Book of Common Prayer

13 In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers. They were Barnabas, Simeon Niger, Lucius from Cyrene, Manaen who grew up with Herod the ruler, and Saul.

² They were worshipping the Lord and fasting [not eating food for a time]. The Holy Spirit said, `Give me Barnabas and Saul to do the work for which I have called them.'

³ The men fasted and talked to God. Then they laid their hands on Barnabas and Paul and sent them on their way.

⁴ Barnabas and Saul left Antioch. The Holy Spirit sent them to the town of Seleucia. From there they went in a boat to the island of Cyprus.

⁵ When they reached the town of Salamis, they told God's word in the meeting places of the Jews. John was with them to help.

⁶ They went through all the island to the town of Paphos. There they met a witch doctor. He was a Jew named Bar-Jesus. He was not a true prophet.

⁷ This witch-doctor was with Sergius Paulus, the ruler of the country. Sergius Paulus was a wise man. He wanted to hear God's word, so he called for Barnabas and Saul.

⁸ The witch-doctor was also called Elymas. He tried to stop them. He did not want the ruler to believe the truth.

⁹ Then Saul, who is also called Paul, being filled with the Holy Spirit, looked at him.

¹⁰ `You son of the devil!' he said. `You do nothing but tell lies and make much trouble. You hate everything that is right. The Lord's way is right. Will you not stop spoiling his way?

¹¹ See now, the Lord's hand is upon you. You will be blind and will not be able to see the sun for a while.' And right then something like a dark cloud came over Elymas' eyes. He went around begging someone to take his hand and lead him.

¹² The ruler saw what had happened. And he was very much surprised at the teaching about the Lord. He believed it.

²³ Jesus was walking through the grainfields on the Sabbath day. His disciples began to pick some of the seed (to eat) as they went along.

²⁴ The Pharisees said to Jesus, `Why do your disciples do what is not right on the Sabbath day?'

²⁵ Jesus answered them, `Have you not read what David did? He and his men who were with him were hungry.

²⁶ He went into God's house when Abiathar was the high priest. Some bread was there for God. It was not right for them to eat it. Only the priests have the right to eat it. But David took the bread and ate it. He also gave some of it to the people who were with him.'

²⁷ Jesus went on to say, `The Sabbath was made for the good of man. Man was not made for the Sabbath.

²⁸ So the Son of Man rules over the Sabbath day.'

3 Jesus went into the meeting house again. A man was there whose right hand was thin and weak.

² The Pharisees watched Jesus to see if he would heal the man on the Sabbath day. They wanted to find something wrong about Jesus.

³ He spoke to the man whose hand was thin and weak. He said, `Stand here.'

⁴ Then he spoke to the Pharisees. He said, `Is it right to do good things on the Sabbath day or to do wrong things? Is it right to heal people so they will live, or to let them die?' But the Pharisees said nothing.

⁵ Jesus was angry as he looked at them. And he was sad that their hearts were so hard. Then he said to the man, `Hold out your hand.' The man did so, and it was made well like the other hand.

⁶ The Pharisees went out. Right away they and the servants of King Herod planned together how to kill Jesus.