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Acts 13

New Revised Standard NRS

1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the ruler, and Saul.

2 While 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."

3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia; and from there they sailed to Cyprus.

5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John also to assist them.

6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they met a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet, named Bar-Jesus.

7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God.

8 But the magician Elymas (for that is the translation of his name) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith.

9 But Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him

10 and said, "You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?

11 And now listen—the hand of the Lord is against you, and you will be blind for a while, unable to see the sun." Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he went about groping for someone to lead him by the hand.

12 When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.

13 Then Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John, however, left them and returned to Jerusalem;

14 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.

15 After the reading of the law and the prophets, the officials of the synagogue sent them a message, saying, "Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, give it."

16 So Paul stood up and with a gesture began to speak: "You Israelites, and others who fear God, listen.

17 The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it.

18 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 them their land as an inheritance

20 for about four hundred fifty years. After that he gave them judges until the time of the prophet Samuel.

21 Then they asked for a king; and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years.

22 When he had removed him, he made David their king. In his testimony about him he said, "I have found David, son of Jesse, to be a man after my heart, who will carry out all my wishes.'

23 Of this man's posterity God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised;

24 before his coming John had already proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

25 And as John was finishing his work, he said, "What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but one is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of the sandals on his feet.'

26 "My brothers, you descendants of Abraham's family, and others who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent.

27 Because the residents of Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize him or understand the words of the prophets that are read every sabbath, they fulfilled those words by condemning him.

28 Even though they found no cause for a sentence of death, they asked Pilate to have him killed.

29 When they had carried out everything that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.

30 But God raised him from the dead;

31 and for many days he appeared to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and they are now his witnesses to the people.

32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to our ancestors

33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you.'

34 As to his raising him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, "I will give you the holy promises made to David.'

35 Therefore he has also said in another psalm, "You will not let your Holy One experience corruption.'

36 For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, died, was laid beside his ancestors, and experienced corruption;

37 but he whom God raised up experienced no corruption.

38 Let it be known to you therefore, my brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you;

39 by this Jesus everyone who believes is set free from all those sins from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.

40 Beware, therefore, that what the prophets said does not happen to you:

41 "Look, you scoffers! Be amazed and perish, for in your days I am doing a work, a work that you will never believe, even if someone tells you.' "

42 As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people urged them to speak about these things again the next sabbath.

43 When the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged 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 blaspheming, they contradicted what was spoken by Paul.

46 Then both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. Since you reject it and judge yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we are now turning to the Gentiles.

47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, "I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.' "

48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and praised the word of the Lord; and as many as had been destined for eternal life became believers.

49 Thus the word of the Lord spread throughout the region.

50 But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, and stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their region.

51 So they shook the dust off their feet in protest against them, and went to Iconium.

52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

The Message Bible MSG

1 The congregation in Antioch was blessed with a number of prophet-preachers and teachers: Barnabas, Simon, nicknamed Niger, Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen, an advisor to the ruler Herod, Saul.

2 One day as they were worshiping God - they were also fasting as they waited for guidance - the Holy Spirit spoke: "Take Barnabas and Saul and commission them for the work I have called them to do."

3 So they commissioned them. In that circle of intensity and obedience, of fasting and praying, they laid hands on their heads and sent them off.

4 Sent off on their new assignment by the Holy Spirit, Barnabas and Saul went down to Seleucia and caught a ship for Cyprus.

5 The first thing they did when they put in at Salamis was preach God's Word in the Jewish meeting places. They had John along to help out as needed.

6 They traveled the length of the island, and at Paphos came upon a Jewish wizard

7 who had worked himself into the confidence of the governor, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man not easily taken in by charlatans. The wizard's name was Bar-Jesus. He was as crooked as a corkscrew.

8 But Dr. Know-It-All (that's the wizard's name in plain English) stirred up a ruckus, trying to divert the governor from becoming a believer.

9 But Saul (or Paul), full of the Holy Spirit and looking him straight in the eye, said,

10 "You bag of wind, you parody of a devil - why, you stay up nights inventing schemes to cheat people out of God.

11 But now you've come up against God himself, and your game is up. You're about to go blind - no sunlight for you for a good long stretch." He was plunged immediately into a shadowy mist and stumbled around, begging people to take his hand and show him the way.

12 When the governor saw what happened, he became a believer, full of enthusiasm over what they were saying about the Master.

13 From Paphos, Paul and company put out to sea, sailing on to Perga in Pamphylia. That's where John called it quits and went back to Jerusalem.

