Acts 13
Expanded Bible
Barnabas and Saul Are Chosen
13 In the church at Antioch there were these prophets and teachers: Barnabas [4:36], Simeon (also called Niger [C meaning “Black”; Luke 23:26]), Lucius (from the city of Cyrene [C a city in North Africa]), Manaen (who ·had grown up with Herod [or was a close friend of Herod; or was a member of Herod’s court], the ·ruler [L tetrarch; C a Roman political title; see Luke 3:1]), and Saul. 2 They were all ·worshiping [or serving] the Lord and fasting [C giving up eating for spiritual purposes]. During this time the Holy Spirit said to them, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul to do ·a special [L the] work for which I have ·chosen [called] them.”
3 So after they fasted and prayed, they laid their hands on [C a ritual of blessing and/or conferring of authority] Barnabas and Saul and sent them out.
Barnabas and Saul in Cyprus
4 Barnabas and Saul, sent out by the Holy Spirit, went to the city of Seleucia [C a Syrian city 15 miles from Antioch]. From there they sailed to the island of Cyprus [C an island off the coast of Syria, and Barnabas’ homeland; 4:36]. 5 When they came to Salamis [C the main city of Cyprus], they preached the ·Good News [Gospel; L word] of God in the synagogues [L of the Jews]. John Mark was ·with them to help [their assistant].
6 They went across the whole island to Paphos [C the capital city of Cyprus, on the southwest coast] where they met a ·magician [sorcerer] named Bar-Jesus [C meaning “son of Jesus/Joshua”]. He was a Jewish false prophet 7 who ·always stayed close to [L was with; C perhaps an assistant or advisor] Sergius Paulus, the ·governor [proconsul] and a ·smart [intelligent; discerning] man. He asked Barnabas and Saul to come to him, because he wanted to hear the ·message [L word] of God. 8 But Elymas, the magician (that is what his name means), was against them [C Elymas probably comes either from an Arabic word meaning “wise man” or an Aramaic word meaning “interpreter of dreams”—hence a “magician”]. He tried to ·stop [turn away] the ·governor [proconsul] from ·believing in Jesus [L the faith]. 9 But Saul, who was also called Paul [C Saul was his Jewish name; Paul his Roman name (both probably given at birth)], was filled with the Holy Spirit. He looked ·straight [intently] at Elymas 10 and said, “You son of the devil! You are an enemy of ·everything that is right [all righteousness]! You are full of ·lies [deceit] and ·evil tricks [fraud; evil schemes], ·always trying to change the Lord’s truths into lies [L will you never stop making crooked/perverting the straight paths of the Lord?]. 11 Now [L look; T behold] the [L hand of the] Lord will touch you, and you will be blind. For a time you will not be able to see anything—not even the light from the sun.”
Then ·everything became dark for [L mist and darkness fell upon] Elymas, and he walked around, trying to find someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the ·governor [proconsul] saw this, he believed because he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.
Paul and Barnabas Leave Cyprus
13 Paul and ·those with him [his companions] sailed from Paphos [v. 6] and came to Perga, in Pamphylia [C a Roman province in southern Turkey; Perga was a major city]. There John Mark left them to return to Jerusalem [15:38]. 14 They continued their trip from Perga and went to Antioch, a city in Pisidia [C a Roman province in southcentral Turkey; this Antioch should not be confused with Antioch in Syria (11:19–20)]. On the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the law of Moses and the writings of the prophets were read [C part of the traditional synagogue service], the leaders of the synagogue sent a message to Paul and Barnabas: “Brothers, if you have any ·message that will encourage the people [L word of encouragement/exhortation; C they are invited to give the homily, or sermon], please speak.”
16 Paul stood up, ·raised [or motioned with] his hand, and said, “·You Israelites [Men, Israelites] and you who ·worship [L fear] God [C Gentiles who worshiped the God of Israel; 10:2], please listen! 17 The God of the Israelites chose our ·ancestors [L fathers; C Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; Gen. 12—36]. He made the people great during the time they lived [as foreigners/aliens] in Egypt, and he brought them out of that country with ·great power [L a raised/uplifted arm]. 18 And he ·was patient with [put up with] them[a] for forty years in the ·desert [wilderness; Ex. 16—Deut. 34]. 19 God destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan and gave the land to his people [L as an inheritance]. 20 All this happened in about four hundred fifty years [C a round number of the time Israel was in Egypt, wandering in the wilderness, and conquering the land].
“After this, God gave them judges [Judg. 1—21] until the time of Samuel the prophet [1 Sam. 1:1—25:1; 28]. 21 Then the people asked for a king, so God gave them Saul son of Kish. Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin and was king for forty years [1 Sam. 8—2 Sam. 1]. 22 After God ·took him away [removed/deposed him], God ·made David [L raised up David as] their king [2 Sam. 2—7]. God ·said [witnessed; testified] about him: ‘I have found in David son of Jesse ·the kind of man I want [a man whose heart is like mine; T a man after my own heart; 1 Sam. 13:14; Ps. 89:20]. He will ·do [or accomplish] all ·I want him to do [L my will].’ 23 So God has brought Jesus, one of David’s ·descendants [L seed], to Israel to be its Savior, as he promised [2 Sam. 7:12–16; Is. 11:1–16]. 24 Before Jesus came, John [C the Baptist] preached to all the people of Israel about a baptism of ·changed hearts and lives [L repentance; Matt. 3; Mark 1:2–8; Luke 3]. 25 When he was finishing his ·work [race; course; mission], he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not ·the Christ [the Messiah; L he; C the anointed king from David’s line]. He is coming later, and I am not worthy to untie his sandals [C a gesture of subservience fit for a slave].’
