Acts 13

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1Now in the assembly that was at Antioch there were some prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen the foster brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

2As 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.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

10and 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?

11Now, 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.

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

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

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

15After 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.”

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

17The 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.

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

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

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

21Afterward 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.

22When 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.’

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

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

25As 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.’

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

27For 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.

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

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

30But God raised him from the dead,

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

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

33that 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.’

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.’

35Therefore he says also in another psalm, ‘You will not allow your Holy One to see decay.’

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

37But he whom God raised up saw no decay.

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

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

40Beware 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.’”

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

43Now 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.

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

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

46Paul 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.

47For 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.’”

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

49The Lord’s word was spread abroad throughout all the region.

50But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, and stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and threw them out of their borders.

51But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came to Iconium.

52The disciples were filled with joy with the Holy Spirit.

Commentary

13:1-3 What an assemblage was here! In these names we see that the Lord raises up instruments for his work, from various places and stations in life; and zeal for his glory induces men to give up flattering connexions and prospects to promote his cause. It is by the Spirit of Christ that his ministers are made both able and willing for his service, and taken from other cares that would hinder in it. Christ's ministers are to be employed in Christ's work, and, under the Spirit's guidance, to act for the glory of God the Father. They are separated to take pains, and not to take state. A blessing upon Barnabas and Saul in their present undertaking was sought for, and that they might be filled with the Holy Ghost in their work. Whatever means are used, or rules observed, the Holy Ghost alone can fit ministers for their important work, and call them to it.

CHAPTER 13PAUL'S FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY: In Company with Barnabas. Ac 13:1-14:28.Ac 13:1-3. Barnabas and Saul, Divinely Called to Labor among the Gentiles, Are Set Apart and Sent Forth by the Church at Antioch.The first seven chapters of this book might be entitled, The Church among the Jews; the next five (chapters eight through twelve), The Church in Transition from Jews to Gentiles; and the last sixteen (chapters thirteen through twenty-eight), The Church among the Gentiles [Baumgarten]. "Though Christianity had already spread beyond the limits of Palestine, still the Church continued a stranger to formal missionary effort. Casual occurrences, particularly the persecution at Jerusalem (Ac 8:2), had hitherto brought about the diffusion of the Gospel. It was from Antioch that teachers were first sent forth with the definite purpose of spreading Christianity, and organizing churches, with regular institutions (Ac 14:23)" [Olshausen].1. there were … certain prophets—(See on [2000]Ac 11:27).and teachers; as Barnabas, &c.—implying that there were others there, besides; but, according to what appears the true reading, the meaning is simply that those here mentioned were in the Church at Antioch as prophets and teachers.Simeon … Niger—of whom nothing is known.Lucius of Cyrene—(Ac 2:20). He is mentioned, in Ro 16:21, as one of Paul's kinsmen.Manaen—or Menahem, the name of one of the kings of Israel (2Ki 15:14).which had been brought up with—or, the foster brother of.Herod the tetrarch—that is, Antipas, who was himself "brought up with a certain private person at Rome" [Josephus, Antiquities, 17.1,3]. How differently did these two foster brothers turn out—the one, abandoned to a licentious life and stained with the blood of the most distinguished of God's prophets, though not without his fits of reformation and seasons of remorse; the other, a devoted disciple of the Lord Jesus and prophet of the Church at Antioch! But this is only what may be seen in every age: "Even so, Father, for so it seemeth good in Thy sight.' If the courtier, whose son, at the point of death, was healed by our Lord (Joh 4:46) was of Herod's establishment, while Susanna's husband was his steward (Lu 8:3), his foster brother's becoming a Christian and a prophet is something remarkable.and Saul—last of all, but soon to become first. Henceforward this book is almost exclusively occupied with him; and his impress on the New Testament, on Christendom, and on the world is paramount.

