1 安提阿教会中, 有几位先知和教师, 就是巴拿巴、名叫尼结的西面、古利奈人路求、与分封王希律一同长大的马念, 和扫罗。

2 他们事奉主, 并且禁食的时候, 圣灵说: "要为我把巴拿巴和扫罗分别出来, 去作我呼召他们作的工。"

3 于是他们禁食祷告, 为两人按手, 就派他们去了。

4 他们既然奉圣灵差遣, 就下到西流基, 从那里坐船往塞浦路斯。

5 他们到了撒拉米, 就在犹太人的各会堂里宣讲 神的道, 还有约翰作他们的助手。

6 他们走遍全岛, 到了帕弗, 遇见一个犹太人, 名叫巴.耶稣, 是个术士, 又是个假先知。

7 他常常和省长士求.保罗在一起; 省长是个聪明人, 他请了巴拿巴和扫罗来, 要听听 神的道。

8 但术士以吕马(以吕马就是"术士"的意思)与使徒作对, 要使省长转离真道。

9 扫罗, 也就是保罗, 却被圣灵充满, 定睛看着他,

10 说: "你这充满各样诡诈和各样奸恶的人, 魔鬼的儿子, 公义的仇敌! 你歪曲了主的正路, 还不停止吗?

11 你看, 现在主的手临到你, 你要瞎了眼睛, 暂时看不见阳光。"他就立刻被雾和黑暗笼罩着, 周围找人牵他的手, 给他领路。

12 那时, 省长看见了所发生的事, 就信了, 因为他惊奇主的教训。

13 保罗和同伴从帕弗开船, 来到旁非利亚的别加, 约翰却离开他们, 回耶路撒冷去了。

14 他们从别加往前走, 到了彼西底的安提阿, 在安息日进了会堂, 就坐下来。

15 宣读了律法和先知书以后, 会堂的理事们派人到他们那里来, 说: "弟兄们, 如果有什么劝勉众人的话, 请说吧! "

16 保罗就站起来, 作了一个手势, 说: "以色列人和敬畏 神的人, 请听!

17 以色列民的 神, 拣选了我们的祖先; 当他们在埃及地寄居的时候, 神抬举这民, 用大能("大能"原文作"高")的膀臂, 把他们从那地领出来;

18 又在旷野容忍("容忍"有些抄本作"养育")他们, 约有四十年之久;

19 灭了迦南地的七族之后, 就把那地分给他们为业;

20 这一切历时约四百五十年。后来 神赐给他们士师, 直到撒母耳先知为止。

21 那时, 他们要求立一个王, 神就把便雅悯支派中一个人, 基士的儿子扫罗, 赐给他们作王, 共四十年之久。

22 废去扫罗之后, 又为他们兴起大卫作王, 并且为他作证说: ‘我找到耶西的儿子大卫, 他是合我心意的人, 必遵行我的一切旨意。’

23 神照着应许, 已经从这人的后裔中, 给以色列带来了一位救主, 就是耶稣。

24 在他来临之前, 约翰早已向以色列全民宣讲悔改的洗礼。

25 约翰快要跑完他的路程的时候, 说: ‘你们以为我是谁?我不是基督。他是在我以后来的, 我就是给他解脚上的鞋带也不配。’

26 "弟兄们, 亚伯拉罕的子孙, 和你们中间敬畏 神的人哪, 这救恩之道是传给我们的。

27 住在耶路撒冷的人和他们的官长, 因为不认识基督, 也不明白每逢安息日所读的先知的话, 就把他定了罪, 正好应验了先知的话。

28 他们虽然找不出该死的罪状, 还是要求彼拉多杀害他。

29 他们把所记载一切关于他的事作成了, 就把他从木头上取下来, 放在坟墓里。

30 但 神却使他从死人中复活了。

31 有许多日子, 他向那些跟他一同从加利利上耶路撒冷的人显现, 现在这些人在民众面前作了他的见证人,

32 我们报好信息给你们: 神给列祖的应许,

33 借着耶稣的复活, 向我们这些作子孙的应验了。就如诗篇第二篇所记的: ‘你是我的儿子, 我今日生了你。’

34 至于 神使他从死人中复活, 不再归于朽坏, 他曾这样说: ‘我必把应许大卫的、神圣可靠的恩福赐给你们。’

35 所以他在另一篇说: ‘你必不容你的圣者见朽坏。’

