Add parallel Print Page Options

So then, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When Barnabas and Saul arrived at Salamis, they began to preach the word of God [proclaiming the message of eternal salvation through faith in Christ] in the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had John [Mark] as their assistant. When they had traveled through the entire island [of Cyprus] as far as Paphos, they found a sorcerer, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus, who was [closely associated] with the [a]proconsul [of the province], Sergius Paulus, an intelligent and sensible man. He called for Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God [concerning eternal salvation through faith in Christ]. But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is how his name is translated) opposed them, trying to turn the proconsul away from accepting the faith. But [b]Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit and led by Him, looked steadily at Elymas, 10 and said, “[c]You [Elymas] who are full of every [kind of] deceit, and every [kind of] fraud, you son of the devil, enemy of everything that is right and good, will you never stop perverting the straight paths of the Lord?(A) 11 [d]Now, watch! The hand of the Lord is on you, and you will be blind, [so blind that you will be] unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately a mist and darkness fell upon him, and he groped around, seeking people to lead him by the hand. 12 The proconsul believed [the message of salvation] when he saw what had happened, being astonished at the teaching concerning the Lord.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Acts 13:7 In a Roman province, the proconsul was head of the local government.
  2. Acts 13:9 Saul was the apostle Paul’s Jewish (Hebrew) name. As his ministry to Gentiles began he became known by his Roman (Latin) name, Paul.
  3. Acts 13:10 Elymas’ claims of having “special power” or “secret knowledge” were based on his deceitful use of illusions.
  4. Acts 13:11 This is Paul’s first recorded miracle.

Bible Gateway Recommends