Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

In the church at Antioch, there were certain prophets and teachers who served the Lord by fasting and prayer. Among them were Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

The Holy Spirit said to them, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." When they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. The two apostles, being sent forth by the Holy Spirit, departed unto Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus.

When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues, with John as their attendant. As they traveled through the island to Paphos, they encountered a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew named Bar-Jesus, who was with Sergius Paulus, a man of understanding and the deputy of the country.

The sorcerer, whose name is interpreted "sorcerer," opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze intently on him. You son of the devil, full of deceit and cunning, enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?

Behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind, not seeing the sun for a season; immediately a mist and darkness fell on him, and he went about seeking someone to lead him by the hand. The deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

As Paul and his companions sailed from Paphos, they arrived in Perga of Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia on the Sabbath day and entered into the synagogue, where they sat down.

After the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, "Men and brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, speak on." Then Paul stood up, beckoning with his hand to those who would listen, saying,

Men of Israel and you who fear God, give your attention. The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers and exalted them with a mighty arm when they lived as strangers in the land of Egypt, bringing them out of it. About the time of forty years, he allowed their behavior to be shaped in the wilderness.

And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he divided their land to them by lot. And after that, he gave them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years until Samuel the prophet. Afterward, they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul, son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, for about forty years.

And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king; to whom he gave his testimony and said, "I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will fulfill all my purposes." From this man's offspring, God has brought salvation to Israel according to his promise before his coming.

When John had first preached the baptism of repentance to Israel, he proclaimed to all the people of Israel the baptism of repentance. As John was fulfilling his course, he said, "What do you suppose that I am? I am not he; behold, there comes one after me whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose."

Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, to you is the word of this salvation sent. For those who dwell in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not know him nor the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, they have fulfilled them by condemning him.

And though they found no cause of death in him, yet they asked Pilate to have him killed. When they had fulfilled all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and he was seen for many days by those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, his witnesses to the people.

We bring you good news of the promise made to the fathers, that God has fulfilled this in raising up Jesus for us, their children. God has fulfilled it to us, their children, in that he has raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you."

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. Therefore he says also in another psalm, 'You will not allow your Holy One to see decay.' For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep and was laid to rest with his fathers, having seen corruption.

But he, whom God raised again, did not see decay. Be it known to you, men and brethren, that through this man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins. And by him all who believe are justified from all things, from which you could not be justified through the law of Moses.

Beware, therefore, lest what is spoken of in the prophets comes upon you. Behold, you despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which you will by no means believe, even if a man declares it to you.

When the Jews had left the synagogue, the Gentiles asked that these words be preached to them on the next Sabbath. When the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them persuading them to continue in God's grace.

The next Sabbath day, almost the whole city gathered together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with envy and spoke out against Paul's message, contradicting and blaspheming it.

Paul and Barnabas said, "It was necessary that God's word be spoken to you first, but since you have rejected it and deemed yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For so has the Lord commanded us, saying, 'I have appointed you to be a light of the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.'"

And when the Gentiles heard this, they were filled with joy and glorified the word of the Lord; and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. The word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.

The devout and honourable women, along with the chief men of the city, were stirred up by the Jews to raise persecution against Paul and Barnabas, ultimately expelling them from their region. But they shook off the dust of their feet against them and came to Iconium.

The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.