Acts 13 - English Standard Version (ESV)

Barnabas and Saul Sent Off

13 Now there were in the church at Antioch ^(A)prophets and ^(B)teachers, ^(C)Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger,^[a] Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of ^(D)Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. ² While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, ^(E)the Holy Spirit said, ^(F)“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul ^(G)for the work to which I have called them.” ³ Then after fasting and ^(H)praying they laid their hands on them and ^(I)sent them off.

Barnabas and Saul on Cyprus

⁴ So, being sent out ^(J)by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. ⁵ When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God ^(K)in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had ^(L)John to ^(M)assist them. ⁶ When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain ^(N)magician, ^(O)a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. ⁷ He was with ^(P)the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. ⁸ But Elymas the ^(Q)magician (for that is the meaning of his name) ^(R)opposed them, seeking to turn ^(S)the proconsul away from the faith. ⁹ But Saul, who was also called Paul, ^(T)filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him ¹⁰ and said, “You ^(U)son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and ^(V)villainy, will you not stop ^(W)making crooked ^(X)the straight paths of the Lord? ¹¹ And now, behold, ^(Y)the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking ^(Z)people to lead him by the hand. ¹² Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at ^(AA)the teaching of the Lord.

Paul and Barnabas at Antioch in Pisidia

¹³ Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And ^(AB)John left them and returned ^(AC)to Jerusalem, ¹⁴ but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And ^(AD)on the Sabbath day ^(AE)they went into the synagogue and sat down. ¹⁵ After ^(AF)the reading from ^(AG)the Law and the Prophets, ^(AH)the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any ^(AI)word of encouragement for the people, say it.” ¹⁶ So Paul stood up, and ^(AJ)motioning with his hand said:

“Men of Israel and ^(AK)you who fear God, listen. ^{17 (AL)}The God of this people Israel ^(AM)chose our fathers and ^(AN)made the people great ^(AO)during their stay in the land of Egypt, and ^(AP)with uplifted arm he led them out of it. ¹⁸ And for about ^(AQ)forty years ^(AR)he put up with^[b] them in the wilderness. ¹⁹ And ^(AS)after destroying ^(AT)seven nations in the land of Canaan, ^(AU)he gave them their land as an inheritance. ²⁰ All this took about 450 years. And after that ^(AV)he gave them judges until ^(AW)Samuel the prophet. ²¹ Then ^(AX)they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul ^(AY)the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. ²² And ^(AZ)when he had removed him, ^(BA)he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ^(BB)‘I have found in David the son of Jesse ^(BC)a man after my heart, ^(BD)who will do all my will.’ ^{23 (BE)}Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel ^(BF)a Savior, Jesus, ^(BG)as he promised. ²⁴ Before his coming, ^(BH)John had proclaimed ^(BI)a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. ²⁵ And as John was finishing his course, ^(BJ)he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’

²⁶ “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you ^(BK)who fear God, to us has been sent ^(BL)the message of ^(BM)this salvation. ²⁷ For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because ^(BN)they did not recognize him nor understand ^(BO)the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, ^(BP)fulfilled them by condemning him. ²⁸ And ^(BQ)though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, ^(BR)they asked Pilate to have him executed. ²⁹ And when ^(BS)they had carried out all that was written of him, ^(BT)they took him down from ^(BU)the tree and laid him in a tomb. ³⁰ But ^(BV)God raised him from the dead, ³¹ and for many days ^(BW)he appeared to those ^(BX)who had come up with him ^(BY)from Galilee to Jerusalem, ^(BZ)who are now ^(CA)his witnesses to the people. ³² And we bring you the good news ^(CB)that what God promised to the fathers, ^{33 (CC)}this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,

^(CD)“‘You are my Son,
today I have begotten you.’

³⁴ And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, ^(CE)(CF)no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,

“‘I will give you ^(CG)the holy and sure blessings of David.’

³⁵ Therefore he says also in another psalm,

^(CH)“‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’

³⁶ For David, after he had ^(CI)served the purpose of God in his own generation, ^(CJ)fell asleep and ^(CK)was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, ³⁷ but he whom ^(CL)God raised up did not see corruption. ³⁸ Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, ^(CM)that through this man ^(CN)forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, ³⁹ and by him ^(CO)everyone who believes is freed^[c] from everything ^(CP)from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:

^{41 (CQ)}“‘Look, you scoffers,
be astounded and perish;
for I am doing a work in your days,
a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”

⁴² As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. ⁴³ And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and ^(CR)devout ^(CS)converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them ^(CT)to continue in ^(CU)the grace of God.

