Knox Bible

1

The Church at Antioch had as its prophets and teachers Barnabas, and Simon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manahen, foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

2

These were offering worship to God and fasting, when the Holy Spirit said, I must have Barnabas and Saul dedicated to the work to which I have called them.

3

Thereupon they fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, and so took leave of them.

4

And they, sent on their travels by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia, and from there took ship for Cyprus.

5

So they reached Salamis, where they preached God’s word in the Jewish synagogues; they had John, too, to help them.

6

And when they had been through the whole island up to Paphos, they encountered there a magician who claimed to be a prophet, a Jew named Bar-Jesus.

7

He was in the company of the governor, Sergius Paulus, a man of good sense, who had sent for Barnabas and Saul and asked if he might hear the word of God.

8

And Elymas, the magician (that is what his name means when translated), opposed them, trying to turn the governor away from the faith.✻

9

Then Saul, whose other name is Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fastened his eyes on him,✻

10

and said; Child of the devil, versed in all trickery and cunning, enemy of all honest dealing, wilt thou never have done with trying to twist the straight paths of the Lord?

11

See, then, if the hand of the Lord does not fall upon thee now. Thou shalt become blind, and see the sun no more for a while. At this, a dark mist fell upon him, and he had to go about looking for someone to lead him by the hand.

12

And now the governor, seeing what had happened, and overcome with awe at the Lord’s teaching, learned to believe.

13

After this Paul and his companions took ship from Paphos and made for Perge in Pamphylia; here John left them, and went back to Jerusalem.

14

They passed on from Perge, and reached Pisidian Antioch, where they went and took their seats in the synagogue on the sabbath day.

15

When the reading from the law and the prophets was finished, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them to say, Brethren, if you have in your hearts any word of encouragement for the people, let us hear it.

16

Then Paul stood up, and made a gesture with his hand to claim audience. Listen, he said, men of Israel, and all you who worship the true God.✻

17

The God of this people of Israel chose out our fathers, and made his people great at the time when they were strangers in the land of Egypt, stretching out his arm to deliver them from it.

18

For forty years he bore with their hard hearts in the wilderness;

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then he overthrew seven nations in the land of Chanaan, whose lands he gave them for an inheritance.

20

By now, some four hundred and fifty years had passed; and after this he appointed judges over them, up to the time of the prophet Samuel.✻

21

Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul, son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned forty years;

22

but afterwards dispossessed him, and raised up David to be their king. To him, he gave this testimony, I have found in David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will accomplish all that is my will.✻

23

It is out of this man’s posterity, according to the promise made to him, that God has brought us a Saviour, Jesus.

24

John had prepared the way for his coming, by proclaiming a baptism in which all the people of Israel was to repent;

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but John himself, when he was coming to the end of his life’s course, told them, I am not what you suspect me to be; look rather for one who comes after me; I am not worthy to untie the shoes on his feet.

26

Brethren, you who are sons of Abraham, and you others who fear God, this message of salvation is sent to you.

27

The people at Jerusalem, like their rulers, did not recognize Jesus for what he was; unwittingly they fulfilled, by condemning him, those utterances of the prophets which they had heard read, sabbath after sabbath.

28

And although they could find no capital charge against him, they petitioned Pilate for his death.

29

So, when they had fulfilled all that had been written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb.

30

And, on the third day, God raised him from the dead.

31

He was seen, over a space of many days, by the men who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem; it is they who now bear witness of him before the people.

32

And this is the message we preach to you; there was a promise made to our forefathers,

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and this promise God has redeemed for our posterity, by raising Jesus to life. Thus, it is written in the second Psalm, Thou art my son; I have begotten thee this day.✻

34

And this is how he describes raising him from the dead, never to return to corruption again, I will grant you the privileges I have promised to David;✻

35

to which purpose he says in another psalm, Thou wilt not allow thy faithful servant to see corruption.✻

36

David saw corruption; he served God’s purpose in his own generation, and then fell asleep, and rested with his fathers;

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but he whom God raised to life saw no corruption at all.

38

Here is news for you, then, brethren; remission of your sins is offered to you through him. There are claims from which you could not be acquitted by the law of Moses,

39

and whoever believes in Jesus is quit of all these.

40

Beware, then, of incurring the prophets’ rebuke;

41

Look upon this, you scornful souls, and lose yourselves in astonishment. Such wonders I am doing in your days, that if a man told you the story you would not believe him.✻

42

As they left, they were implored to preach the same message there on the next sabbath.

43

And when the synagogue broke up, many Jews and many who worshipped the true God as proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas; and they preached to them, urging them to be true to the grace of God.

44

On the following sabbath almost all the city had assembled to hear God’s word.

45

The Jews, when they saw these crowds, were full of indignation, and began to argue blasphemously against all that Paul said.

46

Whereupon Paul and Barnabas told them roundly, We were bound to preach God’s word to you first; but now, since you reject it, since you declare yourselves unfit for eternal life, be it so; we will turn our thoughts to the Gentiles.

47

This, after all, is the charge the Lord has given us, I have appointed thee to be a light for the Gentiles, that thou mayst bring salvation to the ends of the earth.✻

48

The Gentiles were rejoiced to hear this, and praised the word of the Lord; and they found faith, all those of them who were destined to eternal life.

49

And the word of the Lord spread far and wide all through the country.

50

But the Jews used influence with such women of fashion as worshipped the true God, and with the leading men in the city, setting on foot a persecution against Paul and Barnabas and driving them out of their territory;

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so they shook off the dust from their feet as they left them, and went on to Iconium.

52

The disciples, meanwhile, were filled with rejoicing, and with the Holy Spirit.