Barnabas and Saul Given a Special Work

13 ¹In the church (group of believers) at Antioch there were some prophets* and teachers. They were: Barnabas, Simeon (also called Niger), Lucius (from the city of Cyrene), Manaen (who had grown up with Herod,* the ruler) and Saul. ²These men were all serving the Lord and fasting.* The Holy Spirit* said to them, "Give Barnabas and Saul to me to do a special work. I have chosen them to do this work." ³So the church fasted* and prayed. They put their hands on* Barnabas and Saul and sent them out.

Barnabas and Saul in Cyprus

⁴Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit.* They went to the city of Seleucia. Then they sailed from Seleucia to the island of Cyprus. ⁵When Barnabas and Saul came to the city of Salamis, they told the message* of God in the Jewish synagogues.* (John [Mark] was with them to help.) ⁶They went across the whole island to the city of Paphos. In Paphos they met a Jewish man who did magic tricks. His name was Barjesus. He was a false prophet.* ⁷Barjesus always stayed close to Sergius Paulus, the governor. Sergius Paulus was a wise man. He asked Barnabas and Saul to come to him. He wanted to hear the message* of God. ⁸But Elymas, the magician, was against Barnabas and Saul. (Elymas is the name for Barjesus in the Greek language.) Elymas tried to stop the governor from believing [in Jesus]. ⁹But Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit.* Paul (Saul's other name) looked at Elymas (Barjesus) ¹⁰and said, "You son of the devil! You are an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of evil tricks and lies. You always try to change the Lord's truths into lies! ¹¹Now the Lord will touch you and you will be blind. For a time you will not be able to see anything--not even the light from the sun." Then everything became dark for Elymas. He walked around lost. He was trying to find someone to lead him by the hand. ¹²When the governor (Sergius Paulus) saw this, he believed. He was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

Paul and Barnabas Leave Cyprus

¹³Paul and those people with him sailed away from Paphos. They came to Perga, a city in Pamphylia. But John [Mark] left them; he returned to Jerusalem. ¹⁴They continued their trip from Perga and went to Antioch, a city near Pisidia. In Antioch on the Sabbath day* they went into the Jewish synagogue* and sat down. ¹⁵The law of Moses and the writings of the prophets* were read. Then the leaders of the synagogue sent a message to Paul and Barnabas: "Brothers, if you have something to say that will help the people here, please speak!" ¹⁶Paul stood up. He raised his hand* and said, "My Jewish brothers and you other people that also worship the true God, please listen to me! ¹⁷The God of Israel (the Jews) chose our fathers.*God helped his people to have success during the time they lived in Egypt as strangers. God brought them out of that country with great power. ¹⁸And God was patient with them for 40 years in the desert. ¹⁹God destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan. He gave their land to his people. ²⁰All this happened in about 450 years. "After this, God gave [our people] judges (leaders) until the time of Samuel* the prophet.* ²¹Then the people asked for a king. God gave them Saul, the son of Kish. Saul was from the family group of Benjamin. He was king for 40 years. ²²After God took Saul away, God made David* their king. This is what God said about David: 'David, the son of Jesse, is a man who is like me in his thinking. He will do all the things I want him to do.' ²³God has brought one of David's descendants* to Israel (the Jews) to be their Savior.* That descendant is Jesus. God promised to do this. ²⁴Before Jesus came, John* told [God's message] to all the Jewish people. John told the people to be baptized* to show they wanted to change their lives. ²⁵When John was finishing his work, he said, 'Who do you think I am? I am not the Christ.* He is coming later. I am not worthy to untie his shoes.' ²⁶"My brothers, sons in the family of Abraham,* and you non-Jews who also worship the true God, listen! The news about this salvation has been sent to us. ²⁷The [Jews] living in Jerusalem and the Jewish leaders did not realize that [Jesus] was the Savior. The words that the prophets* wrote [about Jesus] were read to the Jews every Sabbath day,* but they did not understand. The Jews condemned Jesus. When they did this, they made the words of the prophets come true! ²⁸They could not find any real reason why Jesus should die, but they asked Pilate to kill him. ²⁹These Jews did all the bad things that the Scriptures* said would happen to Jesus. Then they took Jesus down from the cross and put him in a grave. ³⁰But God raised him up from death! ³¹After this, for many days, the people that had gone with Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem saw Jesus. These people are now his witnesses to the people.

prophets People that spoke for God. Herod Herod Agrippa I, grandson of Herod the Great. fasting, fasted To fast is to live without food for a time of prayer or mourning. Spirit, Holy Spirit Also called the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, and the Comforter. Joined with God and Christ, he does God's work among people in the world. put their hands on Here, this was a sign to show that these men were given a special work of God. message, Good News The news that God has made a way for people to have their sins forgiven and live with him forever. synagogue(s) Synagogues were places where Jews gathered for prayer, study of the Scriptures, and other public meetings. false prophet A person that says he speaks for God but does not really speak God's truth. Sabbath day The seventh day of the Jewish week. It was a special religious day for the Jews. prophets People that spoke for God. Some of them wrote books that are part of the Old Testament. raised his hand A sign to make the people listen. father(s) Important ancestors of the Jews; the leaders of the twelve Jewish family groups. Samuel The last judge (leader) and first prophet of Israel. David King of Israel about 1000 years before Christ. descendant(s) The people born in a person's family after that person dies. Savior The One that God promised to send to save his people from punishment for their sins. John John the Baptizer, the man that told people about Christ's coming (Read Mt. 3; Lk. 3). baptized A Greek word meaning to be immersed, dipped, or buried briefly under water. Christ The "anointed one" (Messiah) or chosen one of God. Abraham The most respected ancestor of the Jews. Scriptures Holy Writings--the Old Testament.