2. As they served the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Separate Barnabas and Saul for me, for the work to which I have called them."

3. Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

4. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia. From there they sailed to Cyprus.

5. When they were at Salamis, they proclaimed God's word in the Jewish synagogues. They had also John as their attendant.

6. When they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar Jesus,

7. who was with the proconsul, Sergius PAULus, a man of understanding. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul, and sought to hear the word of God.

8. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn aside the proconsul from the faith.

9. But Saul, who is also called PAUL, filled with the Holy Spirit, fastened his eyes on him,

10. and said, "Full of all deceit and all cunning, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?

11. Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is on you, and you will be blind, not seeing the sun for a season!"Immediately a mist and darkness fell on him. He went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.

12. Then the proconsul, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

13. Now PAUL and his company set sail from Paphos, and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John departed from them and returned to Jerusalem.

14. But they, passing on from Perga, came to Antioch of Pisidia. They went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sat down.

15. After the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, "Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, speak."

16. PAUL stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, "Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen.

17. The God of this people chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they stayed as aliens in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm, he led them out of it.

18. For a period of about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness.

19. When he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land for an inheritance, for about four hundred fifty years.

20. After these things he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet.

21. Afterward they asked for a king, and God gave to them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

22. When he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, to whom he also testified, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who will do all my will.'

23. From this man's offspring, God has brought salvation to Israel according to his promise,

24. before his coming, when John had first preached the baptism of repentance to Israel.

25. As John was fulfilling his course, he said, 'What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. But behold, one comes after me the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.'

26. Brothers, children of the stock of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, the word of this salvation is sent out to you.

27. For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they didn't know him, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.

28. Though they found no cause for death, they still asked Pilate to have him killed.

29. When they had fulfilled all things that were written about him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a tomb.

30. But God raised him from the dead,

31. and he was seen for many days by those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses to the people.

32. We bring you good news of the promise made to the fathers,

33. that God has fulfilled the same to us, their children, in that he raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second psalm,'You are my Son.Today I have become your father.'Psalm 2:7

34. "Concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he has spoken thus: 'I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.'Isaiah 55:3

35. Therefore he says also in another psalm, 'You will not allow your Holy One to see decay.'Psalm 16:10

36. For David, after he had in his own generation served the counsel of God, fell asleep, and was laid with his fathers, and saw decay.

37. But he whom God raised up saw no decay.

38. Be it known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man is proclaimed to you remission of sins,

39. and by him everyone who believes is justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

40. Beware therefore, lest that come on you which is spoken in the prophets:

41. 'Behold, you scoffers, and wonder, and perish;for I work a work in your days,a work which you will in no way believe, if one declares it to you.'"Habakkuk 1:5

42. So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.

43. Now when the synagogue broke up, many of the Jews and of the devout proselytes followed PAUL and Barnabas; who, speaking to them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.

44. The next Sabbath almost the whole city was gathered together to hear the word of God.

45. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with jealousy, and contradicted the things which were spoken by PAUL, and blasphemed.

46. PAUL and Barnabas spoke out boldly, and said, "It was necessary that God's word should be spoken to you first. Since indeed you thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.

47. For so has the Lord commanded us, saying,'I have set you as a light for the Gentiles,that you should bring salvation to the uttermost parts of the earth.'"Isaiah 49:6

48. As the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of God. As many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

17. "When I had returned to Jerusalem, and while I prayed in the temple, I fell into a trance,

18. and saw him saying to me,'Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not receive testimony concerning me from you.'

19. I said, 'Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue those who believed in you.

20. When the blood of Stephen, your witness, was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting to his death, and guarding the cloaks of those who killed him.'

21. "He said to me,'Depart, for I will send you out far from here to the Gentiles.'"

For I speak to you who are Gentiles. Since then as I am an apostle to Gentiles, I glorify my ministry;

that I should be a servant of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest of the Good News of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be made acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

15. But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me through his grace,

16. to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I didn't immediately confer with flesh and blood,

17. nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia. Then I returned to Damascus.

18. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Peter, and stayed with him fifteen days.

19. But of the other apostles I saw no one, except James, the Lord's brother.

20. Now about the things which I write to you, behold, before God, I'm not lying.

21. Then I came to the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

22. I was still unknown by face to the assemblies of Judea which were in Christ,

23. but they only heard: "He who once persecuted us now preaches the faith that he once tried to destroy."

24. And they glorified God in me.