Barnabas and Saul Sent Off

13 Now there were in the church at Antioch ^(A)prophets and ^(B)teachers, ^(C)Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger,^[a] Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of ^(D)Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. ² While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, ^(E)the Holy Spirit said, ^(F)“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul ^(G)for the work to which I have called them.” ³ Then after fasting and ^(H)praying they laid their hands on them and ^(I)sent them off.

Barnabas and Saul on Cyprus

⁴ So, being sent out ^(J)by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. ⁵ When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God ^(K)in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had ^(L)John to ^(M)assist them. ⁶ When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain ^(N)magician, ^(O)a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. ⁷ He was with ^(P)the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. ⁸ But Elymas the ^(Q)magician (for that is the meaning of his name) ^(R)opposed them, seeking to turn ^(S)the proconsul away from the faith. ⁹ But Saul, who was also called Paul, ^(T)filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him ¹⁰ and said, “You ^(U)son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and ^(V)villainy, will you not stop ^(W)making crooked ^(X)the straight paths of the Lord? ¹¹ And now, behold, ^(Y)the 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 ^(Z)people to lead him by the hand. ¹² Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at ^(AA)the teaching of the Lord.

Paul and Barnabas at Antioch in Pisidia

¹³ Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And ^(AB)John left them and returned ^(AC)to Jerusalem, ¹⁴ but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And ^(AD)on the Sabbath day ^(AE)they went into the synagogue and sat down. ¹⁵ After ^(AF)the reading from ^(AG)the Law and the Prophets, ^(AH)the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any ^(AI)word of encouragement for the people, say it.” ¹⁶ So Paul stood up, and ^(AJ)motioning with his hand said:

“Men of Israel and ^(AK)you who fear God, listen. ^17 (AL)The God of this people Israel ^(AM)chose our fathers and ^(AN)made the people great ^(AO)during their stay in the land of Egypt, and ^(AP)with uplifted arm he led them out of it. ¹⁸ And for about ^(AQ)forty years ^(AR)he put up with^[b] them in the wilderness. ¹⁹ And ^(AS)after destroying ^(AT)seven nations in the land of Canaan, ^(AU)he gave them their land as an inheritance. ²⁰ All this took about 450 years. And after that ^(AV)he gave them judges until ^(AW)Samuel the prophet. ²¹ Then ^(AX)they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul ^(AY)the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. ²² And ^(AZ)when he had removed him, ^(BA)he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ^(BB)‘I have found in David the son of Jesse ^(BC)a man after my heart, ^(BD)who will do all my will.’ ^23 (BE)Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel ^(BF)a Savior, Jesus, ^(BG)as he promised. ²⁴ Before his coming, ^(BH)John had proclaimed ^(BI)a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. ²⁵ And as John was finishing his course, ^(BJ)he 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.’

²⁶ “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you ^(BK)who fear God, to us has been sent ^(BL)the message of ^(BM)this salvation. ²⁷ For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because ^(BN)they did not recognize him nor understand ^(BO)the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, ^(BP)fulfilled them by condemning him. ²⁸ And ^(BQ)though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, ^(BR)they asked Pilate to have him executed. ²⁹ And when ^(BS)they had carried out all that was written of him, ^(BT)they took him down from ^(BU)the tree and laid him in a tomb. ³⁰ But ^(BV)God raised him from the dead, ³¹ and for many days ^(BW)he appeared to those ^(BX)who had come up with him ^(BY)from Galilee to Jerusalem, ^(BZ)who are now ^(CA)his witnesses to the people. ³² And we bring you the good news ^(CB)that what God promised to the fathers, ^33 (CC)this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,

³⁴ And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, ^(CE)(CF)no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,

³⁵ Therefore he says also in another psalm,

³⁶ For David, after he had ^(CI)served the purpose of God in his own generation, ^(CJ)fell asleep and ^(CK)was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, ³⁷ but he whom ^(CL)God raised up did not see corruption. ³⁸ Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, ^(CM)that through this man ^(CN)forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, ³⁹ and by him ^(CO)everyone who believes is freed^[c] from everything ^(CP)from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:

⁴² As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. ⁴³ And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and ^(CR)devout ^(CS)converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them ^(CT)to continue in ^(CU)the grace of God.

⁴⁴ The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. ^45 (CV)But ^(CW)when the Jews^[d] saw the crowds, they were filled with ^(CX)jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, ^(CY)reviling him. ⁴⁶ And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God ^(CZ)be spoken first to you. ^(DA)Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves ^(DB)unworthy of eternal life, behold, we ^(DC)are turning to the Gentiles. ^47 (DD)For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,

⁴⁸ And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and ^(DH)glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. ⁴⁹ And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. ^50 (DI)But the Jews incited the devout ^(DJ)women of high standing and the leading men of the city, ^(DK)stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and ^(DL)drove them out of their district. ⁵¹ But they ^(DM)shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. ⁵² And the disciples were filled ^(DN)with joy and ^(DO)with the Holy Spirit.

