Acts 13-15

American Standard Version

13 Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers, Barnabas, and Symeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen the foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. ² And as they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. ³ Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

⁴ So they, being sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. ⁵ And when they were at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John as their attendant. ⁶ And when they had gone through the whole island unto Paphos, they found a certain ^[a]sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-Jesus; ⁷ who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of understanding. The same called unto him Barnabas and Saul, and sought to hear the word of God. ⁸ But Elymas the ^[b]sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn aside the proconsul from the faith. ⁹ But Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fastened his eyes on him, ¹⁰ and said, O full of all guile and all villany, thou son of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? ¹¹ And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun ^[c]for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. ¹² Then the proconsul, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

¹³ Now Paul and his company set sail from Paphos, and came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departed from them and returned to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ But they, passing through from Perga, came to Antioch of Pisidia; and they went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. ¹⁵ And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. ¹⁶ And Paul stood up, and beckoning with the hand said,

Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, hearken: ¹⁷ The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they sojourned in the land of Egypt, and with a high arm led he them forth out of it. ¹⁸ And for about the time of forty years ^[d]as a nursing-father bare he them in the wilderness. ¹⁹ And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land for an inheritance, for about four hundred and fifty years: ²⁰ and after these things he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. ²¹ And afterward they asked for a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for the space of forty years. ²² And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king; to whom also he bare witness and said, ^[e]I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who shall do all my ^[f]will. ²³ Of this man’s seed hath God according to promise brought unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus; ²⁴ when John had first preached ^[g]before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. ²⁵ And as John was fulfilling his course, he said, What suppose ye that I am? I am not he. But behold, there cometh one after me the shoes of whose feet I am not worthy to unloose. ²⁶ Brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and those among you that fear God, to us is the word of this salvation sent forth. ²⁷ For they that dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. ²⁸ And though they found no cause of death in him, yet asked they of Pilate that he should be slain. ²⁹ And when they had fulfilled all things that were written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a tomb. ³⁰ But God raised him from the dead: ³¹ and he was seen for many days of them that came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses unto the people. ³² And we bring you good tidings of the promise made unto the fathers, ³³ that God hath fulfilled the same unto our children, in that he raised up Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, ^[h]Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. ³⁴ And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he hath spoken on this wise, ^[i]I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David. ³⁵ Because he saith also in another psalm, ^[j]Thou wilt not give thy Holy One to see corruption. ³⁶ For David, after he had ^[k]in his own generation served the counsel of God, fell asleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: ³⁷ but he whom God raised up saw no corruption. ³⁸ Be it known unto you therefore, brethren, that through this man is proclaimed unto you remission of sins: ³⁹ and by him every one that believeth is justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Beware therefore, lest that come upon you which is spoken in the prophets:

⁴² And as they went out, they besought that these words might be spoken to them the next sabbath. ⁴³ Now when the synagogue broke up, many of the Jews and of the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas; who, speaking to them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.

⁴⁴ And the next sabbath almost the whole city was gathered together to hear the word of ^[n]God. ⁴⁵ But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with jealousy, and contradicted the things which were spoken by Paul, and ^[o]blasphemed. ⁴⁶ And Paul and Barnabas spake out boldly, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first be spoken to you. Seeing ye thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷ For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying,

⁴⁸ And as the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of ^[q]God: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. ⁴⁹ And the word of the Lord was spread abroad throughout all the region. ⁵⁰ But the Jews urged on the devout women of honorable estate, and the chief men of the city, and stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and cast them out of their borders. ⁵¹ But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium. ⁵² And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

14 And it came to pass in Iconium that they entered together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake that a great multitude both of Jews and of Greeks believed. ² But the Jews that were disobedient stirred up the souls of the Gentiles, and made them evil affected against the brethren. ³ Long time therefore they tarried there speaking boldly in the Lord, who bare witness unto the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. ⁴ But the multitude of the city was divided; and part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles. ⁵ And when there was made an onset both of the Gentiles and of the Jews with their rulers, to treat them shamefully and to stone them, ⁶ they became aware of it, and fled unto the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe, and the region round about: ⁷ and there they ^[r]preached the gospel.

