiah_. But, behold!
he is coming after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to
loose. (26)Men and brethren, children of the race of Abraham, and all
among you who fear God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.
(27)For they who dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, being ignorant
of him, and the words of the prophets that are read every sabbath-day,
by condemning him have fulfilled them. (28)And though they found no
cause of death in him, they besought Pilate that he might be killed.
(29)But when they had finished all things that were written of him,
they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. (30)But
God raised him from the dead: (31)and he was seen many days by those
who went up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses
to the people. (32)And we preach to you the promise made to our
fathers; (33)for this hath God fulfilled to their children, even to us,
in raising up Jesus: as it is also written in the second Psalm, "Thou
art my Son, this day have I begotten thee[41]." (34)But that he raised
him from the dead, no more in future to return to corruption, he hath
thus spoken, "I will give you the holy things of David, which are
sure[42]." (35)Wherefore also he saith in another place, "Thou wilt not
permit thy Holy One to see corruption[43]." (36)For David indeed, after
having served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, and
was placed with his fathers, and saw corruption. (37)But he, whom God
raised up, saw no corruption. (38)Be it therefore known unto you, men
and brethren, that through this man remission of sin is proclaimed to
you: (39)and by this man shall every one who believeth be justified
from all things, from which it was not possible that he should be
justified by the law of Moses. (40)Take heed then, that this come not
upon you, which is spoken by the prophets; (41)"Behold, ye despisers,
and wonder, and perish: for I do a work in your days, a work which ye
shall in no wise believe, though one declare it unto you[44]."
(42)But when the Jews were going out of the synagogue, the Gentiles
entreated that these words might be spoken to them the following
sabbath. (43)And when the synagogue was dismissed, many of the Jews and
of the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, exhorting
them, persuaded them to abide stedfast in the grace of God.
(44)And on the next sabbath almost all the city thronged together to
hear the word of God. (45)But the Jews seeing the multitude, were
filled with envy, and opposed the things spoken by Paul, contradicting
and reviling. (46)Then Paul and Barnabas speaking with undaunted
boldness, said, It was necessary that the word of God should be first
spoken unto you: but since ye have thrust it from you, and judged
yourselves not worthy of eternal life, lo! we turn to the Gentiles.
(47)For so hath the Lord enjoined us, "I have set thee for a light of
the Gentiles, that thou mightest be for salvation unto the extremity of
the earth[45]." (48)Now when the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced,
and glorified the word of the Lord: and they believed, even as many as
were ordained to life eternal. (49)So the word of the Lord was diffused
through the whole region.
(50)Then the Jews stirred up the devout women, and those who were
respectable, and the principal persons of the city, and raised up a
persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and cast them out of their
borders. (51)But they, shaking off the dust of their feet against them,
came to Iconium. (52)And the disciples were filled with joy, and with
the Holy Ghost.