Paul and Barnabas at Iconium

14 Now at Iconium ^(DP)they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. ^2 (DQ)But the ^(DR)unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against ^(DS)the brothers.^{[e] 3} So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for ^(DT)the Lord, who bore witness to ^(DU)the word of his grace, ^(DV)granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. ⁴ But the people of the city ^(DW)were divided; ^(DX)some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles. ⁵ When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, ^(DY)to mistreat them and ^(DZ)to stone them, ⁶ they learned of it and ^(EA)fled to ^(EB)Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, ⁷ and there they continued to preach the gospel.

Paul and Barnabas at Lystra

⁸ Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was ^(EC)crippled from birth and had never walked. ⁹ He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and ^(ED)seeing that he had faith to be made well,^{[f] 10} said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he ^(EE)sprang up and began walking. ¹¹ And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, ^(EF)“The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” ¹² Barnabas they called ^(EG)Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. ¹³ And the priest of ^(EH)Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and ^(EI)wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. ¹⁴ But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they ^(EJ)tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, ¹⁵ “Men, ^(EK)why are you doing these things? We also are men, ^(EL)of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that ^(EM)you should turn from these ^(EN)vain things to ^(EO)a living God, ^(EP)who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. ¹⁶ In past generations he ^(EQ)allowed all the nations ^(ER)to walk in their own ways. ¹⁷ Yet ^(ES)he did not leave himself without witness, for he ^(ET)did good by ^(EU)giving you rains from heaven and ^(EV)fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with ^(EW)food and ^(EX)gladness.” ¹⁸ Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.

Paul Stoned at Lystra

^19 (EY)But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, ^(EZ)they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. ²⁰ But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. ²¹ When they had preached the gospel to that city and had ^(FA)made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, ^22 (FB)strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them ^(FC)to continue in ^(FD)the faith, and saying that ^(FE)through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. ²³ And when they had ^(FF)appointed ^(FG)elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting ^(FH)they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

Paul and Barnabas Return to Antioch in Syria

²⁴ Then 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 from there they sailed to Antioch, ^(FI)where they had been ^(FJ)commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. ²⁷ And when they arrived and gathered the church together, ^(FK)they declared all that God had done with them, and ^(FL)how he had ^(FM)opened ^(FN)a door of faith to the Gentiles. ²⁸ And they remained no little time with the disciples.

Greeting

1 ^(A)James, a servant^[a] of God and ^(B)of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To ^(C)the twelve tribes in ^(D)the Dispersion:

Greetings.

Testing of Your Faith

^2 (E)Count it all joy, my brothers,^[b] when you meet trials ^(F)of various kinds, ³ for you know that ^(G)the testing of your faith ^(H)produces steadfastness. ⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be ^(I)perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

^5 (J)If any of you lacks wisdom, ^(K)let him ask God, ^(L)who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. ⁶ But ^(M)let him ask in faith, ^(N)with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like ^(O)a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ^8 (P)he is a double-minded man, ^(Q)unstable in all his ways.

⁹ Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, ¹⁰ and ^(R)the rich in his humiliation, because ^(S)like a flower of the grass^[c] he will pass away. ¹¹ For the sun rises with its scorching heat and ^(T)withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

^12 (U)Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive ^(V)the crown of life, ^(W)which God has promised to those who love him. ¹³ Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. ¹⁴ But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. ¹⁵ Then desire ^(X)when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and ^(Y)sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

¹⁶ Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. ^17 (Z)Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from ^(AA)the Father of lights, ^(AB)with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.^{[d] 18 (AC)}Of his own will he ^(AD)brought us forth by the word of truth, ^(AE)that we should be a kind of ^(AF)firstfruits of his creatures.

Hearing and Doing the Word

^19 (AG)Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person ^(AH)be quick to hear, ^(AI)slow to speak, ^(AJ)slow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore ^(AK)put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with ^(AL)meekness the implanted word, ^(AM)which is able to save your souls.

²² But be ^(AN)doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. ²⁴ For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. ²⁵ But the one who looks into the perfect law, ^(AO)the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, ^(AP)he will be blessed in his doing.

²⁶ If anyone thinks he is religious ^(AQ)and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's ^(AR)religion is worthless. ²⁷ Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: ^(AS)to visit ^(AT)orphans and widows in their affliction, and ^(AU)to keep oneself ^(AV)unstained from the world.

The Sin of Partiality

2 My brothers,^{[e] (AW)}show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, ^(AX)the Lord of glory. ² For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, ³ and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” ^(AY)while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” ⁴ have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become ^(AZ)judges with evil thoughts? ⁵ Listen, my beloved brothers, ^(BA)has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be ^(BB)rich in faith and heirs of ^(BC)the kingdom, ^(BD)which he has promised to those who love him? ⁶ But you ^(BE)have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who ^(BF)drag you ^(BG)into court? ⁷ Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable ^(BH)name by which you were called?

