Acts 13
1599 Geneva Bible
13 2 The holy Ghost commandeth that Paul and Barnabas be separated unto him. 6 At Paphos, 8 Elymas the sorcerer 11 is stricken blind: 14 From whence being come to Antioch, 17 They preach the Gospel, 45 the Jews vehemently withstanding them.
1 There [a]were also in the Church that was at Antioch, certain Prophets and teachers, as Barnabas, and Simeon called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen (which had been brought up with [b]Herod the Tetrarch) and Saul.
2 Now as they [c]ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul, for the work whereunto I have [d]called them.
3 [e]Then fasted they and prayed, and laid their hands on them, and let them go.
4 [f]And they after they were sent forth of the holy Ghost, came down unto [g]Seleucia, and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.
5 And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the Synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.
6 So when they had gone throughout the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, being a Jew, named Bar-Jesus,
7 Which was with the Deputy Sergius Paulus, a prudent man. He called unto him Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.
8 [h]But Elymas the sorcerer, (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, and sought to turn away the Deputy from the faith.
9 Then Saul (which also is called Paul) being full of the holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,
10 [i]And said, O full of all subtlety and all [j]mischief, the child of the devil, and enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the straight ways of the Lord?
11 Now therefore behold, the [k]hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, and not see the sun 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 Deputy when he saw what was done, believed, and was astonied at the doctrine of the Lord.
13 [l]Now when Paul and they that were with him were departed by ship from Paphos, they came to Perga a city of Pamphylia: then John departed from them, and returned to Jerusalem.
14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch a city of [m]Pisidia, and went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sat down.
15 [n]And after the lecture of the Law and Prophets, the rulers of the Synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye [o]have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.
16 [p]Then Paul stood up and beckoned with the hand, and said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, hearken.
17 The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and [q]exalted the people when they dwelt in the land of (A)Egypt, and with an (B)[r]high arm brought them out thereof.
18 And about the time (C)of forty years, suffered he their manners in the wilderness.
19 And he destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, and (D)divided their land to them by lot.
20 Then afterward he gave unto them (E)Judges about [s]four hundred and fifty years, unto the time of Samuel the Prophet.
21 So after that, they desired a (F)King, and God gave unto them (G)Saul, the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of [t]forty years.
22 And after he had taken him away, he raised up (H)David to be their King, of whom he witnessed, saying, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which will do all things that I will.
23 [u]Of this man’s seed hath God (I)according to his promise raised up to Israel, the Savior Jesus:
24 When (J)John had first preached [v]before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
25 And when John had fulfilled his course, he said, (K)Whom ye think that I am, I am not he: but behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoe of his feet I am not worthy to loose.
26 [w]Ye men and brethren, children of the generation of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.
27 [x]For the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the words of the Prophets, which are read every Sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.
28 And though they found no cause of death in him, (L)yet desired they Pilate to kill him.
29 And when they had fulfilled all things that were written of him, they took him down from the tree, and put him in a sepulcher.
30 [y]But God (M)raised him up from the dead.
31 And he was seen many days of them, which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, which are his witnesses unto the people.
32 And we declare unto you, that touching the promise made unto the fathers,
33 God hath fulfilled it unto us their children, in that he [z]raised up Jesus, [aa]even as it is written in the second Psalm, (N)Thou art my Son: this day have I begotten thee.
34 Now as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he hath said thus, (O)I will give you the holy things of David, [ab]which are faithful.
35 [ac]Wherefore he saith also in another place, (P)Thou wilt not suffer thine holy one to see corruption.
36 Howbeit, David after he had served his time by the counsel of God, he (Q)slept, and was laid with his fathers, and saw corruption.
37 But he whom God raised up, saw no corruption.
38 [ad]Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.
39 And from [ae]all things, from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses, by him everyone that believeth, is justified.
40 [af]Beware therefore lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the Prophets,
41 (R)Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and vanish away: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall not believe, if a man would declare it you.
42 ¶ [ag]And when they were come out of the Synagogue of the Jews, the Gentiles besought, that they would preach these words to them the next Sabbath day.
43 Now when the congregation was dissolved, many of the Jews and [ah]Proselytes that feared God, followed Paul and Barnabas, which spake unto them, and exhorted them to continue in the grace of God.
