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Acts 11-13
Contemporary English Version
Acts 11-13
Contemporary English Version
Peter Reports to the Church in Jerusalem
11 The apostles and the followers in Judea heard that Gentiles had accepted God's message. 2 So when Peter came to Jerusalem, some of the Jewish followers started arguing with him. They wanted Gentile followers to be circumcised, and 3 they said, “You stayed in the homes of Gentiles, and you even ate with them!”
4 Then Peter told them exactly what had happened:
5 I was in the town of Joppa and was praying when I fell sound asleep and had a vision. I saw heaven open, and something like a huge sheet held by its four corners came down to me. 6 When I looked in it, I saw animals, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds. 7 I heard a voice saying to me, “Peter, get up! Kill these and eat them.”
8 But I said, “Lord, I can't do that! I've never taken a bite of anything that is unclean and not fit to eat.”[a]
9 The voice from heaven spoke to me again, “When God says that something can be used for food, don't say it isn't fit to eat.” 10 This happened three times before it was all taken back into heaven.
11 Suddenly three men from Caesarea stood in front of the house where I was staying. 12 The Holy Spirit told me to go with them and not to worry. Then six of the Lord's followers went with me to the home of a man 13 who told us that an angel had appeared to him. The angel had ordered him to send to Joppa for someone named Simon Peter. 14 Then Peter would tell him how he and everyone in his house could be saved.
15 After I started speaking, the Holy Spirit was given to them, just as the Spirit had been given to us at the beginning. 16 (A) I remembered that the Lord had said, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 17 God gave those Gentiles the same gift that he gave us when we put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. So how could I have gone against God?
18 When they heard Peter say this, they stopped arguing and started praising God. They said, “God has now let Gentiles turn to him, and he has given life to them!”
The Church in Antioch
19 (B) Some of the Lord's followers had been scattered because of the terrible trouble that started when Stephen was killed. They went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, but they told the message only to the Jews.
20 Some of the followers from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch and started telling Gentiles[b] the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord's power was with them, and many people turned to the Lord and put their faith in him. 22 News of what was happening reached the church in Jerusalem. Then they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
23 When Barnabas got there and saw how God had blessed them with undeserved grace, he was very glad. So he begged them to remain faithful to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 Barnabas was a good man of great faith, and he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Many more people turned to the Lord.
25 Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul. 26 He found Saul and brought him to Antioch, where they met with the church for a whole year and taught many of its people. There in Antioch the Lord's followers were first called Christians.
27 During this time some prophets from Jerusalem came to Antioch. 28 (C) One of them was Agabus. Then with the help of the Spirit, he told that there would be a terrible famine everywhere in the world. And it happened when Claudius was Emperor.[c] 29 The followers in Antioch decided to send whatever help they could to the followers in Judea. 30 So they appointed Barnabas and Saul to take their gifts to the church leaders in Jerusalem.
Herod Causes Trouble for the Church
12 At that time King Herod[d] caused terrible suffering for some members of the church. 2 He ordered soldiers to cut off the head of James, the brother of John. 3 (D) When Herod saw that this pleased the Jewish people, he had Peter arrested during the Festival of Thin Bread. 4 He put Peter in jail and ordered four squads of soldiers to guard him. Herod planned to put him on trial in public after the festival.
5 While Peter was being kept in jail, the church never stopped praying to God for him.
Peter Is Rescued
6 The night before Peter was to be put on trial, he was asleep and bound by two chains. A soldier was guarding him on each side, and two other soldiers were guarding the entrance to the jail. 7 Suddenly an angel from the Lord appeared, and light flashed around in the cell. The angel poked Peter in the side and woke him up. Then he said, “Quick! Get up!”
The chains fell off his hands, 8 and the angel said, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” Peter did what he was told. Then the angel said, “Now put on your coat and follow me.” 9 Peter left with the angel, but he thought everything was only a dream. 10 They went past the two groups of soldiers, and when they came to the iron gate to the city, it opened by itself. They went out and were going along the street, when all at once the angel disappeared.