"\nAs they ministered to the Lord,.... That is, the five prophets and teachers before mentioned; and whose ministry lay in preaching the Gospel, teaching the people the doctrines of it, and expounding prophecies, and also in prayer; to which latter the Syriac version restrains their ministry, rendering it, "as they prayed to God"; but the phrase seems to be more extensive: "and fasted"; which the Jews were much used to, and the believing ones had not yet left it off; their custom was to fast on Mondays and Thursdays: [See comments on Lu 18:12]. Whether it was on one of those days, that these men were ministering and fasting, is not certain; but this we may be sure of, it was not on the Jewish sabbath, for on that day they never fasted; very likely that this was a fast appointed and fixed among themselves, on some particular occasion; it may be on account of the famine, which was at this time, Ac 11:28.\n\nThe Holy Ghost said; either with an articulate voice, or by an internal impulse, upon the minds of three of the prophets:\n\nseparate me Barnabas and Saul, for the work whereunto I have called them; the work which the Holy Ghost had appointed, and called them to before this, was to go and preach the Gospel among the Gentiles, distinct from the Jews, of which we read in the latter part of this chapter; and now he would have them be separated from their brethren, as Aaron and his sons were from theirs, and be sent forth from hence directly, upon that work: this shows the Spirit to be a person, since speaking and commanding in an authoritative way, and calling to a work, are ascribed unto him; and that he is a divine person, and truly God, and equal with God, since calling to a sacred office is attributed to him; and a separation to it is ordered for himself, for his service, honour, and glory; he does not say separate them to the Lord, or to God, but to me.\n\n\n "

"\nAnd when they had fasted and prayed,....

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Translations8 · 5

AMHEVG በአንጾኪያም ባለችው ቤተ ክርስቲያን ነቢያትና መምህራን ነበሩ፤ እነርሱም በርናባስ፥ ኔጌር የተባለው ስምዖንም፥ የቀሬናው ሉክዮስም፥ የአራተኛው ክፍል ገዥ የሄሮድስም ባለምዋል ምናሔ፥ ሳውልም… አማርኛ ENGNIV In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who… English BCV ኣብታ ኣብ ኣንፆኪያ ዝነበረት ቤተ ክርስቲያን ከዓ፥ ነቢያትን መምህራንን ነበሩ። ንሳቶም ከዓ በርናባስን፥ እቲ “ፀሊም” ተብሂሉ ዝፅዋዕ ስምኦንን፥ ሉቅዮስ ቀሬናውን፥ ምስ ገዛኢ ርባዕ ክፍሊ… ትግርኛ GAZBIB Waldaa kristiiyaanaa Anxokiyaa keessa raajonnii fi barsiisonni turan; isaanis Baarnaabaas, Simi'oon ?Isa gurraachicha? … Afaan Oromoo BCV GIZ ወሀለዉ በቤተ ክርስቲያን ዘአንጾኪያ ነቢያት ወሊቃውንት፡ በርናባስ ወስምዖን ዘተሰምየ ኔጎር፡ ወሉቅዮስ ቀሬናዊ፡ ወምናሄ ወልደ ሐፃኒቱ ለሄሮድስ ንጉሥ፡ ወሳውል። giz GAZGAZ Waldaa kristiiyaanaa Anxokiyaa keessa raajonnii fi barsiisonni turan; isaanis Baarnaabaas, Simi'oon ?Isa gurraachicha? … Afaan Oromoo BCV aksum ኣብታ ኣብ ኣንፆኪያ ዝነበረት ቤተ ክርስቲያን ከዓ፥ ነቢያትን መምህራንን ነበሩ። ንሳቶም ከዓ በርናባስን፥ እቲ “ፀሊም” ተብሂሉ ዝፅዋዕ ስምኦንን፥ ሉቅዮስ ቀሬናውን፥ ምስ ገዛኢ ርባዕ ክፍሊ… ትግርኛ AMHNIV በአንጾኪያ ባለችው ቤተ ክርስቲያን ነቢያትና መምህራን ነበሩ፤ እነርሱም፦ በርናባስ፣ ኔጌር የተባለው ስምዖን፣ የቀሬናው ሉክዮስ፣ የአራተኛው ክፍል ገዥ የሄሮድስ አብሮ አደግ የነበረው ምናሔና… አማርኛ