Acts 13
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 13
1 [a]Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who was a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, 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, completing their fasting and prayer, they laid hands on them and sent them off.
First Mission Begins in Cyprus. 4 [b]So they, sent forth by the holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived in Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. They had John[c] also as their assistant. 6 When they had traveled through the whole island as far as Paphos, they met a magician named Bar-Jesus who was a Jewish false prophet.[d] 7 He was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who had summoned Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the magician (for that is what his name means) opposed them in an attempt to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 But Saul, also known as Paul,[e] filled with the holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all that is right, full of every sort of deceit and fraud. Will you not stop twisting the straight paths of [the] Lord? 11 Even now the hand of the Lord is upon you. You will be blind, and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately a dark mist fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. 12 When the proconsul saw what had happened, he came to believe, for he was astonished by the teaching about the Lord.
Paul’s Arrival at Antioch in Pisidia. 13 From Paphos, Paul and his companions set sail and arrived at Perga in Pamphylia. But John left them and returned to Jerusalem.(A) 14 They continued on from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia. On the sabbath they entered [into] the synagogue and took their seats. 15 After the reading of the law and the prophets, the synagogue officials sent word to them, “My brothers, if one of you has a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.”
Paul’s Address in the Synagogue. 16 [f]So Paul got up, motioned with his hand, and said, “Fellow Israelites and you others who are God-fearing,[g] listen. 17 The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and exalted the people during their sojourn in the land of Egypt.(B) With uplifted arm he led them out of it 18 and for about forty years he put up with[h] them in the desert.(C) 19 When he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance(D) 20 at the end of about four hundred and fifty years.[i] After these things he provided judges up to Samuel [the] prophet.(E) 21 Then they asked for a king. God gave them Saul, son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.(F) 22 Then he removed him and raised up David as their king; of him he testified, ‘I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will carry out my every wish.’(G) 23 From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise, has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.(H) 24 John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel;(I) 25 and as John was completing his course, he would say, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. Behold, one is coming after me; I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.’(J)
26 “My brothers, children of the family of Abraham, and those others among you who are God-fearing, to us this word of salvation has been sent. 27 The inhabitants of Jerusalem and their leaders failed to recognize him, and by condemning him they fulfilled the oracles of the prophets that are read sabbath after sabbath. 28 For even though they found no grounds for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him put to death,(K) 29 and when they had accomplished all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and placed him in a tomb.(L) 30 But God raised him from the dead,(M) 31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem.(N) These are [now] his witnesses before the people.[j] 32 We ourselves are proclaiming this good news to you that what God promised our ancestors 33 he has brought to fulfillment for us, [their] children, by raising up Jesus, as it is written in the second psalm, ‘You are my son; this day I have begotten you.’(O) 34 And that he raised him from the dead never to return to corruption he declared in this way, ‘I shall give you the benefits assured to David.’(P) 35 That is why he also says in another psalm, ‘You will not suffer your holy one to see corruption.’(Q) 36 Now David, after he had served the will of God in his lifetime, fell asleep, was gathered to his ancestors, and did see corruption.(R) 37 But the one whom God raised up did not see corruption. 38 You must know, my brothers, that through him forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you, [and] in regard to everything from which you could not be justified[k] under the law of Moses, 39 in him every believer is justified.(S) 40 Be careful, then, that what was said in the prophets not come about:
41 ‘Look on, you scoffers,
be amazed and disappear.
For I am doing a work in your days,
a work that you will never believe
even if someone tells you.’”(T)
42 As they were leaving, they invited them to speak on these subjects the following sabbath. 43 After the congregation had dispersed, many Jews and worshipers who were converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God.
Address to the Gentiles. 44 On the following sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said. 46 (U)Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.[l] 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.’”(V)
48 The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this and glorified the word of the Lord. All who were destined for eternal life came to believe, 49 and the word of the Lord continued to spread through the whole region. 50 The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers and the leading men of the city, stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their territory. 51 (W)So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.[m] 52 The disciples were filled with joy and the holy Spirit.
Footnotes
- 13:1–3 The impulse for the first missionary effort in Asia Minor is ascribed to the prophets of the Antiochene community, under the inspiration of the holy Spirit. Just as the Jerusalem community had earlier been the center of missionary activity, so too Antioch becomes the center from which the missionaries Barnabas and Saul are sent out.
- 13:4–14:27 The key event in Luke’s account of the first missionary journey is the experience of Paul and Barnabas at Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:14–52). The Christian kerygma proclaimed by Paul in the synagogue was favorably received. Some Jews and “God-fearers” (see note on Acts 8:26–40) became interested and invited the missionaries to speak again on the following sabbath (Acts 13:42). By that time, however, the appearance of a large number of Gentiles from the city had so disconcerted the Jews that they became hostile toward the apostles (Acts 13:44–50). This hostility of theirs appears in all three accounts of Paul’s missionary journeys in Acts, the Jews of Iconium (Acts 14:1–2) and Beroea (Acts 17:11) being notable exceptions.