11 Peter now realized what had happened, and he said, “I am certain that the Lord sent his angel to rescue me from Herod and from everything the Jewish leaders planned to do to me.” 12 Then Peter went to the house of Mary the mother of John whose other name was Mark. Many of the Lord's followers had come together there and were praying.
13 Peter knocked on the gate, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer. 14 When she heard Peter's voice, she was too excited to open the gate. She ran back into the house and said Peter was standing there.
15 “You are crazy!” everyone told her. But she kept saying it was Peter. Then they said, “It must be his angel.”[e] 16 But Peter kept on knocking, until finally they opened the gate. They saw him and were completely amazed.
17 Peter motioned for them to keep quiet. Then he told how the Lord had led him out of jail. He also said, “Tell James[f] and the others what has happened.” After that, he left and went somewhere else.
18 The next morning the soldiers who had been on guard were terribly worried and wondered what had happened to Peter. 19 Herod ordered his own soldiers to search for him, but they could not find him. Then he questioned the guards and had them put to death. After this, Herod left Judea to stay in Caesarea for a while.
Herod Dies
20 (E) Herod and the people of Tyre and Sidon were very angry with each other. But their country got its food supply from the region that he ruled. So a group of them went to see Blastus, who was one of Herod's high officials. They convinced Blastus that they wanted to make peace between their cities and Herod, 21 and a day was set for them to meet with him.
Herod came dressed in his royal robes. He sat down on his throne and made a speech. 22 The people shouted, “You speak more like a god than a man!” 23 At once an angel from the Lord struck him down because he took the honor that belonged to God. Later, Herod was eaten by worms and died.
24 God's message kept spreading. 25 And after Barnabas and Saul had done the work they were sent to do, they went back to Jerusalem[g] with John, whose other name was Mark.
Barnabas and Saul Are Chosen and Sent
13 The church at Antioch had several prophets and teachers. They were Barnabas, Simeon, also called Niger, Lucius from Cyrene, Manaen, who was Herod's[h] close friend, and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and going without eating,[i] the Holy Spirit told them, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul to do the work for which I have chosen them.” 3 Everyone prayed and went without eating for a while longer. Next, they placed their hands on Barnabas and Saul to show that they had been appointed to do this work. Then everyone sent them on their way.
Barnabas and Saul in Cyprus
4 After Barnabas and Saul had been sent by the Holy Spirit, they went to Seleucia. From there they sailed to the island of Cyprus. 5 They arrived at Salamis and began to preach God's message in the synagogues. They also had John[j] as a helper.
6 Barnabas and Saul went all the way to the city of Paphos on the other end of the island, where they met a Jewish man named Bar-Jesus. He practiced witchcraft and was a false prophet. 7 He also worked for Sergius Paulus, who was very smart and was the governor of the island. Sergius Paulus wanted to hear God's message, and he sent for Barnabas and Saul. 8 But Bar-Jesus, whose other name was Elymas, was against them. He even tried to keep the governor from having faith in the Lord.
9 Then Saul, better known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit. He looked straight at Elymas 10 and said, “You son of the devil! You are a liar, a crook, and an enemy of everything that is right. When will you stop speaking against the true ways of the Lord? 11 The Lord is going to punish you by making you completely blind for a while.”
Suddenly the man's eyes were covered by a dark mist, and he went around trying to get someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the governor saw what had happened, he was amazed at this teaching about the Lord. So he put his faith in the Lord.
Paul and Barnabas in Antioch of Pisidia
13 Paul and the others left Paphos and sailed to Perga in Pamphylia. But John[k] left them and went back to Jerusalem. 14 The rest of them went on from Perga to Antioch in Pisidia. Then on the Sabbath they went to the synagogue and sat down.
15 After the reading of the Law and the Prophets,[l] the leaders sent someone over to tell Paul and Barnabas, “Friends, if you have anything to say that will help the people, please say it.”