⁸ And at Lystra there sat a certain man, impotent in his feet, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked. ⁹ The same heard Paul speaking: who, fastening his eyes upon him, and seeing that he had faith to be made whole, ¹⁰ said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped up and walked. ¹¹ And when the multitude saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voice, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. ¹² And they called Barnabas, ^[s]Jupiter; and Paul, ^[t]Mercury, because he was the chief speaker. ¹³ And the priest of Jupiter whose temple was before the city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the multitudes. ¹⁴ But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it, they rent their garments, and sprang forth among the multitude, crying out ¹⁵ and saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like ^[u]passions with you, and bring you good tidings, that ye should turn from these vain things unto a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that in them is: ¹⁶ who in the generations gone by suffered all the ^[v]nations to walk in their own ways. ¹⁷ And yet he left not himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you from heaven rains and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness. ¹⁸ And with these sayings scarce restrained they the multitudes from doing sacrifice unto them.

¹⁹ But there came Jews thither from Antioch and Iconium: and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul, and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. ²⁰ But as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and entered into the city: and on the morrow he went forth with Barnabas to Derbe. ²¹ And when they had ^[w]preached the gospel to that city, and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, and to Iconium, and to Antioch, ²² confirming the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God. ²³ And when they had appointed for them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they had believed. ²⁴ And they passed through Pisidia, and came to Pamphylia. ²⁵ And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia; ²⁶ and thence they sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been committed to the grace of God for the work which they had fulfilled. ²⁷ And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all things that God had done with them, and that he had opened a door of faith unto the Gentiles. ²⁸ And they tarried no little time with the disciples.

15 And certain men came down from Judaea and taught the brethren, saying, Except ye be circumcised after the custom of Moses, ye cannot be saved. ² And when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and questioning with them, the brethren appointed that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. ³ They therefore, being brought on their way by the church, passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren. ⁴ And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church and the apostles and the elders, and they rehearsed all things that God had done with them. ⁵ But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees who believed, saying, It is needful to circumcise them, and to charge them to keep the law of Moses.

⁶ And the apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider of this matter. ⁷ And when there had been much questioning, Peter rose up, and said unto them,

Brethren, ye know that ^[x]a good while ago God made choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the ^[y]gospel, and believe. ⁸ And God, who knoweth the heart, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as he did unto us; ⁹ and he made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Now therefore why make ye trial of God, that ye should put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? ¹¹ But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in like manner as they.

¹² And all the multitude kept silence; and they hearkened unto Barnabas and Paul rehearsing what signs and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles through them. ¹³ And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying,

Brethren, hearken unto me: ¹⁴ Symeon hath rehearsed how first God visited the ^[z]Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. ¹⁵ And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,

¹⁹ Wherefore my judgment is, that we trouble not them that from among the Gentiles turn to God; ²⁰ but that we ^[ad]write unto them, that they abstain from the pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from what is strangled, and from blood. ²¹ For Moses from generations of old hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath.

²² Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men out of their company, and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren: ²³ and they wrote thus by them, ^[ae]The apostles and the elders, brethren, unto the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greeting: ²⁴ Forasmuch as we have heard that certain ^[af]who went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls; to whom we gave no commandment; ²⁵ it seemed good unto us, having come to one accord, to choose out men and send them unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, ²⁶ men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁷ We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who themselves also shall tell you the same things by word of mouth. ²⁸ For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: ²⁹ that ye abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; from which if ye keep yourselves, it shall be well with you. Fare ye well.

³⁰ So they, when they were dismissed, came down to Antioch; and having gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle. ³¹ And when they had read it, they rejoiced for the ^[ag]consolation. ³² And Judas and Silas, being themselves also prophets, ^[ah]exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them. ³³ And after they had spent some time there, they were dismissed in peace from the brethren unto those that had sent them forth.^{[ai] 35} But Paul and Barnabas tarried in Antioch, teaching and ^[aj]preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

³⁶ And after some days Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us return now and visit the brethren in every city wherein we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they fare. ³⁷ And Barnabas was minded to take with them John also, who was called Mark. ³⁸ But Paul thought not good to take with them him who withdrew from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. ³⁹ And there arose a sharp contention, so that they parted asunder one from the other, and Barnabas took Mark with him, and sailed away unto Cyprus: ⁴⁰ but Paul chose Silas, and went forth, being commended by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. ⁴¹ And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.