Acts 13 · WEB
First Missionary Journey Begins
Listen — WEB narration 0:00 / 0:00 Narration: World English Bible (David Williams), public domain — AudioTreasure.
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Now 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 God's word in the Jewish synagogues. They also had 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 the proconsul away from the faith.
9But Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fastened his eyes on him,
10and said, "You son of the devil, full of all deceit and all cunning, 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, and 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.'
26"Brothers, 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 this 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, 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! 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 yourselves, 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 and with the Holy Spirit.
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Summary
In Antioch, while the leaders are worshiping and fasting, the Holy Spirit sets apart Barnabas and Saul for the work he has called them to. Sent off with prayer, they sail to Cyprus, where they outduel a sorcerer and lead the Roman proconsul Sergius Paulus to faith; from this point Luke calls Saul by his Roman name, Paul, and shifts him to the lead. They cross to the mainland (John Mark goes home in Perga) and reach Pisidian Antioch, where Paul preaches a great synagogue sermon tracing Israel's history into Jesus' resurrection and offering justification by faith that the law of Moses could not provide. The Gentiles rejoice; the jealous synagogue leaders incite persecution; Paul and Barnabas shake off the dust and move on, leaving disciples filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
Themes
- The Spirit's commissioning of cross-cultural mission
- Christ-confronting power vs. dark spiritual rivals
- Israel's story climaxing in the resurrected Jesus
- Justification by faith, anticipating Paul's epistles
- Gospel rejection by some, opening doors for others
Key verses
- Acts 13:2 — “Separate Barnabas and Saul for me, for the work to which I have called them.”
- Acts 13:38-39 — “Through this man is proclaimed to you remission of sins, and by him everyone who believes is justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.”
- Acts 13:46 — “It was necessary that God's word should be spoken to you first. Since indeed you thrust it from yourselves... we turn to the Gentiles.”
- Acts 13:48 — “As many as were appointed to eternal life believed.”
Context & background
C. AD 46-48. Antioch in Syria (modern Antakya, Turkey) was the home base; Seleucia was its port. Cyprus, Barnabas' home (Acts 4:36), was a logical first stop. Paphos was the Roman provincial capital on the western end. Sergius Paulus is attested in inscriptions as a Roman governor of senatorial rank — the first named Gentile convert of Paul's mission. After Cyprus the team crosses to Perga in Pamphylia (southern Turkey coast), then climbs the Taurus Mountains to Pisidian Antioch (different from Syrian Antioch — modern Yalvaç, Turkey), an inland Roman colony. The name change at v. 9 ("Saul, who is also called Paul") marks Paul taking initiative on Gentile soil; he keeps the Roman name through the rest of Acts. His sermon (vv. 16-41) is the longest record of his preaching to Jewish audiences and parallels Stephen's and Peter's in structure: God's covenant story, David's son fulfilling the promise, resurrection witness, OT proof, forgiveness offer, warning. The "we turn to the Gentiles" (v. 46) becomes a pattern Paul repeats whenever a synagogue rejects the gospel.
Cross-references
- Habakkuk 1:5 — Quoted in v. 41 as warning to scoffers.
- Isaiah 49:6 — "I will give you as a light to the nations" — quoted in v. 47.
- Psalm 16:10 — "You will not allow your Holy One to see decay" — quoted in v. 35.
- Psalm 2:7 — "You are my Son; today I have begotten you" — quoted in v. 33.
- Romans 1-4 — Paul's later, fuller theology of justification anchored in vv. 38-39.