⁴⁴ The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. ^{45 (CV)}But ^(CW)when the Jews^[d] saw the crowds, they were filled with ^(CX)jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, ^(CY)reviling him. ⁴⁶ And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God ^(CZ)be spoken first to you. ^(DA)Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves ^(DB)unworthy of eternal life, behold, we ^(DC)are turning to the Gentiles. ^{47 (DD)}For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,

^(DE)“‘I have made you ^(DF)a light for the Gentiles,
that you may ^(DG)bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

⁴⁸ And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and ^(DH)glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. ⁴⁹ And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. ^{50 (DI)}But the Jews incited the devout ^(DJ)women of high standing and the leading men of the city, ^(DK)stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and ^(DL)drove them out of their district. ⁵¹ But they ^(DM)shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. ⁵² And the disciples were filled ^(DN)with joy and ^(DO)with the Holy Spirit.

Footnotes

1. Acts 13:1 Niger is a Latin word meaning black, or dark
2. Acts 13:18 Some manuscripts he carried (compare Deuteronomy 1:31)
3. Acts 13:39 Greek justified; twice in this verse
4. Acts 13:45 Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time; also verse 50

Cross references

1. Acts 13:1 : ch. 11:27; 15:32; 19:6; 21:9, 10; Rom. 12:6, 7; See 1 Cor. 12:28, 29
2. Acts 13:1 : ch. 11:27; 15:32; 19:6; 21:9, 10; Rom. 12:6, 7; See 1 Cor. 12:28, 29
3. Acts 13:1 : ch. 11:22-26
4. Acts 13:1 : See Luke 3:1
5. Acts 13:2 : [ch. 20:28]; See ch. 8:29
6. Acts 13:2 : Rom. 1:1; Gal. 1:15
7. Acts 13:2 : See ch. 9:15
8. Acts 13:3 : See ch. 6:6
9. Acts 13:3 : ch. 14:26
10. Acts 13:4 : ver. 2; [ch. 16:6, 7]
11. Acts 13:5 : ver. 14; ch. 9:20; 14:1; 17:1, 2, 10, 17; 18:4, 19; 19:8; [ver. 46]; See Mark 6:2
12. Acts 13:5 : See ch. 12:12
13. Acts 13:5 : [ch. 19:22]
14. Acts 13:6 : ch. 8:9, 11
15. Acts 13:6 : See Matt. 7:15
16. Acts 13:7 : ver. 8, 12; ch. 18:12; 19:38
17. Acts 13:8 : [See ver. 6 above]; ch. 8:9, 11
18. Acts 13:8 : [Ex. 7:11; 2 Tim. 3:8]
19. Acts 13:8 : ver. 7, 12
20. Acts 13:9 : ch. 4:8
21. Acts 13:10 : See Matt. 13:38
22. Acts 13:10 : [ch. 18:14]
23. Acts 13:10 : Mic. 3:9
24. Acts 13:10 : Hos. 14:9; 2 Pet. 2:15; [ch. 18:25, 26]
25. Acts 13:11 : ch. 11:21; Ex. 9:3; 1 Sam. 5:6, 7, 11; Ps. 32:4; [Heb. 10:31; 1 Pet. 5:6]
26. Acts 13:11 : [ch. 9:8; 22:11]
27. Acts 13:12 : [ver. 49; ch. 15:35]
28. Acts 13:13 : ver. 5
29. Acts 13:13 : ch. 12:12
30. Acts 13:14 : ver. 42, 44; ch. 16:13; 17:2; 18:4
31. Acts 13:14 : See ver. 5
32. Acts 13:15 : ch. 15:21
33. Acts 13:15 : See Luke 16:16
34. Acts 13:15 : See Mark 5:22
35. Acts 13:15 : Heb. 13:22
36. Acts 13:16 : See ch. 12:17
37. Acts 13:16 : ver. 26; ch. 10:2, 22
38. Acts 13:17 : See Matt. 15:31
39. Acts 13:17 : Deut. 7:6-8
40. Acts 13:17 : Num. 24:7
41. Acts 13:17 : ch. 7:17; Ex. 1:1, 7, 12; Ps. 105:23, 24
42. Acts 13:17 : Ex. 6:6; 13:14, 16
43. Acts 13:18 : See ch. 7:36
44. Acts 13:18 : [Deut. 9:5-24]
45. Acts 13:19 : See ch. 7:45