16 Paul got up. He motioned with his hand and said:
People of Israel, and everyone else who worships God, listen! 17 (F) The God of Israel chose our ancestors, and he let our people prosper while they were living in Egypt. Then with his mighty power he led them out, 18 (G) and for about 40 years he took care of[m] them in the desert. 19 (H) He destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan and gave their land to our people. 20 (I) All this happened in about 450 years.
Then God gave our people judges until the time of the prophet Samuel, 21 (J) but the people demanded a king. So for 40 years God gave them King Saul, the son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. 22 (K) Later, God removed Saul and let David rule in his place. God said about him, “David the son of Jesse is the kind of person who pleases me most! He does everything I want him to do.”
23 God promised that someone from David's family would come to save the people of Israel, and this one is Jesus. 24 (L) But before Jesus came, John was telling everyone in Israel to turn back to God and be baptized. 25 (M) Then, when John's work was almost done, he said, “Who do you people think I am? Do you think I am the Promised One? He will come later, and I am not good enough to untie his sandals.”
26 Now listen, you descendants of Abraham! Pay attention, all of you Gentiles who are here to worship God! Listen to this message about how to be saved, because it is for everyone. 27 The people of Jerusalem and their leaders didn't realize who Jesus was. And they didn't understand the words of the prophets they read each Sabbath. So they condemned Jesus just as the prophets had said.
28-29 (N) They did exactly what the Scriptures said they would. Even though they couldn't find any reason to put Jesus to death, they still asked Pilate to have him killed.
After Jesus had been put to death, he was taken down from the cross[n] and placed in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from death! 31 (O) Then for many days Jesus appeared to his followers who had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. Now they are telling our people about him.
32 God made a promise to our ancestors. And we are here to tell you the good news 33 (P) that he has kept this promise to us. It is just as the second Psalm says about Jesus,
“You are my son because today
I have become your Father.”
34 (Q) God raised Jesus from death and will never let his body decay. It is just as God said,
“I will make to you
the same holy promises
that I made to David.”
35 (R) And in another psalm it says, “God will never let the body of his Holy One decay.”
36 When David was alive, he obeyed God. Then after he died, he was buried in the family grave, and his body decayed. 37 But God raised Jesus from death, and his body did not decay.
38 My friends, the message is that Jesus can forgive your sins! The Law of Moses could not set you free from all your sins. 39 But everyone who has faith in Jesus is set free. 40 Make sure what the prophets have said doesn't happen to you. They said,
41 (S) “Look, you people
who make fun of God!
Be amazed
and disappear.
I will do something today
that you won't believe,
even if someone
tells you about it!”
42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people begged them to say more about these same things on the next Sabbath. 43 After the service, many Jews and a lot of Gentiles who worshiped God went with them. Paul and Barnabas begged them all to remain faithful to God, who had treated them with undeserved grace.
44 The next Sabbath almost everyone in town came to hear the message about the Lord.[o] 45 When the Jewish people saw the crowds, they were very jealous. They insulted Paul and spoke against everything he said.
46 But Paul and Barnabas bravely said:
We had to tell God's message to you before we told it to anyone else. But you rejected the message! This proves that you don't deserve eternal life. Now we are going to the Gentiles. 47 (T) The Lord has given us this command,
“I have placed you here
as a light
for the Gentiles.
You are to take
the saving power of God
to people everywhere on earth.”
48 This message made the Gentiles glad, and they praised what they had heard about the Lord.[p] Everyone who had been chosen for eternal life then put their faith in the Lord.
49 The message about the Lord spread all over this region. 50 But the Jewish leaders went to some of the important men in the town and to some respected women who were religious. They turned them against Paul and Barnabas and started making trouble for them. They even chased them out of this part of the country.
51 (U) Paul and Barnabas shook the dust from that place off their feet[q] and went on to the city of Iconium.
52 But the Lord's followers in Antioch were very happy and were filled with the Holy Spirit.
Footnotes
- 11.8 unclean and not fit to eat: See the note at 10.14.
