Montgomery - Acts - 13

13:1  Now there were in the church in Antioch prophets and teachers; Barnabas and Symeon, surnamed "the Black," Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, the foster-brother of Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul.

13:2  And as they were worshiping the Lord, and fasting, the Holy Spirit said to them, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

13:3  So after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them, and let them go.

13:4  So they, sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia, and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.

13:5  And while they were in Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews.

13:6  They had John Mark as an assistant; and after going through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a certain Jewish sorcerer and false prophet, named Bar-Jesus,

13:7  who belonged to the suite of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. He summoned Barnabas and Saul, and sought to hear the word of God.

13:8  But Elymas, "the sorcerer," for that is the translation of his name, opposed them, and tried to divert the proconsul from the faith.

13:9  So Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily at him, and said.

13:10  "O full of all craft and cunning, you son of the devil! You enemy of all goodness! Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?

13:11  "The Lord’s hand is now upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a season." Instantly there fell on him a mist and a darkness, and groping about, he sought some one to lead him by the hand.

13:12  Then the proconsul, seeing what had happened, believed. He was astounded at the teaching of the Lord.

13:13  From Paphos Paul and his party set sail for Perga in Pamphylia; but John Mark left them and went back to Jerusalem.

13:14  Then they themselves, passing through from Perga, came to Antioch in Pisidia. Here they went into the synagogue on the Sabbath Day and sat down.

13:15  And, after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the wardens of the synagogue sent word to them. "Brothers," they said, "if you have any word of encouragement to the people, say it."

13:16  So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand, said. "Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen.

13:17  "The God of this people of Israel chose our forefathers and made this people great, while they sojourned in the land of Egypt. And with an uplifted arm he led them out of it.

13:18  "For about forty years he bore with them in the desert,

13:19  "and when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance for about four hundred and fifty years.

13:20  "And afterwards he gave them Judges, until Samuel, the prophet.

13:21  "Then they asked for a king, and he gave them Saul, the son of Kish, a Benjamite for forty years.

13:22  After deposing him, he raised up David to be their king, to whom he also bore witness, when he said, "I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, and who will obey all my will.

13:23  "Of this man’s descendants God has brought unto Israel, according to his promise, a Savior, Jesus;

13:24  "before whose coming John had already preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

13:25  "And John, when he was finishing his race, repeatedly asked the people. "‘Who do you suppose that I am? I am not He. But behold there comes One after me, whose sandal I am not worthy to unfasten.’

13:26  "Brothers, sons of Abraham’s race, and all among you who reverence God, to us has the word of this salvation been sent.

13:27  "For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.

13:28  "Though they found no cause of death in him, yet they asked Pilate to put him to death.

13:29  "And when they had fulfilled everything which had been written concerning him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.

13:30  "But God raised him from the dead.

13:31  "For many days he was seen by those that came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and are now his witnesses to the people.

13:32  "And we bring you glad tidings of the promise made to our forefathers,

13:33  "how that God fulfilled it for us their children in raising up Jesus; as it is also written in the second Psalm, "Thou art my son, today have I become thy Father.

13:34  "And as to his having raised him from among the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he has said this, "I will give thee the holy and sure blessings of David.

13:35  "Because in another psalm he says, "Thou wilt not give thy Holy One to see corruption.

13:36  "For David, after he had served his own generation according to the will of God, fell on sleep, and was gathered to his forefathers, and did see corruption;

13:37  but he whom God raised up saw no corruption.

13:38  "Be it known unto you therefore, brothers, that remission of sins is proclaimed to you through this man;

13:39  "and that by him every one that believes is justified from all things from which you could never be justified by the law of Moses.

13:40  "Beware, then, lest that spoken of in the prophets come upon you.

13:41  "Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish, For in your days I will do a deed, A deed which you will never believe, Though one should declare it unto you."

13:42  As Paul and Barnabas left the synagogue, the people earnestly begged that these words might be repeated to them on the following Sabbath.

13:43  When the congregation broke up, many of the Jews, and of the devout proselytes, followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked to them, and urged them to continue in the grace of God.

13:44  On the next Sabbath almost the entire city was gathered together to know the word of God.

13:45  When they saw the crowds, the Jews were filled with jealousy, and began to contradict Paul’s statements, and to abuse him.

13:46  So Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly. "It was necessary," they said, "first to proclaim the word of God to you. But since you push it away from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

13:47  "For such is God’s command to us, saying, "I have set thee for a light to the Gentiles, That thou shouldest be for salvation to the uttermost part of the earth."

13:48  When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who had been ordained to eternal life, believed.

13:49  So the Lord’s message went far and wide, through the whole district.

13:50  But the Jews urged on the devout women of high rank, and the leading citizens, and stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of the district,

13:51  But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came to Iconium.

13:52  As for the disciples, they were continually filled with joy, and with the Holy Spirit.