46. Acts 13:19 : Deut. 7:1
47. Acts 13:19 : Josh. 14:1, 2; 19:51; Ps. 78:55; 136:21, 22
48. Acts 13:20 : Judg. 2:16; 3:9
49. Acts 13:20 : See ch. 3:24
50. Acts 13:21 : 1 Sam. 8:5; 10:1
51. Acts 13:21 : 1 Sam. 9:1, 2
52. Acts 13:22 : 1 Sam. 15:23, 26, 28; 16:1; [Hos. 13:11]
53. Acts 13:22 : 1 Sam. 16:13; 2 Sam. 2:4; 5:3
54. Acts 13:22 : Cited from Ps. 89:20
55. Acts 13:22 : ch. 7:46; Cited from 1 Sam. 13:14
56. Acts 13:22 : ver. 36
57. Acts 13:23 : See Matt. 1:1
58. Acts 13:23 : See Luke 2:11
59. Acts 13:23 : Ps. 132:11; [ver. 32, 33]
60. Acts 13:24 : ch. 1:22; Matt. 3:1
61. Acts 13:24 : ch. 19:4; Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3; [ch. 2:38; Matt. 3:11]
62. Acts 13:25 : John 1:20, 27; [Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:7; Luke 3:16]
63. Acts 13:26 : ver. 16
64. Acts 13:26 : ch. 10:36; [Eph. 1:13]
65. Acts 13:26 : [ch. 5:20]; See ch. 4:12
66. Acts 13:27 : [2 Cor. 3:14, 15]; See ch. 3:17
67. Acts 13:27 : ver. 15; [ch. 15:21]
68. Acts 13:27 : See Luke 24:20, 26, 27, 44
69. Acts 13:28 : [Mark 14:55; Luke 23:22]
70. Acts 13:28 : ch. 2:23; 3:14, 15; Luke 23:23
71. Acts 13:29 : Luke 18:31; 24:44; John 19:28, 30, 36, 37
72. Acts 13:29 : Matt. 27:59, 60; Mark 15:46; Luke 23:53; John 19:38, 41, 42
73. Acts 13:29 : See ch. 5:30
74. Acts 13:30 : See ch. 2:24
75. Acts 13:31 : See ch. 1:3
76. Acts 13:31 : Mark 15:41
77. Acts 13:31 : ch. 1:11; 2:7
78. Acts 13:31 : See Luke 24:48
79. Acts 13:31 : See ch. 1:8
80. Acts 13:32 : ch. 26:6; Rom. 4:13; 15:8; Gal. 3:16; [Rom. 9:4]
81. Acts 13:33 : [ver. 23; Luke 1:69-73]
82. Acts 13:33 : Heb. 1:5; 5:5; Cited from Ps. 2:7
83. Acts 13:34 : Rom. 6:9; [Heb. 9:25-28]
84. Acts 13:34 : ver. 35-37
85. Acts 13:34 : Cited from Isa. 55:3
86. Acts 13:35 : ch. 2:27; Cited from Ps. 16:10
87. Acts 13:36 : ver. 22; ch. 20:27
88. Acts 13:36 : 2 Sam. 7:12; 1 Kgs. 2:10; [ch. 2:29]
89. Acts 13:36 : Judg. 2:10
90. Acts 13:37 : ver. 30
91. Acts 13:38 : Luke 24:47; 1 John 2:12
92. Acts 13:38 : ch. 5:31
93. Acts 13:39 : Rom. 3:28; See ch. 10:43
94. Acts 13:39 : Rom. 2:13; 3:20; 8:3; Gal. 2:16; 3:11; Eph. 2:9; 2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 3:5; [Heb. 7:19]
95. Acts 13:41 : Cited from Hab. 1:5; [Isa. 29:14]
96. Acts 13:43 : ver. 50; ch. 17:4, 17; [ch. 16:14]
97. Acts 13:43 : ch. 2:11; 6:5; Matt. 23:15
98. Acts 13:43 : [Jude 21]
99. Acts 13:43 : Jude 4; See ch. 11:23
100. Acts 13:45 : [ch. 19:9]
101. Acts 13:45 : [1 Thess. 2:16]
102. Acts 13:45 : See ch. 5:17
103. Acts 13:45 : ch. 18:6; 26:11; 1 Tim. 1:20
104. Acts 13:46 : ver. 5, 14; See ch. 3:26
105. Acts 13:46 : See Matt. 21:43
106. Acts 13:46 : See Matt. 22:8
107. Acts 13:46 : ch. 18:6; 22:21; 26:17, 18, 20; 28:28; See ch. 9:15
108. Acts 13:47 : [ch. 11:18]
109. Acts 13:47 : Cited from Isa. 49:6; [Isa. 45:22]
110. Acts 13:47 : Isa. 42:6; Luke 2:32
111. Acts 13:47 : [ver. 26; ch. 1:8]
112. Acts 13:48 : [2 Thess. 1:12]
113. Acts 13:50 : [ch. 14:2, 19; 17:5, 13; 18:12; 20:3, 19; 21:27]
114. Acts 13:50 : ch. 17:12
115. Acts 13:50 : 2 Tim. 3:11
116. Acts 13:50 : 1 Thess. 2:15
117. Acts 13:51 : Matt. 10:14; Mark 6:11; Luke 9:5; [ch. 18:6]
118. Acts 13:52 : [1 Thess. 1:6]; See Matt. 5:12; John 16:22
119. Acts 13:52 : See ch. 2:4