1THERE were in Antioch among the members of the church several prophets and teachers \'97 Barnabas, and Symeon, who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene and Manaen and Saul. 2As they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." 3Then, after fasting and praying and laying their hands upon them, they sent them off. 4Sent out in this way by the Holy Spirit, Barnabas and Saul went down to Seleucia and from there sailed for Cyprus. 5Arriving at Salamis they announced God's message in the synagogues of the Jews. They had John as their assistant. 6After passing through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came across a Jewish magician and false prophet, named Bar-Jesus, 7who was in the company of the Proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. The Proconsul invited in Barnabas and Saul and desired to hear God's message. 8But Elymas the magician opposed them, endeavoring to turn the Proconsul away from the faith. 9But Saul , full of the Holy Spirit, fixed his eyes on him 10and said, "You who are full of every kind of fraud, you son of the Devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you never stop perverting the straight paths of the Lord? 11And now the hand of the Lord is upon you and you will be blind for a time, unable to see the sun." Immediately a dimness and darkness fell on him, and he went about seeking for people to lead him by the hand. 12Then the Proconsul, seeing what had happened, believed, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord. 13Sailing away from Paphos, Paul and his companions came to Perga in Pamphylia. John left them there and returned to Jerusalem. 14But they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. On the Sabbath they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue directors sent to them saying, "Brethren, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, speak it." 16Paul rose and motioning with his hand said, "Israelites and you who reverence God, listen. 17The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their sojourn in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm brought them out. 18For a period of about forty years he fed them in the wilderness, 19and after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan he gave them their land as an inheritance for about four hundred and fifty years. 20After that he gave them judges down to the prophet Samuel. 21Next they asked for a king and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22After removing him, God raised up David to be their king, to whom he bore testimony, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will carry out all my purposes.' 23"Of this man's descendants God, according to his promise, brought to Israel a savior \'97 Jesus, 24before whose coming John had proclaimed to all the people of Israel baptism for a change of heart. 25As John was finishing his career he used to say, 'What do you think that I am? I am not he. But one is coming after me the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to unfasten.' 26"Brethren, sons of Abraham's race and those among you who reverence God, the message of this salvation has been sent to you. 27For the inhabitants of Jerusalem and their rulers, neither understanding him nor the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled those utterances by condemning him. 28Although they found no ground for putting him to death they begged Pilate to have him killed. 29When they had completely done all that had been predicted about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. 30But God raised him from the dead 31and he appeared for many days to those who had gone up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to all the people. 32"We tell you the good news that the promise to our fathers has been kept; 33for God has fulfilled it for our children in raising up Jesus, as it is written in the second psalm, 'Thou art my son; to-day I have become thy father.' 34And as to his raising him from the dead, never to return to decay, he spoke thus; 'I will give you the holy and sure promises made to David.' 35Therefore he says also in another psalm, 'Thou wilt not let thy holy one see decay.' 36For David after serving the will of God in his own generation fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw decay. 37But he whom God raised up saw no decay. 38"Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39Yes, every one who believes in him is cleared from all the sins from which you could not be cleared by the Law of Moses. 40Take care then that what was said in the Prophets does not come on you, 41'See, you disdainful ones, and wonder and perish; for I am working a work in your days \'97 a work which you will not believe even if some one fully explains it to you.' " 42As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people begged that these words might be spoken to them on the next Sabbath. 43After the synagogue was dismissed, many of the Jews and of the pious converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked to them and endeavored to persuade them to hold fast to the grace of God. 44On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the message of God. 45But the Jews, seeing the crowds, were filled with anger and kept speaking in abusive language against what was said by Paul. 46Then Paul and Barnabas said with fearless plainness, "The message of God had to be spoken first to you. But since you thrust it away and do not judge yourselves worthy of life eternal \'97 now, we turn to the Gentiles. 47For so the Lord has commanded us, 'I have set you for a light of the Gentiles, that you may be for salvation to the ends of the earth.' 48When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the message of the Lord, and all who were predestined to life eternal believed. 49The message of the Lord was carried abroad through the whole country. 50But the Jews stirred up the pious women of high standing and the leading men of the city, and started a persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from their boundaries. 51They shook off the dust of their feet as a protest against them, and came to Iconium. 52The disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.