44 And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together, to hear the word of God.
45 [ai]But when the Jews saw the people, they were full of envy, and spake against those things, which were spoken of Paul, contrarying them, and railing on them.
46 [aj]Then Paul and Barnabas spake boldly, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken unto you: but seeing ye put it from you, and [ak]judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, (S)I have made thee a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be the salvation unto the end of the world.
48 And when the Gentiles heard it, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were [al]ordained unto eternal life, believed.
49 Thus the word of the Lord was published throughout the whole country.
50 [am]But the Jews stirred certain [an]devout and honorable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.
51 [ao]But they (T)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 Ghost.
Footnotes
- Acts 13:1 Paul with Barnabas is again the second time appointed Apostle of the Gentiles, not of man, neither by man, but by an extraordinary commandment of the holy Ghost.
- Acts 13:1 The same was Antipas, which put John Baptist to death.
- Acts 13:2 While they were busy doing their office, that is, as Chrysostom expoundeth it, while they were preaching.
- Acts 13:2 The Lord is said to call (whereof this word (calling) cometh, which is usual in the Church) when he causeth that to be, which was not, whether you refer it to the matter itself or to any quality or thing about the matter: and it groweth of this, because when things begin to be, then they have some name: as God’s mighty power is also declared thereby, who spake the word, and things were made.
- Acts 13:3 Fast, and solemn prayers were used before the laying on of hands.
- Acts 13:4 Paul and his companions do at the first bring Cyprus to the subjection and obedience of Christ.
- Acts 13:4 Seleucia was a city of Cilicia, so called of Seleucus one of Alexander’s successors.
- Acts 13:8 The devil maketh the conquest of Christ more glorious, in that that he setteth himself against him.
- Acts 13:10 The sorcerer which was stricken of Paul with a corporal punishment (although extraordinarily) showeth an example to lawful magistrates, how they ought to punish them which wickedly and obstinately hinder the course of the Gospel.
- Acts 13:10 He noteth out such a fault, as whoso hath it, runneth headlong and with great desire to all kinds of wickedness with the least motion in the world.
- Acts 13:11 His power which he showeth in striking and beating down his enemies.
- Acts 13:13 An example in one and the selfsame company both of singular constancy, and also of great weakness.
- Acts 13:14 This putteth a difference betwixt it, and Antioch which was in Syria.
- Acts 13:15 In the Synagogue of the Jews (according to the pattern whereof Christian Congregations were instituted) first the Scriptures were read, then such as were learned were licensed by the rulers of the Synagogue to speak and expound.
- Acts 13:15 Word for word, If there be any word in you: and this is a kind of speech taken from the Hebrews, whereby is meant, that the gifts of God’s grace are in us, as it were in treasure houses, and that they are not ours, but God’s: In like sort saith David, Thou hast put a new song in my mouth, Ps. 40:1.
- Acts 13:16 God bestowed many peculiar benefits upon his chosen Israel, but this especially, that he promised them the everlasting redeemer.
- Acts 13:17 Advanced and brought to honor.
- Acts 13:17 Openly and with [much] force, breaking in pieces the enemies of his people.
- Acts 13:20 There were from the birth of Isaac unto the destruction of the Canaanites under the governance of Joshua four hundred and seven and forty years, and therefore he addeth in this place, this word, About, for there want three years, but the Apostle useth the whole greater number.
- Acts 13:21 In this space of forty years must the time of Samuel be reckoned with the days of Saul: for the kingdom did as it were swallow up his government.
- Acts 13:23 He proveth by the witness of John, that Jesus is that Savior which should come of David.
- Acts 13:24 John as an Herald, did not show Christ’s coming afar off as the other Prophets did, but hard at hand, and entered on his journey.
- Acts 13:26 Christ was promised and sent properly to the Jews.
- Acts 13:27 All things came to pass to Christ, which the Prophets foretold of Messiah: so that hereby also it appeareth that he is the true and only Savior: and yet notwithstanding they are not to be excused which did not only not receive him, but also persecute him most cruelly although he was innocent.
- Acts 13:30 We must set the glory of the resurrection against the shame of the cross, and grave. And the resurrection is proved as well by witnesses which saw it, as by the testimonies of the Prophets.
