Acts 13 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

Now in the gathered community at Antioch, there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon (called Niger), Lucius from Cyrene, Manaen (who had grown up with Herod the tetrarch), and Saul.

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Breath of God said, "Set apart Barnabas and Saul for me — for the work I've called them to do."

So after more fasting and prayer, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

So the two of them, sent out by the Breath of God, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.

When they arrived in Salamis, they proclaimed God's message in the Jewish synagogues. John Mark was with them as their assistant.

They traveled through the whole island until they reached Paphos, where they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus.

He was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man. The proconsul sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear God's message.

But Elymas the sorcerer (that's what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith.

Then Saul — also known as Paul — filled with the Breath of God, looked straight at Elymas and said,

"You're full of every kind of deception and fraud, you son of the devil! You're an enemy of everything that's right. Will you never stop twisting Yahweh's straight paths?"

"Now look — Yahweh's hand is against you. You're going to be blind and unable to see the sun for a while." Immediately a dark mist fell over him, and he stumbled around looking for someone to lead him by the hand.

When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed. He was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem.

From Perga they continued on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.

After the readings from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue leaders sent them a message: "Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, please speak."

Paul stood up, motioned with his hand, and said: "People of Israel and you non-Jewish people who honor God — listen to me.

The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors and made the people great during their time as foreigners in Egypt. With mighty power he led them out of there,

and for about forty years he endured their behavior in the wilderness.

He overthrew seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to his people as an inheritance.

All of this took about 450 years. After that, he gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.

Then the people asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled for forty years.

After removing Saul, God raised up David as their king. God testified about him: 'I've found David son of Jesse to be a man after my own heart — he'll do everything I want him to.'

From this man's descendants, God has brought to Israel a deliverer — Jesus — just as he promised.

Before Jesus arrived on the scene, John had proclaimed a submersion of complete life-change to all the people of Israel.

As John was finishing his mission, he said, 'Who do you think I am? I'm not the one you're looking for. But listen — someone is coming after me whose sandals I'm not even worthy to untie.'

"Brothers — children of Abraham's family, and you non-Jewish people among us who honor God — this message of rescue has been sent to us.

The people of Jerusalem and their leaders didn't recognize Jesus for who he was. They didn't understand the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath, and by condemning him they actually fulfilled those very prophecies.

Even though they found no legitimate reason to execute him, they asked Pilate to have him killed.

When they had carried out everything that had been written about him, they took him down from the execution stake and placed him in a tomb.

But God raised him from the dead.

And for many days he appeared to those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to the people.

"And we're here to bring you the good news: what God promised our ancestors,

he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising Jesus. As it's written in the second Psalm: 'You are my Son; today I have become your Father.'

And regarding the fact that God raised him from the dead, never to decay again, he said this: 'I will give you the sacred and sure promises made to David.'

That's why he also says in another psalm: 'You will not let your set-apart one experience decay.'

Now David served God's purpose in his own generation, then he died, was buried with his ancestors, and his body decayed.

But the one God raised from the dead did not experience decay.

"So I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that through Jesus the forgiveness of your failures is being proclaimed to you.

Through him, everyone who trusts is made right with God — freed from everything that the law of Moses could never free you from.

Be careful, then, that what the prophets said doesn't happen to you:

"'Look, you scoffers — be amazed and disappear! Because I'm doing something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone explained it to you.'"

As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people urged them to speak about these things again the next Sabbath.

When the meeting broke up, many of the Jewish people and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to keep holding on to God's generous favor.

The next Sabbath, almost the entire city gathered to hear the message of the Lord.

When the Jewish leaders saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting what Paul was saying, hurling insults at him.

Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly: "It was necessary that God's message be spoken to you first. But since you're rejecting it and judging yourselves unworthy of limitless life — well then, we're turning to the non-Jewish people.

For this is what the Lord has commanded us: 'I have made you a light for the non-Jewish nations, so that you would bring rescue to the ends of the earth.'"

When the non-Jewish people heard this, they were overjoyed and praised the message of the Lord. And everyone who had been appointed for limitless life believed.

The message of the Lord spread through the whole region.

But the Jewish leaders stirred up the prominent God-honoring women and the leading men of the city. They started a persecution against Paul and Barnabas and threw them out of the region.