Acts 13

1 Now in the church [assembly, gathering of believers] at Antioch [a city in Syria, an important location in early Christianity] there were prophets [those who speak forth God’s message, interpreters of His will] and teachers [instructors, guides in the faith]: Barnabas [son of prophecy, a leader in the early church], Simeon [called Niger, a prophet and teacher at Antioch] called Niger [meaning black, a Latin name], Lucius [a leader in the early church, possibly from Cyrene] of Cyrene [a region in Africa, a place of early Christian influence], Manaen [a disciple, a foster brother of Herod] (who had been brought up with [raised together as a foster brother] Herod [a Jewish king, a tetrarch] the tetrarch [a ruler of a fourth part of a country]), and Saul [the Jewish name of the Apostle Paul, before his conversion]. word study 2 While they were worshiping [ministering to, serving] the Lord [God, the supreme authority] and fasting [abstaining from food, for spiritual purposes], the Holy Spirit [the divine Presence, the Spirit of God] said, “Set apart [separate, dedicate] for Me Barnabas [son of prophecy] and Saul [the Jewish name of the Apostle Paul] for the work [mission, task] to which I have called [summoned, invited] them [to serve Me].” word study 3 And after they had [gone without food, abstained from eating] fasted [to abstain from food for religious reasons] and [spoken to God in prayer, worshiped] prayed [to pray to God], they [physically, as a symbol of blessing] laid [to put or lay on] their hands [a symbol of power or instrument] on them [the apostles, as a gesture of commissioning] and sent them [released them, let them go] off [to release or set free]. word study 4 So Barnabas and Saul, sent forth [directed, guided] by the Holy Spirit [the divine Presence, Breath of God], went down [descended, came down] to Seleucia [a city in Syria] and sailed [set sail, embarked] from there [that place, thence] to Cyprus [an island in the Mediterranean]. word study 5 When they arrived [came to be, were present] at Salamis [a city in Cyprus], they proclaimed [preached, declared publicly] the word [Logos, message from God] of God [the one true deity] in the Jewish [of the Jews, Judah] synagogues [gatherings, assemblies]. And John [the Apostle, a helper] was with them as their [assistant, servant, minister] helper [assistant, servant]. word study 6 They traveled [went throughout, crossed] through the whole island [a landmass surrounded by water] as far as Paphos [a city in Cyprus], where they found [discovered, met] a Jewish [from the tribe of Judah, a Jew] sorcerer [magician, wise man] and false prophet [one who falsely claims to speak for God] named [whose name was, called] Bar-Jesus [son of Jesus, Joshua], word study 7 an attendant [close to, associated with] of the proconsul [high-ranking Roman official], Sergius Paulus. The proconsul [deputy of the country], a man [adult male, husband] of intelligence [understanding, wisdom], summoned [called to, invited] Barnabas and Saul because he wanted [desired, sought after] to hear [listen to, obey] the word [message, idea] of God [the one true deity]. word study 8 But Elymas [the wizard, magician] the sorcerer [sage, wise man] (for that is what his name [character, authority] means) opposed [withstood, resisted] them and tried [sought, attempted] to turn [pervert, distort] the proconsul [high-ranking Roman official] from the faith [trust, confidence in God]. word study 9 Then Saul [whose other name is Paul], who was also called Paul, filled [empowered, completely controlled] with the Holy [set apart, dedicated] Spirit [the vital principle, breath of God], looked [gazed intently, fastened his eyes] directly at Elymas [the magician, sorcerer] word study 10 and said, “O child [son, offspring] of the devil [the adversary, Satan] and enemy [opponent, adversary] of all righteousness [justice, moral integrity], you are full [completely filled] of all kinds [every type, variety] of deceit [trickery, cunning] and trickery [wickedness, malice]! Will you never stop [cease, desist] perverting [twisting, distorting] the straight [right, upright] ways [paths, roads] of the Lord [God, the Almighty]? word study 11 Now look, the hand [of divine power and authority] of the Lord [God, the supreme ruler] is against you, and for a time [a season, a period of judgment] you will be blind [unable to see spiritually or physically] and unable to see the light [radiance, illumination] of the sun.” Immediately [at once, without delay] mist [a dark cloud, spiritual darkness] and darkness [the absence of light, ignorance] came over him, and he groped about, seeking [searching diligently, looking for guidance] someone to lead him by the hand [to guide him, to direct his steps]. word