Book of Common Prayer

¹⁹ Some of the people had gone to other countries because of the big trouble when Stephen was killed. They went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch. They told God's word to the Jews only.

²⁰ Some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene. They went to Antioch. They also spoke to those who were not Jews, and they told them about the Lord Jesus.

²¹ The Lord was with them. Many believed and turned to the Lord.

²² The people in the Jerusalem church heard this news. They sent Barnabas to go to Antioch.

²³ When he reached there, he saw what had been done by the power of God. He was very glad. He talked to them. He begged them all to keep on following the Lord with all their heart.

²⁴ Barnabas was a good man. He believed in God and was filled with the Holy Spirit. Many people came to the Lord.

²⁵ Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to get Saul.

²⁶ When he found him, he took him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with all who believed in Jesus Christ. They taught many people. Antioch was the first place where the disciples were called Christians.

²⁷ At that time, prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch.

²⁸ One of them named Agabus stood up. He told them the Spirit had shown him that much trouble would come to all the world. There would not be much food for the people. (This trouble came when Claudius Caesar was ruler.)

²⁹ Then the disciples decided to help the Christian brothers who lived in Judea. They would each one send what he could.

³⁰ They did so. They sent Barnabas and Saul to carry it to the church leaders [in Jerusalem].

²⁹ As soon as they came out of the meeting house, they went to the home of Simon and Andrew. James and John went also.

³⁰ Simon's wife's mother was sick and was lying down. She had a fever. Right away they told Jesus about her.

³¹ Jesus went to her. He took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her right away, and she began to do things to help them.

³² That evening when the sun went down, people brought to Jesus all the sick people and those who had bad spirits.

³³ All the people in the city crowded around the door.

³⁴ He healed many sick people. He drove the bad spirits out of people. And he did not let them speak because they knew who he was.

³⁵ The next morning Jesus got up long before daylight. He went out to a place by himself. There he talked with God.

³⁶ Simon and his friends went out after Jesus.

³⁷ When they found him they said, `Everyone is looking for you.'

³⁸ Jesus said, `We must go to the next towns. I must tell the good news to the people there too. That is why I came here.'

³⁹ Then Jesus talked to the people in all the meeting houses in all the country of Galilee. He also made the bad spirits come out of people.

⁴⁰ A man who was sick with leprosy [a bad skin disease] came to him. He kneeled down and begged Jesus saying, `I know you can heal me if you want to.'

⁴¹ Jesus was very sorry for him. He put out his hand and touched him. He said, `I want to. Be healed.'

⁴² As soon as he said this, the disease left the man and he was healed.

⁴³ Jesus talked strongly to him and sent him away.

⁴⁴ He said, `Do not tell anyone about this. But go and let the priest look at you. Moses gave a law about the gift you must give to God when you are healed. Give it to prove to people that you are healed.'

⁴⁵ But the man went out and told everyone everywhere what had happened to him. Because he did this, Jesus could not go into any large town freely. He stayed in places where only a few people were. There people came to him from everywhere.