14 From Perga the rest of them traveled on to Antioch in Pisidia.

15 After the reading of the Scriptures - God's Law and the Prophets - the president of the meeting asked them, "Friends, do you have anything you want to say? A word of encouragement, perhaps?"

16 Paul stood up, paused and took a deep breath, then said, "Fellow Israelites and friends of God, listen.

17 God took a special interest in our ancestors, pulled our people who were beaten down in Egyptian exile to their feet, and led them out of there in grand style.

18 He took good care of them for nearly forty years in that godforsaken wilderness

19 and then, having wiped out seven enemies who stood in the way, gave them the land of Canaan for their very own -

20 a span in all of about four hundred fifty years.

21 But then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul, son of Kish, out of the tribe of Benjamin. After Saul had ruled forty years,

22 God removed him from office and put King David in his place, with this commendation: 'I've searched the land and found this David, son of Jesse. He's a man whose heart beats to my heart, a man who will do what I tell him.'

23 "From out of David's descendants God produced a Savior for Israel, Jesus, exactly as he promised -

24 but only after John had thoroughly alerted the people to his arrival by preparing them for a total life-change.

25 As John was finishing up his work, he said, 'Did you think I was the One? No, I'm not the One. But the One you've been waiting for all these years is just around the corner, about to appear. And I'm about to disappear.'

26 "Dear brothers and sisters, children of Abraham, and friends of God, this message of salvation has been precisely targeted to you.

27 The citizens and rulers in Jerusalem didn't recognize who he was and condemned him to death.

28 They couldn't find a good reason, but demanded that Pilate execute him anyway.

29 They did just what the prophets said they would do, but had no idea they were following to the letter the script of the prophets, even though those same prophets are read every Sabbath in their meeting places.

30 And then God raised him from death.

31 There is no disputing that - he appeared over and over again many times and places to those who had known him well in the Galilean years, and these same people continue to give witness that he is alive.

32 "And we're here today bringing you good news: the Message that what God promised the fathers

33 has come true for the children - for us! He raised Jesus, exactly as described in the second Psalm: My Son! My very own Son! Today I celebrate you!

34 "When he raised him from the dead, he did it for good - no going back to that rot and decay for him. That's why Isaiah said, 'I'll give to all of you David's guaranteed blessings.'

35 So also the psalmist's prayer: 'You'll never let your Holy One see death's rot and decay.'

36 "David, of course, having completed the work God set out for him, has been in the grave, dust and ashes, a long time now.

37 But the One God raised up - no dust and ashes for him!

38 I want you to know, my very dear friends, that it is on account of this resurrected Jesus that the forgiveness of your sins can be promised.

39 He accomplishes, in those who believe, everything that the Law of Moses could never make good on. But everyone who believes in this raised-up Jesus is declared good and right and whole before God.

40 "Don't take this lightly. You don't want the prophet's sermon to describe you:

41 Watch out, cynics; Look hard - watch your world fall to pieces. I'm doing something right before your eyes That you won't believe, though it's staring you in the face."

42 When the service was over, Paul and Barnabas were invited back to preach again the next Sabbath.

43 As the meeting broke up, a good many Jews and converts to Judaism went along with Paul and Barnabas, who urged them in long conversations to stick with what they'd started, this living in and by God's grace.

44 When the next Sabbath came around, practically the whole city showed up to hear the Word of God.

45 Some of the Jews, seeing the crowds, went wild with jealousy and tore into Paul, contradicting everything he was saying, making an ugly scene.

46 But Paul and Barnabas didn't back down. Standing their ground they said, "It was required that God's Word be spoken first of all to you, the Jews. But seeing that you want no part of it - you've made it quite clear that you have no taste or inclination for eternal life - the door is open to all the outsiders. And we're on our way through it,

47 following orders, doing what God commanded when he said, I've set you up as light to all nations. You'll proclaim salvation to the four winds and seven seas!"

48 When the non-Jewish outsiders heard this, they could hardly believe their good fortune. All who were marked out for real life put their trust in God - they honored God's Word by receiving that life.

49 And this Message of salvation spread like wildfire all through the region.

50 Some of the Jews convinced the most respected women and leading men of the town that their precious way of life was about to be destroyed. Alarmed, they turned on Paul and Barnabas and forced them to leave.

51 Paul and Barnabas shrugged their shoulders and went on to the next town, Iconium,

52 brimming with joy and the Holy Spirit, two happy disciples.