- 11.20 Gentiles: This translates a Greek word that may mean “people who speak Greek” or “people who live as Greeks do.” Here the word seems to mean “people who are not Jews.” Some manuscripts have “Greeks,” which also seems to mean “people who are not Jews.”
- 11.28 when Claudius was Emperor: a.d. 41–54.
- 12.1 Herod: Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great.
- 12.15 his angel: Probably meaning “his guardian angel.”
- 12.17 James: The brother of the Lord.
- 12.25 went back to Jerusalem: Some manuscripts have “left Jerusalem,” and others have “went to Antioch.”
- 13.1 Herod's: Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great.
- 13.2 going without eating: The Jews often went without eating as a way of showing how much they loved God. This is also called “fasting.”
- 13.5 John: Whose other name was Mark (see 12.12,25).
- 13.13 John: See the note at 13.5.
- 13.15 the Law and the Prophets: The Jewish Scriptures, that is, the Old Testament.
- 13.18 took care of: Some manuscripts have “put up with.”
- 13.28-29 cross: This translates a Greek word that means “wood,” “pole,” or “tree.”
- 13.44 the Lord: Some manuscripts have “God.”
- 13.48 the Lord: Some manuscripts have “God.”
- 13.51 shook the dust from that place off their feet: This was a way of showing rejection.
Acts 11-13
New International Version
Acts 11-13
New International Version
Peter Explains His Actions
11 The apostles and the believers(A) throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.(B) 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers(C) criticized him 3 and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”(D)
4 Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision.(E) I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. 6 I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. 7 Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’
8 “I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
9 “The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’(F) 10 This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again.
11 “Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea(G) stopped at the house where I was staying. 12 The Spirit told(H) me to have no hesitation about going with them.(I) These six brothers(J) also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 He told us how he had seen an angel(K) appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. 14 He will bring you a message(L) through which you and all your household(M) will be saved.’
15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on(N) them as he had come on us at the beginning.(O) 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with[a] water,(P) but you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit.’(Q) 17 So if God gave them the same gift(R) he gave us(S) who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”
18 When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”(T)
The Church in Antioch
19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed(U) traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch,(V) spreading the word only among Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus(W) and Cyrene,(X) went to Antioch(Y) and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news(Z) about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them,(AA) and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.(AB)
22 News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas(AC) to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done,(AD) he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.(AE) 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit(AF) and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.(AG)
25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus(AH) to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples(AI) were called Christians first(AJ) at Antioch.
27 During this time some prophets(AK) came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus,(AL) stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world.(AM) (This happened during the reign of Claudius.)(AN) 29 The disciples,(AO) as each one was able, decided to provide help(AP) for the brothers and sisters(AQ) living in Judea. 30 This they did, sending their gift to the elders(AR) by Barnabas(AS) and Saul.(AT)
Peter’s Miraculous Escape From Prison
12 It was about this time that King Herod(AU) arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John,(AV) put to death with the sword.(AW) 3 When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews,(AX) he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.(AY) 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.(AZ)
5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.(BA)
6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains,(BB) and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7 Suddenly an angel(BC) of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.(BD)
8 Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. 9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.(BE) 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself,(BF) and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.
11 Then Peter came to himself(BG) and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me(BH) from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”
12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark,(BI) where many people had gathered and were praying.(BJ) 13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door.(BK) 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed(BL) she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”
15 “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”(BM)
16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 Peter motioned with his hand(BN) for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James(BO) and the other brothers and sisters(BP) about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.
18 In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. 19 After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.(BQ)
Herod’s Death
Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea(BR) and stayed there. 20 He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon;(BS) they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.(BT)
21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22 They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” 23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel(BU) of the Lord struck him down,(BV) and he was eaten by worms and died.
