Book of Common Prayer

Paul and Barnabas are called to preach among the heathen. Of Sergius Paulus and Elymas the magician. Paul preaches at Antioch.

13 There were in the congregation at Antioch certain prophets and teachers, such as Barnabas, and Simeon called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. ² As they worshipped the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate unto me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. ³ Then they fasted and prayed, and put their hands on them, and let them go. ⁴ And they, after they were sent by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to the island of Cyprus. ⁵ And when they had come to Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John Mark to assist them.

⁶ When they had gone throughout the isle to the city of Paphos, they found a certain magician, a false prophet who was a Jew named Bar-Jesus. ⁷ He was with the proconsul of the province, one Sergius Paulus, a man of understanding. This man called to him Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. ⁸ But Elymas the magician (for so was his name by translation) withstood them, and sought to turn the proconsul away from the faith.

⁹ Then Saul, who also is called Paul, being full of the Holy Spirit, set his eyes on him ¹⁰ and said, O full of all subtlety and deceitfulness, child of the devil and enemy of all righteousness, you cease not to pervert the straight ways of the Lord. ¹¹ And now behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a season.

And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness, and he went about seeking someone to lead him by the hand. ¹² Then the proconsul, when he saw what had happened, believed, and wondered at the doctrine of the Lord.

Christ makes the man who was born blind able to see.

9 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man who was blind from his birth. ² And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin: this man, or his father and mother, that he was born blind? ³ Jesus answered, Neither has this man sinned, nor yet his father and mother, but it is so that the works of God may be shown on him. ⁴ I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day. The night comes, when no man can work. ⁵ As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

⁶ As soon as he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle, and rubbed the clay on the eyes of the blind man, ⁷ and said to him, Go and wash in the pool of Siloam (which, translated, means Sent). He went his way and washed, and came back seeing. ⁸ The neighbours and people that had seen him before, how he was a beggar, said, Is this not the man who sat and begged? ⁹ Some said, This is the man. Others said, He is like him. But he himself said, I am he.

¹⁰ They said to him, How were your eyes opened then? ¹¹ He answered and said, The man that is called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes, and said to me, Go to the pool Siloam and wash. And I went and washed, and received my sight.

¹² They said to him, Where is he? He said, I do not know.

¹³ Then they brought to the Pharisees the man who a little before had been blind. ¹⁴ For it was the Sabbath day when Jesus had made the clay and opened his eyes. ¹⁵ Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said to them, He put clay upon my eyes, and I washed, and do see. ¹⁶ Then some of the Pharisees said, This man is not of God, because he does not keep the Sabbath day. Others said, How can a man who is a sinner do such miracles? And there was disagreement among them. ¹⁷ Then they spoke to the blind man again: What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes? And he said, He is a prophet.