26 “·Brothers, [L Men, brothers] ·sons [or descendants] of the family of Abraham, and others who ·worship [fear; 13:16] God, listen! The ·news [word; message] about this salvation has been sent to us. 27 Those who live in Jerusalem and their leaders ·did not realize that Jesus was the Savior [L were ignorant of this; or did not recognize him]. They did not understand the ·words that the prophets wrote [L voices of the prophets], which are read every Sabbath day. But they ·made them come true [L fulfilled them] when they ·said Jesus was guilty [L condemned him]. 28 They could not find any real ·reason [cause; basis] for Jesus to be put to death, but they asked Pilate to have him ·killed [executed]. 29 When they had done to him all that ·the Scriptures had said [L was written about him], they took him down from the ·cross [L tree; 5:30; 10:39; Deut. 21:23; Gal. 3:13] and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him up from the dead! 31 After this, for many days, ·those who had gone with Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem saw him [or he appeared to those…Jerusalem]. They are now his witnesses to the people. 32 We tell you the ·Good News [Gospel] about the promise God made to our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers; Gen. 12:1–3; 2 Sam. 7:12–16]. 33 ·God has made this promise come true [He has fulfilled this promise] for us, their ·children [descendants], by raising Jesus from the dead. We read about this also in the second psalm:
‘You are my Son.
Today I have ·become your Father [fathered you; T begotten you; Ps. 2:7].’
34 God raised Jesus from the dead, and he will never go back to ·the grave and become dust [L corruption; decay]. So God said:
‘I will give you the holy and ·sure blessings [L faithful things]
that I promised to David [Is. 55:3].’
35 But in another place God says:
‘You will not let your Holy One ·experience [L see] ·decay [corruption; Ps. 16:10].’
36 [L For; Now] David ·did God’s will [served God’s purpose] during his ·lifetime [L generation]. Then he ·died [L slept; C a euphemism for death] and was ·buried [L placed] beside his ·ancestors [L fathers], and his body ·experienced [L saw] ·decay [corruption] in the grave. 37 But the One God raised from the dead did not ·experience [L see] ·decay [corruption]. 38 [L Therefore] ·Brothers [L Men, brothers], ·understand what we are telling you [know this]: ·You can have forgiveness of your sins [L Forgiveness of sins is announced to you] through ·Jesus [L this man]. 39 The law of Moses could not ·free you from your sins [justify you; make you righteous]. But through Jesus everyone who believes is ·free from all sins [justified; made/declared righteous]. 40 [L So; Therefore] ·Be careful [Watch out]! Don’t let what the prophets said happen to you:
41 ‘·Listen [L Look; T Behold], you ·people who doubt [scoffers; mockers]!
·You can wonder [Be amazed], and then ·die [L perish; vanish].
I ·will do something [L am working a work] in your ·lifetime [L days]
that you won’t believe even when you are told about it [Hab. 1:5]!’”
42 While ·Paul and Barnabas [L they] were leaving the synagogue, the people ·asked [urged; encouraged] them to tell them more about these things on the next Sabbath. 43 When the meeting was over, many of the Jews and devout ·converts to Judaism [L proselytes] followed Paul and Barnabas from that place. Paul and Barnabas were persuading them to continue trusting in God’s grace.
44 On the next Sabbath day, almost everyone in the city ·came [gathered] to hear the word of the Lord. 45 Seeing the crowd, the Jewish people became very jealous and said ·insulting [blasphemous] things and ·argued against [contradicted] what Paul said. 46 But Paul and Barnabas spoke very ·boldly [fearlessly; courageously], saying, “·We must [It was necessary for us to] speak the ·message [word] of God to you first. But [L since] you ·refuse to listen [or reject it]. You are judging yourselves not worthy of having eternal life! So we will now ·go [L turn] to the ·people of other nations [Gentiles]. 47 [L For] This is what the Lord ·told us to do [commanded us], saying:
‘I have ·made [appointed] you a light for the ·nations [Gentiles];
·you will show people all over the world the way to be saved [L to bring salvation to the ends of the earth; Is. 42:6; 49:6; Acts 1:8].’”
48 When the Gentiles heard Paul say this, they ·were happy [rejoiced] and ·gave honor to [praised] the ·message [word] of the Lord. And the people who were ·chosen [destined; appointed] to have life forever ·believed the message [L believed].
49 So the ·message [word] of the Lord was spreading through the whole ·country [area; region]. 50 But the Jewish people ·stirred up [incited] some of the ·important religious women [devout/God-fearing women of high social status] and the ·leaders [or prominent men] of the city. They ·started trouble [stirred up persecution] against Paul and Barnabas and forced them out of their ·area [region]. 51 So Paul and Barnabas shook the dust off their feet [C a sign of rejection and protest] and went to Iconium [C a city in the interior of south central Asia Minor, present-day Turkey]. 52 But the ·followers [disciples] were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
Footnotes
- Acts 13:18 And … them Some Greek copies read “And he cared for them.”
Acts 13
English Standard Version
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,
(CD)“‘You are my Son,
today I have begotten you.’
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,
“‘I will give you (CG)the holy and sure blessings of David.’
35 Therefore he says also in another psalm,
(CH)“‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’
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:
41 (CQ)“‘Look, you scoffers,
be astounded and perish;
for I am doing a work in your days,
a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”
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,
(DE)“‘I have made you (DF)a light for the Gentiles,
that you may (DG)bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
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.
Footnotes
- Acts 13:1 Niger is a Latin word meaning black, or dark
- Acts 13:18 Some manuscripts he carried (compare Deuteronomy 1:31)
- Acts 13:39 Or justified; twice in this verse
- Acts 13:45 Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time; also verse 50
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The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