⁸ If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ^(BI)“You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. ⁹ But if you ^(BJ)show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point ^(BK)has become guilty of all of it. ¹¹ For he who said, ^(BL)“Do not commit adultery,” also said, ^(BM)“Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. ¹² So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under ^(BN)the law of liberty. ¹³ For ^(BO)judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith Without Works Is Dead

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith ^(BP)but does not have works? Can that faith save him? ^15 (BQ)If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, ^16 (BR)and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good^[f] is that? ¹⁷ So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith ^(BS)apart from your works, and I will show you my faith ^(BT)by my works. ^19 (BU)You believe that God is one; you do well. Even ^(BV)the demons believe—and shudder! ²⁰ Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? ^21 (BW)Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that ^(BX)faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed ^(BY)by his works; ²³ and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ^(BZ)“Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a ^(CA)friend of God. ²⁴ You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵ And in the same way was not also ^(CB)Rahab the prostitute justified by works ^(CC)when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? ²⁶ For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

Taming the Tongue

3 ^(CD)Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. ² For ^(CE)we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, ^(CF)he is a perfect man, ^(CG)able also to bridle his whole body. ³ If we put ^(CH)bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. ⁴ Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. ⁵ So also the tongue is a small member, yet ^(CI)it boasts of great things.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! ⁶ And ^(CJ)the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, ^(CK)staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life,^[g] and set on fire by hell.^{[h] 7} For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, ⁸ but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, ^(CL)full of deadly poison. ⁹ With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people ^(CM)who are made in the likeness of God. ¹⁰ From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers,^[i] these things ought not to be so. ¹¹ Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? ¹² Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

Wisdom from Above

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? ^(CN)By his good conduct let him show his works ^(CO)in the meekness of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter ^(CP)jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. ¹⁵ This is not ^(CQ)the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, ^(CR)demonic. ¹⁶ For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. ¹⁷ But ^(CS)the wisdom from above is first pure, then ^(CT)peaceable, gentle, open to reason, ^(CU)full of mercy and good fruits, ^(CV)impartial and ^(CW)sincere. ¹⁸ And ^(CX)a harvest of righteousness ^(CY)is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Warning Against Worldliness

4 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions^[j] are ^(CZ)at war within you?^{[k] 2} You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. ³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask ^(DA)wrongly, to spend it on your passions. ^4 (DB)You adulterous people!^[l] Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? ^(DC)Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit ^(DD)that he has made to dwell in us”? ⁶ But ^(DE)he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ^(DF)“God opposes the proud but ^(DG)gives grace to the humble.” ⁷ Submit yourselves therefore to God. ^(DH)Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ^8 (DI)Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. ^(DJ)Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and ^(DK)purify your hearts, ^(DL)you double-minded. ^9 (DM)Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ^10 (DN)Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

^11 (DO)Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.^[m] The one who speaks against a brother or ^(DP)judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. ¹² There is only ^(DQ)one lawgiver and ^(DR)judge, he who is able to save and ^(DS)to destroy. But ^(DT)who are you to judge your neighbor?

Boasting About Tomorrow

¹³ Come now, you who say, ^(DU)“Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— ¹⁴ yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For ^(DV)you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead you ought to say, ^(DW)“If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ As it is, you boast in your arrogance. ^(DX)All such boasting is evil. ^17 (DY)So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Warning to the Rich

5 Come now, ^(DZ)you rich, weep and howl for the ^(EA)miseries that are coming upon you. ^2 (EB)Your riches have rotted and ^(EC)your garments are moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. ^(ED)You have laid up treasure ^(EE)in the last days. ⁴ Behold, ^(EF)the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and ^(EG)the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of ^(EH)the Lord of hosts. ^5 (EI)You have lived on the earth in luxury and ^(EJ)in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in ^(EK)a day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned and ^(EL)murdered ^(EM)the righteous person. He does not resist you.

Patience in Suffering

⁷ Be patient, therefore, brothers,^[n] until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives ^(EN)the early and the late rains. ⁸ You also, be patient. ^(EO)Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord ^(EP)is at hand. ⁹ Do not grumble against one another, brothers, ^(EQ)so that you may not be judged; behold, ^(ER)the Judge is standing ^(ES)at the door. ¹⁰ As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take ^(ET)the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of ^(EU)the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen ^(EV)the purpose of the Lord, how ^(EW)the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

¹² But above all, my brothers, ^(EX)do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

The Prayer of Faith

¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him ^(EY)sing praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, ^(EZ)anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And ^(FA)if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore, ^(FB)confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, ^(FC)that you may be healed. ^(FD)The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.^{[o] 17} Elijah was a man ^(FE)with a nature like ours, and ^(FF)he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for ^(FG)three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. ^18 (FH)Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

¹⁹ My brothers, ^(FI)if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone ^(FJ)brings him back, ²⁰ let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering ^(FK)will save his soul from death and ^(FL)will cover a multitude of sins.