24 But the word of God(BW) continued to spread and flourish.(BX)
Barnabas and Saul Sent Off
25 When Barnabas(BY) and Saul had finished their mission,(BZ) they returned from[c] Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.(CA) 13 1 Now in the church at Antioch(CB) there were prophets(CC) and teachers:(CD) Barnabas,(CE) Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene,(CF) Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod(CG) the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,(CH) “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work(CI) to which I have called them.”(CJ) 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them(CK) and sent them off.(CL)
On Cyprus
4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit,(CM) went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.(CN) 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God(CO) in the Jewish synagogues.(CP) John(CQ) was with them as their helper.
6 They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer(CR) and false prophet(CS) named Bar-Jesus, 7 who was an attendant of the proconsul,(CT) Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer(CU) (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul(CV) from the faith.(CW) 9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit,(CX) looked straight at Elymas and said, 10 “You are a child of the devil(CY) and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?(CZ) 11 Now the hand of the Lord is against you.(DA) You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.”(DB)
Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the proconsul(DC) saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.
In Pisidian Antioch
13 From Paphos,(DD) Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia,(DE) where John(DF) left them to return to Jerusalem. 14 From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch.(DG) On the Sabbath(DH) they entered the synagogue(DI) and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law(DJ) and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.”
16 Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand(DK) and said: “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! 17 The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country;(DL) 18 for about forty years he endured their conduct[d](DM) in the wilderness;(DN) 19 and he overthrew seven nations in Canaan,(DO) giving their land to his people(DP) as their inheritance.(DQ) 20 All this took about 450 years.
“After this, God gave them judges(DR) until the time of Samuel the prophet.(DS) 21 Then the people asked for a king,(DT) and he gave them Saul(DU) son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin,(DV) who ruled forty years. 22 After removing Saul,(DW) he made David their king.(DX) God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;(DY) he will do everything I want him to do.’(DZ)
23 “From this man’s descendants(EA) God has brought to Israel the Savior(EB) Jesus,(EC) as he promised.(ED) 24 Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel.(EE) 25 As John was completing his work,(EF) he said: ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not the one you are looking for.(EG) But there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’(EH)
26 “Fellow children of Abraham(EI) and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation(EJ) has been sent. 27 The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus,(EK) yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets(EL) that are read every Sabbath. 28 Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed.(EM) 29 When they had carried out all that was written about him,(EN) they took him down from the cross(EO) and laid him in a tomb.(EP) 30 But God raised him from the dead,(EQ) 31 and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem.(ER) They are now his witnesses(ES) to our people.
32 “We tell you the good news:(ET) What God promised our ancestors(EU) 33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus.(EV) As it is written in the second Psalm:
34 God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said,
35 So it is also stated elsewhere:
36 “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep;(EZ) he was buried with his ancestors(FA) and his body decayed. 37 But the one whom God raised from the dead(FB) did not see decay.
38 “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.(FC) 39 Through him everyone who believes(FD) is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.(FE) 40 Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:
41 “‘Look, you scoffers,
wonder and perish,
for I am going to do something in your days
that you would never believe,
even if someone told you.’[h]”(FF)
42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue,(FG) the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. 43 When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.(FH)
44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying(FI) and heaped abuse(FJ) on him.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first.(FK) Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.(FL) 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
“‘I have made you[i] a light for the Gentiles,(FM)
that you[j] may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’[k]”(FN)
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord;(FO) and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
49 The word of the Lord(FP) spread through the whole region. 50 But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.(FQ) 51 So they shook the dust off their feet(FR) as a warning to them and went to Iconium.(FS) 52 And the disciples(FT) were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.(FU)
Footnotes
- Acts 11:16 Or in
- Acts 11:16 Or in
- Acts 12:25 Some manuscripts to
- Acts 13:18 Some manuscripts he cared for them
- Acts 13:33 Psalm 2:7
- Acts 13:34 Isaiah 55:3
- Acts 13:35 Psalm 16:10 (see Septuagint)
- Acts 13:41 Hab. 1:5
- Acts 13:47 The Greek is singular.
- Acts 13:47 The Greek is singular.
- Acts 13:47 Isaiah 49:6
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