36 "大卫在他自己的世代里, 遵行了 神的计划, 就睡了, 归回他列祖那里, 见了朽坏。

37 唯独 神所复活的那一位, 没有见过朽坏。

38 所以弟兄们, 你们当知道, 赦罪之道是由这位耶稣传给你们的。在你们靠摩西律法不能称义的一切事上,

39 信靠他的人就得称义了。

40 你们要小心, 免得先知书上所说的临到你们:

41 ‘傲慢的人哪! 你们要看、要惊奇、要灭亡, 因为在你们的日子, 我要作一件事, 就算有人告诉你们, 你们总是不信。’"

42 保罗和巴拿巴出来的时候, 众人请求他们下一个安息日再对他们讲这些话。

43 散会以后, 许多犹太人和归信犹太教的虔诚人, 跟从了保罗和巴拿巴。两人对他们谈话, 勉励他们要恒久住在 神的恩典中。

44 下一个安息日, 几乎全城的人都聚了来, 要听主的道。

45 犹太人看见这么多人, 就满心嫉妒, 反驳保罗所讲的, 并且毁谤他们。

46 保罗和巴拿巴却放胆说: " 神的道, 先讲给你们听, 是应该的。但因为你们弃绝这道, 断定自己不配得永生, 所以我们现在就转向外族人去了。

47 因为主曾这样吩咐我们说: ‘我已立你作外族人的光, 使你把救恩带到地极去。’"

48 外族人听见了就欢喜, 赞美主的道, 凡指定得永生的都信了。

49 于是主的道传遍那地。

50 但犹太人唆使虔诚尊贵的妇女和城内的显要, 煽动大家迫害保罗和巴拿巴, 把他们驱逐出境。

51 两人当众跺掉脚上的尘土, 往以哥念去了。

52 门徒满有喜乐, 又被圣灵充满。

1 Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers, Barnabas, and Symeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen the foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 And as they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3 Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

4 So they, being sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. 5 And when they were at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John as their attendant. 6 And when they had gone through the whole island unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-Jesus; 7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of understanding. The same called unto him Barnabas and Saul, and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn aside the proconsul from the faith. 9 But Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fastened his eyes on him, 10 and said, O full of all guile and all villany, thou son of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

13 Now Paul and his company set sail from Paphos, and came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departed from them and returned to Jerusalem. 14 But they, passing through from Perga, came to Antioch of Pisidia; and they went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. 15 And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. 16 And Paul stood up, and beckoning with the hand said,

Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, hearken: 17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they sojourned in the land of Egypt, and with a high arm led he them forth out of it. 18 And for about the time of forty years as a nursing-father bare he them in the wilderness. 19 And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land for an inheritance, for about four hundred and fifty years: 20 and after these things he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 And afterward they asked for a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for the space of forty years. 22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king; to whom also he bare witness and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who shall do all my will. 23 Of this man’s seed hath God according to promise brought unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus; 24 when John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John was fulfilling his course, he said, What suppose ye that I am? I am not he. But behold, there cometh one after me the shoes of whose feet I am not worthy to unloose. 26 Brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and those among you that fear God, to us is the word of this salvation sent forth. 27 For they that dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28 And though they found no cause of death in him, yet asked they of Pilate that he should be slain. 29 And when they had fulfilled all things that were written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead: 31 and he was seen for many days of them that came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses unto the people. 32 And we bring you good tidings of the promise made unto the fathers, 33 that God hath fulfilled the same unto our children, in that he raised up Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. 34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he hath spoken on this wise, I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David. 35 Because he saith also in another psalm, Thou wilt not give thy Holy One to see corruption. 36 For David, after he had in his own generation served the counsel of God, fell asleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: 37 but he whom God raised up saw no corruption. 38 Be it known unto you therefore, brethren, that through this man is proclaimed unto you remission of sins: 39 and by him every one that believeth is justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. 40 Beware therefore, lest that come upon you which is spoken in the prophets:

41 Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish;

For I work a work in your days,

A work which ye shall in no wise believe, if one declare it unto you.

42 And as they went out, they besought that these words might be spoken to them the next sabbath. 43 Now 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.

44 And the next sabbath almost the whole city was gathered together to hear the word of God. 45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with jealousy, and contradicted the things which were spoken by Paul, and blasphemed. 46 And Paul and Barnabas spake out boldly, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first be spoken to you. Seeing ye thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. 47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying,

I have set thee for a light of the Gentiles,

That thou shouldest be for salvation unto the uttermost part of the earth.

48 And as the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of God: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. 49 And the word of the Lord was spread abroad throughout all the region. 50 But the Jews urged on the devout women of honorable estate, and the chief men of the city, and stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and cast them out of their borders. 51 But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.