Paul's First Missionary Journey

(Acts 15:36-41; Acts 18:23-28)

1And there were certain in Antioch, in the assembly there, prophets and teachers; both Barnabas, and Simeon who is called Niger, and Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen also — Herod the tetrarch’s foster-brother — and Saul; 2and in their ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Separate ye to me both Barnabas and Saul to the work to which I have called them,’ 3then having fasted, and having prayed, and having laid the hands on them, they sent [them] away.

On Cyprus

4These, indeed, then, having been sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia, thence also they sailed to Cyprus, 5and having come unto Salamis, they declared the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews, and they had also John [as] a ministrant; 6and having gone through the island unto Paphos, they found a certain magian, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name [is] Bar-Jesus; 7who was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man; this one having called for Barnabas and Saul, did desire to hear the word of God, 8and there withstood them Elymas the magian — for so is his name interpreted — seeking to pervert the proconsul from the faith. 9And Saul — who also [is] Paul — having been filled with the Holy Spirit, and having looked stedfastly on him, 10said, ‘O full of all guile, and all profligacy, son of a devil, enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease perverting the right ways of the Lord? 11and now, lo, a hand of the Lord [is] upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season;’ and presently there fell upon him a mist and darkness, and he, going about, was seeking some to lead [him] by the hand; 12then the proconsul having seen what hath come to pass, did believe, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

In Pisidian Antioch

13And those about Paul having set sail from Paphos, came to Perga of Pamphylia, and John having departed from them, did turn back to Jerusalem, 14and they having gone through from Perga, came to Antioch of Pisidia, and having gone into the synagogue on the sabbath-day, they sat down, 15and after the reading of the law and of the prophets, the chief men of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, ‘Men, brethren, if there be a word in you of exhortation unto the people — say on.’ 16And Paul having risen, and having beckoned with the hand, said, ‘Men, Israelites, and those fearing God, hearken: 17the God of this people Israel did choose our fathers, and the people He did exalt in their sojourning in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm did He bring them out of it; 18and about a period of forty years He did suffer their manners in the wilderness, 19and having destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He did divide by lot to them their land. 20‘And after these things, about four hundred and fifty years, He gave judges — till Samuel the prophet; 21and thereafter they asked for a king, and God did give to them Saul, son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years; 22and having removed him, He did raise up to them David for king, to whom also having testified, he said, I found David, the [son] of Jesse, a man according to My heart, who shall do all My will. 23‘Of this one’s seed God, according to promise, did raise to Israel a Saviour — Jesus, 24John having first preached, before his coming, a baptism of reformation to all the people of Israel; 25and as John was fulfilling the course, he said, Whom me do ye suppose to be? I am not [he], but, lo, he doth come after me, of whom I am not worthy to loose the sandal of [his] feet.

26‘Men, brethren, sons of the race of Abraham, and those among you fearing God, to you was the word of this salvation sent, 27for those dwelling in Jerusalem, and their chiefs, this one not having known, also the voices of the prophets, which every sabbath are being read — having judged [him] — did fulfill, 28and no cause of death having found, they did ask of Pilate that he should be slain, 29and when they did complete all the things written about him, having taken [him] down from the tree, they laid him in a tomb; 30and God did raise him out of the dead, 31and he was seen for many days of those who did come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people. 32‘And we to you do proclaim good news — that the promise made unto the fathers, 33God hath in full completed this to us their children, having raised up Jesus, as also in the second Psalm it hath been written, My Son thou art — I to-day have begotten thee. 34‘And that He did raise him up out of the dead, no more to return to corruption, he hath said thus — I will give to you the faithful kindnesses of David; 35wherefore also in another [place] he saith, Thou shalt not give Thy kind One to see corruption, 36for David, indeed, his own generation having served by the will of God, did fall asleep, and was added unto his fathers, and saw corruption, 37but he whom God did raise up, did not see corruption. 38‘Let it therefore be known to you, men, brethren, that through this one to you is the forgiveness of sins declared, 39and from all things from which ye were not able in the law of Moses to be declared righteous, in this one every one who is believing is declared righteous; 40see, therefore, it may not come upon you that hath been spoken in the prophets:

41See, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish, because a work I — I do work in your days, a work in which ye may not believe, though any one may declare [it] to you.’

The Gentiles Ask to Hear the Gospel

42And having gone forth out of the synagogue of the Jews, the nations were calling upon [them] that on the next sabbath these sayings may be spoken to them, 43and the synagogue having been dismissed, many of the Jews and of the devout proselytes did follow Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were persuading them to remain in the grace of God.

44And on the coming sabbath, almost all the city was gathered together to hear the word of God, 45and the Jews having seen the multitudes, were filled with zeal, and did contradict the things spoken by Paul — contradicting and speaking evil. 46And speaking boldly, Paul and Barnabas said, ‘To you it was necessary that first the word of God be spoken, and seeing ye do thrust it away, and do not judge yourselves worthy of the life age-during, lo, we do turn to the nations;

47for so hath the Lord commanded us: I have set thee for a light of nations — for thy being for salvation unto the end of the earth.’

48And the nations hearing were glad, and were glorifying the word of the Lord, and did believe — as many as were appointed to life age-during; 49and the word of the Lord was spread abroad through all the region. 50And the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the first men of the city, and did raise persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and did put them out from their borders; 51and they having shaken off the dust of their feet against them, came to Iconium, 52and the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.