- Acts 13:33 For then he appeared plainly and manifestly as that only Son of God, when as he left off his weakness, and came out of the grave, having conquered death.
- Acts 13:33 If Christ had tarried in death, he had not been the true Son of God, neither had the covenant, which was made with David, been sure.
- Acts 13:34 The Greeks call those holy things, which the Hebrews call gracious bounties: and they are called David’s bounties in the passive signification, because God bestowed them upon David: Moreover, they are termed faithful, after the manner of speech which the Hebrews use, who terms those things faithful, which are steady and sure such as never alter nor change.
- Acts 13:35 The Lord was so in grave, that he felt no corruption.
- Acts 13:38 Christ was sent to give them free remission of sins, which were condemned by the Law.
- Acts 13:39 Whereas the ceremonies of the Law could not absolve you from your sins, this man doth absolve you, if you lay hold on him by faith.
- Acts 13:40 The benefits of God turn to the utter undoing of them that contemn them.
- Acts 13:42 The Gentiles go before the Jews into the kingdom of heaven.
- Acts 13:43 Which had forsaken their heathenish religion, and embraced the religion set forth by Moses.
- Acts 13:45 The favor of one selfsame Gospel is unto the reprobate and unbelievers, death, and to the elect and such as believe, life.
- Acts 13:46 The Gospel is published to the Gentiles by the express commandment of God.
- Acts 13:46 By this your doing you do as it were, pronounce sentence against yourselves, and judge yourselves.
- Acts 13:48 Therefore either all were not appointed to everlasting life, or else all should have believed: but because that is not so, it followeth, that some certain were ordained, and therefore God did not only foreknow, but also foreordain, that neither faith nor the effects of faith should be the cause of his ordaining or appointment, but his ordaining the cause of faith.
- Acts 13:50 Such is the craft and subtlety of the enemies of the Gospel, that they abuse the simplicity of some which are not altogether evil men, to execute their cruelty.
- Acts 13:50 Such as embraced Moses’ Law.
- Acts 13:51 The wickedness of the world cannot let God to gather his Church together, and to foster and cherish it, when it is gathered together.
Acts 13
Living Bible
13 Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch were Barnabas and Symeon (also called “The Black Man”), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (the foster-brother of King Herod), and Paul. 2 One day as these men were worshiping and fasting the Holy Spirit said, “Dedicate Barnabas and Paul for a special job I have for them.” 3 So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them—and sent them on their way.
4 Directed by the Holy Spirit they went to Seleucia and then sailed for Cyprus. 5 There, in the town of Salamis, they went to the Jewish synagogue and preached. (John Mark went with them as their assistant.)
6-7 Afterwards they preached from town to town across the entire island until finally they reached Paphos where they met a Jewish sorcerer, a fake prophet named Bar-Jesus. He had attached himself to the governor, Sergius Paulus, a man of considerable insight and understanding. The governor invited Barnabas and Paul to visit him, for he wanted to hear their message from God. 8 But the sorcerer, Elymas (his name in Greek), interfered and urged the governor to pay no attention to what Paul and Barnabas said, trying to keep him from trusting the Lord.
9 Then Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, glared angrily at the sorcerer and said, 10 “You son of the devil, full of every sort of trickery and villainy, enemy of all that is good, will you never end your opposition to the Lord? 11 And now God has laid his hand of punishment upon you, and you will be stricken awhile with blindness.”
Instantly mist and darkness fell upon him, and he began wandering around begging for someone to take his hand and lead him. 12 When the governor saw what happened, he believed and was astonished at the power of God’s message.
13 Now Paul and those with him left Paphos by ship for Turkey,[a] landing at the port town of Perga. There John Mark deserted them and returned to Jerusalem. 14 But Barnabas and Paul went on to Antioch, a city in the province of Pisidia.
On the Sabbath they went into the synagogue for the services. 15 After the usual readings from the Books of Moses and from the Prophets, those in charge of the service sent them this message: “Brothers, if you have any word of instruction for us come and give it!”
16 So Paul stood, waved a greeting to them[b] and began. “Men of Israel,” he said, “and all others here who reverence God, let me begin my remarks with a bit of history.