- 13:5 John: that is, John Mark (see Acts 12:12, 25).
- 13:6 A magician named Bar-Jesus who was a Jewish false prophet: that is, he posed as a prophet. Again Luke takes the opportunity to dissociate Christianity from the magical acts of the time (Acts 13:7–11); see also Acts 8:18–24.
- 13:9 Saul, also known as Paul: there is no reason to believe that his name was changed from Saul to Paul upon his conversion. The use of a double name, one Semitic (Saul), the other Greco-Roman (Paul), is well attested (cf. Acts 1:23, Joseph Justus; Acts 12:12, 25, John Mark).
- 13:16–41 This is the first of several speeches of Paul to Jews proclaiming that the Christian church is the logical development of Pharisaic Judaism (see also Acts 24:10–21; 26:2–23).
- 13:16 Who are God-fearing: see note on Acts 8:26–40.
- 13:18 Put up with: some manuscripts read “sustained.”
- 13:20 At the end of about four hundred and fifty years: the manuscript tradition makes it uncertain whether the mention of four hundred and fifty years refers to the sojourn in Egypt before the Exodus, the wilderness period and the time of the conquest (see Ex 12:40–41), as the translation here suggests, or to the time between the conquest and the time of Samuel, the period of the judges, if the text is read, “After these things, for about four hundred and fifty years, he provided judges.”
- 13:31 The theme of the Galilean witnesses is a major one in the Gospel of Luke and in Acts and is used to signify the continuity between the teachings of Jesus and the teachings of the church and to guarantee the fidelity of the church’s teachings to the words of Jesus.
- 13:38–39 Justified: the verb is the same as that used in Paul’s letters to speak of the experience of justification and, as in Paul, is here connected with the term “to have faith” (“every believer”). But this seems the only passage about Paul in Acts where justification is mentioned. In Lucan fashion it is paralleled with “forgiveness of sins” (a theme at Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 10:43) based on Jesus’ resurrection (Acts 13:37) rather than his cross, and is put negatively (Acts 13:38). Therefore, some would translate, “in regard to everything from which you could not be acquitted…every believer is acquitted.”
- 13:46 The refusal to believe frustrates God’s plan for his chosen people; however, no adverse judgment is made here concerning their ultimate destiny. Again, Luke, in the words of Paul, speaks of the priority of Israel in the plan for salvation (see Acts 10:36).
- 13:51 See note on Lk 9:5.
Gawa 13
Ang Salita ng Dios (Tagalog Contemporary Bible)
Ipinadala sina Bernabe at Saulo ng Banal na Espiritu
13 Doon sa Antioc ay may mga propeta at mga tagapagturo na miyembro ng iglesya. Silaʼy sina Bernabe, Simeon na tinatawag na Negro, Lucius na taga-Cyrene, Manaen na kababata[a] ni Gobernador Herodes, at si Saulo. 2 Habang sumasamba sila sa Panginoon at nag-aayuno, sinabi ng Banal na Espiritu sa kanila, “Italaga ninyo para sa akin sina Bernabe at Saulo, dahil may ipapagawa ako sa kanila.” 3 Pagkatapos nilang mag-ayuno at manalangin, pinatungan nila sina Bernabe at Saulo ng kanilang mga kamay at pinaalis na sila.
Ang Unang Paglalakbay ni Pablo Bilang Misyonero
4 Kaya pumunta sina Bernabe at Saulo sa Seleucia ayon sa sinabi ng Banal na Espiritu. Mula roon, naglayag sila patungo sa isla ng Cyprus. 5 Pagdating nila roon sa bayan ng Salamis, nangaral sila ng salita ng Dios sa mga sambahan ng mga Judio. Kasama rin nila si Juan Marcos at tumutulong siya sa kanilang gawain. 6 Inikot nila ang buong isla hanggang sa nakarating sila sa bayan ng Pafos. May nakita sila roon na isang Judiong salamangkero na nagkukunwaring propeta ng Dios. Ang pangalan niya ay Bar Jesus. 7 Kaibigan siya ni Sergius Paulus, ang matalinong gobernador ng islang iyon. Ipinatawag ng gobernador sina Bernabe at Saulo dahil gusto niyang makinig ng salita ng Dios. 8 Pero hinadlangan sila ng salamangkerong si Elimas. (Ito ang pangalan ni Bar Jesus sa wikang Griego.) Ginawa niya ang lahat ng paraan para huwag sumampalataya ang gobernador kay Jesus. 9 Pero si Saulo na tinatawag ding Pablo ay napuspos ng Banal na Espiritu, at tinitigan niyang mabuti si Elimas, at sinabi, 10 “Anak ka ng diyablo! Kalaban ka ng lahat ng mabuti! Panay pandaraya at panloloko ang ginagawa mo. Lagi mo na lang binabaligtad ang mga tamang pamamaraan ng Panginoon. 11 Parurusahan ka ngayon ng Panginoon. Mabubulag ka at hindi makakakita sa loob ng ilang araw.” Dumilim kaagad ang paningin ni Elimas at nabulag siya. Pakapa-kapa siyang nanghagilap ng taong aakay sa kanya. 12 Nang makita ng gobernador ang nangyari kay Elimas, sumampalataya siya, at namangha sa mga katuruan tungkol sa Panginoon.