study 12 When the proconsul [Roman governor, high-ranking official] saw what had happened, he believed [trusted in, had faith], for he was astonished [amazed, struck with wonder] at the teaching [instruction, doctrine] about the Lord [Master, God, supreme authority]. word study 13 After setting sail [loosing, departing] from Paphos [a city in Cyprus], Paul [originally named Saul, a Roman apostle] and his companions [those who were with him] came to Perga [a city in Pamphylia] in Pamphylia [a region in Asia Minor], where John [one of Jesus’ twelve apostles] left [departed, went away] them to return [to turn back, to go back] to Jerusalem [the capital of Palestine]. word study 14 And from Perga [a city in Pamphylia], they traveled inland [passing through] to Pisidian Antioch [in the region of Pisidia], where they entered [went into] the synagogue [a gathering place for Jewish worship] on the Sabbath [a day of rest, the seventh day] and sat down [took their seat, to teach or worship]. word study 15 After the reading [lecture, public recitation] from the Law [Moses’ teachings, divine instructions] and the Prophets [God’s messengers, spokesmen], the synagogue leaders [rulers, chief men] sent word to them: “Brothers [men, fellow believers], if you have a word [message, exhortation] of encouragement [comfort, solace] for the people [congregation, assembly], please speak [say on, share with us].” word study 16 Paul [the apostle, originally named Saul] stood up, motioned [beckoning, signaling for attention] with his hand, and began to speak: “Men [adult males, Israelites] of Israel and you Gentiles [non-Jews, those who fear God] who fear [reverence, have awe of] God [the one true deity], listen [hear and obey, give attention] to me! word study 17 The God [of covenant promise, Almighty] of the people [a chosen nation, Israel] of Israel chose [selected, elected] our fathers [ancestors, patriarchs]. He made them into a great [numerous, mighty] people during their stay [sojourning, dwelling as strangers] in Egypt, and with an uplifted [high, strong] arm He led them out [brought forth, guided] of that land [country, region]. word study 18 He [patiently, tolerating their behavior] endured [put up with, bore with] their conduct [manners, ways] for about [approximately, nearly] forty years [a period of four decades] in [within, among] the wilderness [desert, deserted place, a region of solitude]. word study 19 And having vanquished [conquered, destroyed] seven nations [Gentiles, non-Jewish peoples] in Canaan [the land of promise, early name of Palestine], He gave [distributed, apportioned] their land [the earth, soil, a region] to His people [the Israelites, His chosen ones] as an inheritance [a gift, a possession]. word study 20 All this [about 450 years, a long period of time] took [passed, elapsed] about 450 years [four hundred and fifty years, nearly five centuries]. After this [following these events, subsequently], God [the Almighty, Creator] gave them [appointed, provided] judges [leaders, rulers] until [up to the time of, prior to] the time of Samuel [a prophet, God’s messenger] the prophet [one who speaks for God, a divine messenger]. word study 21 Then the people asked [desired, requested] for a king [sovereign ruler, monarch], and God [the one true deity, Creator] gave [bestowed, granted] them forty [a period of testing, trial] years under Saul [the first king of Israel] son of Kish [a man of the tribe of Benjamin], from [out of, belonging to] the tribe [family, clan] of Benjamin [one of the twelve tribes of Israel]. word study 22 After removing [taking away, rejecting] Saul, He raised up [exalted, appointed] David as their king [ruler, sovereign] and testified [witnessed, gave evidence] about him: ‘I have found [discovered, chosen] David son of Jesse [the father of King David] a man [a person, an individual] after My own heart [having God’s nature, according to My will]; he will carry out [fulfill, accomplish] My will [desire, intention] in its entirety [completely, fully].’ word study 23 From the descendants [seed, offspring] of this man [a specific person], God [the one true deity] has brought [led, raised up] to Israel [the adopted name of Jacob, including his descendants] the Savior [rescuer, deliverer] Jesus [having God’s nature], as He promised [according to his word, in line with his commitment]. word study 24 Before [prior to, in anticipation of] the arrival of Jesus, John [the Baptist, a prophet] preached [proclaimed, announced] a baptism [ceremonial washing, immersion] of repentance [turning away from sin, changing one’s mind] to all the people of Israel [the chosen nation, God’s covenant people]. word study 25 As John [the Baptist, a prophet] was completing [fulfilling, finishing] his course [ministry, life’s work], he said, ‘Who do you suppose [think, believe] I am? I am not [certainly not, by no means] that One [the Messiah, the Christ]. But He is coming [approaching, arriving] after me [following me, in my footsteps] whose sandals [shoes, footwear] I am not worthy [deserving, fit] to untie [loose, release].’ word study 26 Brothers [men and brethren, fellow believers], children of Abraham [the stock of Abraham, descendants of Abraham], and you Gentiles [non-Jews, those who fear God] who fear [reverence, have awe of] God, it is to us that this message [word, logos] of salvation [rescue, spiritual deliverance] has been sent [dispatched, apostaled]. word study 27 The people [inhabitants, dwellers] of Jerusalem [the capital of Palestine, an important city] and their rulers [leaders, chiefs] did not recognize [know, understand] Jesus [the Messiah, the Christ], yet in condemning [judging, punishing] Him they fulfilled [completed, made full] the words [voices, sayings] of the prophets [messengers of God, spokesmen] that are read [proclaimed, announced] every [each, all] Sabbath [day of rest, day of worship]. word study 28 And though they found [no cause, no reason] no ground [nothing, no basis] for a death [physical or spiritual] sentence, they asked [requested, begged] Pilate [the Roman governor] to have Him [Jesus, the Messiah] executed [killed, put to death, slain]. word study 29 When they had carried out [fulfilled, completed] all that was written [recorded, prophesied] about Him, they took Him down [lowered, removed] from the tree [wood, cross] and laid Him in a tomb [sepulcher, grave, place of burial]. word study 30 But God [the one true deity, Creator of all] raised [caused to arise, gave back to life] Him [Jesus, the Messiah] from [out of, originating from] the dead [lifeless, spiritually or physically], word study 31 and for many days [a long period of time, numerous days] He was seen [appeared, became visible] by those who had accompanied [gone up with] Him from Galilee [the region of Galilee] to Jerusalem [the city of Jerusalem]. They are now [at this present time] His witnesses [those who testify] to our people [the nation, those He came to save]. word study 32 And now we proclaim [declare, announce] to you the good news [glad tidings, gospel]: What God [the supreme deity, Creator] promised [made a commitment, gave an assurance] our fathers [ancestors, forefathers, the patriarchs] word study 33 He has fulfilled [completely accomplished, brought to pass] for us, their children [descendants, spiritual offspring], by raising up [resurrecting, exalting] Jesus. As it is written [recorded, inscribed] in the second [secondly] Psalm: ‘You are My Son [a son or child]; today [this day] I have become [begotten, generated] Your Father [the supreme Parent, Author of life].’ word study 34 In fact, God [the supreme Creator] raised Him from the dead [never to die again, to live eternally], never [no more, not again] to see decay [corruption, destruction]. As He has said [spoken, uttered]: ‘I will give [bestow, grant] you the holy [sacred, pure] and sure [faithful, trustworthy] blessings [mercies, promises] promised [covenanted, vowed] to David [the king of Israel, a man after God’s heart].’ word study 35 So also [therefore, as a consequence], He says [speaks, declares] in another [different, distinct] Psalm: ‘You will not [absolutely not, under no circumstances] let Your Holy One [sacred, set apart, righteous] see [perceive, experience] decay [corruption, destruction, rot].’ word study 36 For when David [the king of Israel] had served [ministered to, obeyed] God’s [the one true deity] purpose [plan, counsel] in his own [private, personal] generation [those living at the same time], he fell asleep [died, passed away]. His body [physical form] was buried [laid to rest] with his fathers [ancestors, predecessors] and saw [experienced, underwent] decay [corruption, rotting]. word study 37 But the One [whom God raised again, he] whom God [the supreme Deity] raised from the dead [through resurrection, back to life] did not see [perceive, experience] decay [corruption, the process of deterioration]. word study 38 Therefore [then, as a consequence] let it be known [made clear, proclaimed] to you, brothers [fellow believers, brethren], that through [because of, by means of] Jesus [the Messiah, Christ] the forgiveness [pardon, remission] of sins [transgressions, lawlessness] is proclaimed [declared, announced] to you [to your benefit, for your sake]. word study 39 Through Him [as our Mediator, in His name] everyone who believes [has faith, trusts in] is justified [made righteous, declared innocent] from everything [all things, every sin] you could not be justified [made right, freed] from by