17 “The God of this nation Israel chose our ancestors and honored them in Egypt by gloriously leading them out of their slavery. 18 And he nursed them through forty years of wandering around in the wilderness. 19-20 Then he destroyed seven nations in Canaan and gave Israel their land as an inheritance. Judges ruled for about four hundred and fifty years and were followed by Samuel the prophet.
21 “Then the people begged for a king, and God gave them Saul (son of Kish), a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years. 22 But God removed him and replaced him with David as king, a man about whom God said, ‘David (son of Jesse) is a man after my own heart, for he will obey me.’ 23 And it is one of King David’s descendants, Jesus, who is God’s promised Savior of Israel!
24 “But before he came, John the Baptist preached the need for everyone in Israel to turn from sin to God. 25 As John was finishing his work he asked, ‘Do you think I am the Messiah? No! But he is coming soon—and in comparison with him, I am utterly worthless.’
26 “Brothers—you sons of Abraham, and also all of you Gentiles here who reverence God—this salvation is for all of us! 27 The Jews in Jerusalem and their leaders fulfilled prophecy by killing Jesus; for they didn’t recognize him or realize that he is the one the prophets had written about, though they heard the prophets’ words read every Sabbath. 28 They found no just cause to execute him, but asked Pilate to have him killed anyway. 29 When they had fulfilled all the prophecies concerning his death, he was taken from the cross and placed in a tomb.
30 “But God brought him back to life again! 31 And he was seen many times during the next few days by the men who had accompanied him to Jerusalem from Galilee—these men have constantly testified to this in public witness.
32-33 “And now Barnabas and I are here to bring you this Good News—that God’s promise to our ancestors has come true in our own time, in that God brought Jesus back to life again. This is what the second Psalm is talking about when it says concerning Jesus, ‘Today I have honored you as my Son.’[c]
34 “For God had promised to bring him back to life again, no more to die. This is stated in the Scripture that says, ‘I will do for you the wonderful thing I promised David.’ 35 In another Psalm he explained more fully, saying, ‘God will not let his Holy One decay.’ 36 This was not a reference to David, for after David had served his generation according to the will of God, he died and was buried, and his body decayed. 37 No, it was a reference to another[d]—someone God brought back to life, whose body was not touched at all by the ravages of death.
38 “Brothers! Listen! In this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins! 39 Everyone who trusts in him is freed from all guilt and declared righteous—something the Jewish law could never do. 40 Oh, be careful! Don’t let the prophets’ words apply to you. For they said, 41 ‘Look and perish, you despisers of the truth,[e] for I am doing something in your day—something that you won’t believe when you hear it announced.’”
42 As the people left the synagogue that day, they asked Paul to return and speak to them again the next week. 43 And many Jews and godly Gentiles who worshiped at the synagogue followed Paul and Barnabas down the street as the two men urged them to accept the mercies God was offering. 44 The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the Word of God.
45 But when the Jewish leaders[f] saw the crowds, they were jealous, and cursed and argued against whatever Paul said.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that this Good News from God should be given first to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and shown yourselves unworthy of eternal life—well, we will offer it to Gentiles. 47 For this is as the Lord commanded when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to lead them from the farthest corners of the earth to my salvation.’”
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and rejoiced in Paul’s message; and as many as wanted[g] eternal life, believed. 49 So God’s message spread all through that region.
50 Then the Jewish leaders stirred up both the godly women and the civic leaders of the city and incited a mob against Paul and Barnabas, and ran them out of town. 51 But they shook off the dust of their feet against the town and went on to the city of Iconium. 52 And their converts[h] were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Footnotes
- Acts 13:13 Turkey, literally, “Pamphylia.” deserted them, literally, “departed from them”; see 15:38.
- Acts 13:16 waved a greeting to them, literally, “beckoned with the hand.” let me begin my remarks with a bit of history, implied.
- Acts 13:32 Today I have honored you as my Son, literally, “This day have I begotten you.”
- Acts 13:37 No, it was a reference to another, implied. was not touched at all by the ravages of death, literally, “saw no corruption.”
- Acts 13:41 of the truth, implied.
- Acts 13:45 the Jewish leaders, literally, “the Jews.” cursed, or “blasphemed.”
- Acts 13:48 wanted, or “were disposed to,” or “were ordained to.”
- Acts 13:52 their converts, literally, “the disciples.”
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