Nangaral si Pablo sa Antioc ng Pisidia
13 Umalis sina Pablo sa Pafos at bumiyahe papuntang Perga na sakop ng Pamfilia. Pagdating nila roon, iniwan sila ni Juan Marcos, at bumalik siya sa Jerusalem. 14 Sina Pablo ay tumuloy sa Antioc na sakop ng Pisidia. Pagdating ng Araw ng Pamamahinga, pumunta sila sa sambahan ng mga Judio at naupo roon. 15 May nagbasa mula sa Kautusan ni Moises at sa mga isinulat ng mga propeta. Pagkatapos, nag-utos ang namumuno sa sambahan na sabihin ito kina Pablo: “Mga kapatid, kung may sasabihin kayo na makapagpapalakas-loob sa mga tao, sabihin ninyo.” 16 Kaya tumayo si Pablo, at sinenyasan niya ang mga tao na makinig sa kanya. Sinabi niya, “Mga kapwa kong mga Israelita, at kayong mga hindi Israelita na sumasamba rin sa Dios, makinig kayo sa akin! 17 Ang Dios na sinasamba nating mga Israelita ang siyang pumili sa ating mga ninuno. Pinadami niya sila noong nasa Egipto pa sila nakatira. At sa pamamagitan ng kanyang kapangyarihan, tinulungan niya sila para makaalis sa Egipto. 18 Sa loob ng 40 taon, pinagtiyagaan niya sila roon sa disyerto. 19 Pagkatapos, nilipol niya ang pitong bansa sa Canaan, at ibinigay niya ang mga lupain ng mga ito sa ating mga ninuno. 20 Ang lahat ng ito ay ginawa ng Dios sa loob ng 450 taon.
“Pagkatapos, binigyan niya sila ng mga taong namuno sa kanila hanggang sa panahon ni Propeta Samuel. 21 Nang humingi sila ng hari, ibinigay sa kanila ng Dios si Saul na anak ni Kish, na mula sa lahi ni Benjamin. Naghari si Saul sa loob ng 40 taon. 22 Nang alisin ng Dios si Saul, ipinalit niya si David bilang hari. Ito ang sinabi ng Dios: ‘Nagustuhan ko si David na anak ni Jesse. Susundin niya ang lahat ng iuutos ko sa kanya.’ ”
23 Sinabi pa ni Pablo sa mga tao, “Sa angkan ni David nagmula si Jesus, ang Tagapagligtas na ipinangako ng Dios sa Israel. 24 Bago pa magsimula si Jesus sa kanyang gawain, nangaral si Juan sa lahat ng Israelita na dapat nilang pagsisihan ang kanilang mga kasalanan at magpabautismo. 25 At nang malapit nang matapos ni Juan ang kanyang gawain, sinabi niya sa mga tao, ‘Marahil, iniisip ninyong ako na nga ang inyong hinihintay. Hindi ako iyon! Pinauna lang ako. Susunod siya sa akin, at sa katunayan hindi ako karapat-dapat man lang na maging alipin niya.’[b]
26 “Mga kapatid, na mula sa lahi ni Abraham at mga hindi Judio na sumasamba rin sa Dios, tayo ang pinadalhan ng Dios ng Magandang Balita tungkol sa kaligtasan. 27 Pero ang mga Judiong nakatira sa Jerusalem at ang kanilang mga pinuno ay hindi kumilala kay Jesus bilang Tagapagligtas. Hindi rin nila nauunawaan ang sinasabi ng mga propeta na binabasa nila tuwing Araw ng Pamamahinga. Pero sila na rin ang tumupad sa mga ipinahayag ng mga propeta nang hatulan nila si Jesus ng kamatayan. 28 Kahit wala silang matibay na ebidensya para patayin siya, hiniling pa rin nila kay Pilato na ipapatay si Jesus. 29 Nang magawa na nila ang lahat ng sinasabi ng Kasulatan na mangyari kay Jesus, kinuha nila siya sa krus at inilibing. 30 Pero muli siyang binuhay ng Dios. 31 At sa loob ng maraming araw, nagpakita siya sa mga taong sumama sa kanya nang umalis siya sa Galilea papuntang Jerusalem. Ang mga taong iyon ang siya ring nangangaral ngayon sa mga Israelita tungkol kay Jesus. 32 At narito kami ngayon upang ipahayag sa inyo ang Magandang Balita na ipinangako ng Dios sa ating mga ninuno, 33 na tinupad niya ngayon sa atin nang muli niyang buhayin si Jesus. Ito ang nasusulat sa ikalawang Salmo,
