The Mission to Cyprus

Being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they came down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. Arriving in Salamis, they proclaimed God’s message in the Jewish synagogues. They also had John as their assistant.(A) When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came across a sorcerer, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus.(B) He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and desired to hear God’s message.(C) But Elymas the sorcerer (this is the meaning of his name) opposed(D) them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith.(E)

Then Saul—also called Paul—filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight at the sorcerer 10 and said, “You son of the Devil,(F) full of all deceit and all fraud, enemy of all righteousness! Won’t you ever stop perverting the straight paths(G) of the Lord? 11 Now, look! The Lord’s hand is against you.(H) You are going to be blind, and will not see the sun for a time.” Suddenly a mist and darkness fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.

12 Then the proconsul, seeing what happened, believed and was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.(I)

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Confronting a Magician on Cyprus

Therefore, sent out by the Holy Spirit, they came down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed away to Cyprus. And when they[a] came to Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they also had John as assistant. And when they[b] had crossed over the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a certain man, a magician, a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and[c] wished to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for his name is translated in this way) opposed them, attempting to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul (also called Paul), filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and[d] said, “O you who are full of all deceit and of all unscrupulousness, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness! Will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord! 11 And now behold, the hand of the Lord is against you, and you will be blind, not seeing the sun for a while.[e] And immediately mist and darkness fell over him, and he was going around looking for people[f] to lead him[g] by the hand. 12 Then when[h] the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, because he[i] was astounded at the teaching about[j] the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 13:5 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“came”) which is understood as temporal
  2. Acts 13:6 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had crossed over”) which is understood as temporal
  3. Acts 13:7 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“summoned”) has been translated as a finite verb
  4. Acts 13:10 Here “and” is supplied because the participle in the previous verse (“looked intently at”) has been translated as a finite verb
  5. Acts 13:11 Literally “until the time”
  6. Acts 13:11 In Greek the direct object (“people”) is understood and must be supplied in the English translation; since the following noun is plural, “people” rather than “someone” is used here
  7. Acts 13:11 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  8. Acts 13:12 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
  9. Acts 13:12 Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“was astounded”) which is understood as causal
  10. Acts 13:12 Here “about” reflects an objective genitive (“the Lord” is the object of the teaching)