the law [regulations, commandments] of Moses [the Hebrew lawgiver]. word study 40 Watch out [be careful, beware], then [therefore, consequently], that what was spoken [uttered, proclaimed] by the prophets [God’s messengers, interpreters of His will] does not happen [come upon, overtake] to you [against you, upon your lives]: word study 41 ‘Look [behold, see], you scoffers [despisers, those who scorn], wonder [marvel, be amazed] and perish [be destroyed, come to an end]! For I am doing [working, accomplishing] a work [a deed, a miracle] in your days [in your lifetime, during your time] that you would never believe [trust, have faith], even if someone [anyone, a person] told you [declared it to you, explained it to you].’ ” word study 42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving [going out from, departing] the synagogue [a gathering place for Jewish worship], the people [Gentiles, non-Jewish crowd] urged [pleaded with, begged] them to continue [speak again, preach] this message [declaration, utterance] on the next [following, subsequent] Sabbath [day of rest, seventh day]. word study 43 After the synagogue [gathering place, place of worship] was dismissed, many of the Jews [people from Judah, descendants of Abraham] and devout [reverent, God-fearing] converts to Judaism [proselytes, those who have joined the Jewish faith] followed Paul [the apostle, formerly known as Saul] and Barnabas [son of encouragement, a leader in the early church], who spoke to them and urged them to continue [remain, persevere] in the grace [unmerited favor, divine influence] of God [the one true deity, Creator of all]. word study 44 On the following [next] Sabbath [day of rest, seventh day], nearly [almost] the whole city [town, community] gathered [assembled, came together] to hear [listen, obey] the word [Logos, divine message] of the Lord [God, Creator]. word study 45 But when the Jews [from Judah, Jewish people] saw the crowds [multitudes, large groups of people], they were filled [completely filled, fulfilled] with jealousy [envy, zeal], and they blasphemously [speaking evil, railing] contradicted [disputed, spoke against] what Paul [the apostle, originally Saul] was saying [speaking, proclaiming]. word study 46 Then Paul [the apostle, originally named Saul] and Barnabas answered them boldly: “It was necessary [a divine obligation, a moral requirement] to speak the word [Logos, the divine message] of God [the supreme Creator, Elohim] to you first [before others, as a priority]. But since you reject [thrust away, refuse] it and do not consider yourselves worthy [deserving, suitable] of eternal [lasting forever, age-during] life, we now turn [change direction, shift focus] to the Gentiles [non-Jewish people, nations]. word study 47 For this is what the Lord [God, the supreme Authority] has commanded [ordered, instructed] us: ‘I have made [appointed, set] you a light [source of spiritual illumination, beacon of hope] for the Gentiles [non-Jewish people, nations], to bring [provide, offer] salvation [rescue, spiritual deliverance] to the ends [farthest reaches, utmost parts] of the earth [the world, all creation].’ ” word study 48 When the Gentiles [non-Jewish people, nations] heard this, they rejoiced [were glad, felt happy] and glorified [praised, honored] the word [message, divine expression] of the Lord [God, Master], and all who were appointed [ordained, chosen] for eternal [lasting forever, age-during] life [spiritual existence, everlasting] believed [trusted, had faith]. word study 49 And the word [Logos, divine message] of the Lord [God, the supreme authority] spread [was published, went through] throughout [through all parts of] that region [country, geographical area]. word study 50 The Jews [from the tribe of Judah], however, incited [stirred up, urged on] the religious women of prominence [honorable, noble] and the leading [chief, prominent] men of the city [town, community]. They stirred up [awakened, roused] persecution [harassment, oppression] against Paul [the apostle, formerly Saul] and Barnabas [son of prophecy, encouragement] and drove [expelled, forced out] them out of their district [region, territory, borders]. word study 51 So they shook [violently removed] the dust [pulverized earth, insignificance] off their feet [a symbol of their presence, authority] in protest [as a sign of rejection, judgment] against them [those who opposed, rejected the message] and went [traveled, journeyed] to Iconium [a city in Asia Minor, a place of ministry]. word study 52 And the disciples [followers of Jesus, learners] were filled [completely controlled, made full] with joy [deep and lasting happiness] and with the Holy [set apart, dedicated to God] Spirit [the vital principle, breath of God]. word study