Barnabas and Saul Sent Off
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Now there were in the church at Antioch 1prophets and 2teachers, 3Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger,a Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of 4Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
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While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, 5the Holy Spirit said, 6"Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul 7for the work to which I have called them."
Barnabas and Saul on Cyprus
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So, being sent out 10by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
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When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God 11in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had 12John to 13assist them.
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When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain 14magician, 15a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus.
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He was with 16the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.
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But Elymas the 17magician (for that is the meaning of his name) 18opposed them, seeking to turn 19the proconsul away from the faith.
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But Saul, who was also called Paul, 20filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him
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and said, "You 21son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and 22villainy, will you not stop 23making crooked 24the straight paths of the Lord?
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And now, behold, 25the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time." Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking 26people to lead him by the hand.
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Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at 27the teaching of the Lord.
Paul and Barnabas at Antioch in Pisidia
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Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And 28John left them and returned 29to Jerusalem,
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but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And 30on the Sabbath day 31they went into the synagogue and sat down.
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After 32the reading from 33the Law and the Prophets, 34the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, "Brothers, if you have any 35word of encouragement for the people, say it."
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So Paul stood up, and 36motioning with his hand said: "Men of Israel and 37you who fear God, listen.
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38The God of this people Israel 39chose our fathers and 40made the people great 41during their stay in the land of Egypt, and 42with uplifted arm he led them out of it.
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And 45after destroying 46seven nations in the land of Canaan, 47he gave them their land as an inheritance.
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Then 50they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul 51the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
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And 52when he had removed him, 53he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, 54'I have found in David the son of Jesse 55a man after my heart, 56who will do all my will.'
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And as John was finishing his course, 62he said, 'What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.'
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"Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you 63who fear God, to us has been sent 64the message of 65this salvation.
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For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because 66they did not recognize him nor understand 67the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, 68fulfilled them by condemning him.
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And 69though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, 70they asked Pilate to have him executed.
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And when 71they had carried out all that was written of him, 72they took him down from 73the tree and laid him in a tomb.
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But 74God raised him from the dead,
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and for many days 75he appeared to those 76who had come up with him 77from Galilee to Jerusalem, 78who are now 79his witnesses to the people.
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And we bring you the good news 80that what God promised to the fathers,
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81this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, 82"'You are my Son, today I have begotten you.'
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And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, "'I will give you 83the holy and sure blessings of David.'
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Therefore he says also in another psalm, 84"'You will not let your Holy One see corruption.'
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For David, after he had 85served the purpose of God in his own generation, 86fell asleep and 87was laid with his fathers and saw corruption,
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but he whom 88God raised up did not see corruption.
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Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, 89that through this man 90forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,
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and by him 91everyone who believes is freedc from everything 92from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.
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Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:
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93"'Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.'"
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As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath.
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And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and 94devout 95converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them 96to continue in 97the grace of God.
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The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.
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98But 99when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with 100jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, 101reviling him.
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And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, "It was necessary that the word of God 102be spoken first to you. 103Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves 104unworthy of eternal life, behold, we 105are turning to the Gentiles.
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106For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, 107"'I have made you 108a light for the Gentiles, that you may 109bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'"
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And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and 110glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.
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And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.
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111But the Jews incited the devout 112women of high standing and the leading men of the city, 113stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and 114drove them out of their district.
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But they 115shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)