‘Ikaw ang aking anak, at ipapakita ko ngayon na ako ang iyong Ama.’[c]
34 Ipinangako na noon pa ng Dios na bubuhayin niya si Jesus, at ang kanyang katawan ay hindi mabubulok, dahil sinabi niya,
‘Ang mga ipinangako ko kay David ay tutuparin ko sa iyo.’[d]
35 At sinabi pa sa isa pang Salmo,
‘Hindi ka papayag na mabulok ang katawan ng iyong tapat na lingkod.’[e]
36 Hindi si David ang tinutukoy dito, dahil nang matapos ni David ang ipinapagawa sa kanya ng Dios na maglingkod sa kanyang henerasyon, namatay siya at inilibing sa tabi ng kanyang mga ninuno, at ang kanyang katawan ay nabulok. 37 Ngunit si Jesus na muling binuhay ng Dios ay hindi nabulok. 38-39 Kaya nga mga kapatid, dapat ninyong malaman na sa pamamagitan ni Jesus ay ipinapahayag namin sa inyo ang balita na patatawarin tayo ng Dios sa ating mga kasalanan. Ang sinumang sumasampalataya kay Jesus ay itinuturing ng Dios na matuwid. Hindi ito magagawa sa pamamagitan ng pagsunod sa Kautusan ni Moises. 40 Kaya mag-ingat kayo para hindi mangyari sa inyo ang sinabi ng mga propeta,
41 ‘Kayong mga nangungutya, mamamangha kayo sa aking gagawin.
Mamamatay kayo dahil mayroon akong gagawin sa inyong kapanahunan, na hindi ninyo paniniwalaan kahit na may magsabi pa sa inyo.’ ”[f]
42 Nang palabas na sina Pablo at Bernabe sa sambahan ng mga Judio, inimbitahan sila ng mga tao na muling magsalita tungkol sa mga bagay na ito sa susunod na Araw ng Pamamahinga. 43 Pagkatapos ng pagtitipon, maraming Judio at mga taong lumipat sa relihiyon ng mga Judio ang sumunod kina Pablo at Bernabe. Pinangaralan sila nina Pablo at Bernabe at pinayuhan na ipagpatuloy ang kanilang pagtitiwala sa biyaya ng Dios.
Bumaling si Pablo sa mga Hindi Judio
44 Nang sumunod na Araw ng Pamamahinga, halos lahat ng naninirahan sa Antioc ay nagtipon sa sambahan ng mga Judio para makinig sa salita ng Panginoon. 45 Nang makita ng mga pinuno ng mga Judio na maraming tao ang dumalo, nainggit sila. Sinalungat nila si Pablo at pinagsalitaan nang hindi maganda. 46 Pero buong tapang silang sinagot nina Pablo at Bernabe, “Dapat sanaʼy sa inyo munang mga Judio ipapangaral ang salita ng Dios. Ngunit dahil tinanggihan ninyo ito, nangangahulugan lang na hindi kayo karapat-dapat bigyan ng buhay na walang hanggan. Kaya mula ngayon, sa mga hindi Judio na kami mangangaral ng Magandang Balita. 47 Sapagkat ito ang utos ng Panginoon sa amin:
‘Ginawa kitang ilaw sa mga hindi Judio, upang sa pamamagitan mo ang kaligtasan ay makarating sa buong mundo.’ ”
48 Nang marinig iyon ng mga hindi Judio, natuwa sila at kanilang sinabi, “Kahanga-hanga ang salita ng Panginoon.” At ang lahat ng itinalaga para sa buhay na walang hanggan ay naging mananampalataya.
49 Kaya kumalat ang salita ng Panginoon sa lugar na iyon. 50 Pero sinulsulan ng mga pinuno ng mga Judio ang mga namumuno sa lungsod, pati na rin ang mga relihiyoso at mga kilalang babae, na kalabanin sina Pablo. Kaya inusig nila sina Pablo at Bernabe, at pinalayas sa lugar na iyon. 51 Ipinagpag nina Pablo at Bernabe ang alikabok sa kanilang mga paa bilang babala laban sa kanila. At tumuloy sila sa Iconium. 52 Ang mga tagasunod ni Jesus doon sa Antioc ay puspos ng Banal na Espiritu at masayang-masaya.
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