Paul’s First Missionary Journey Begins (Acts 15:36–41; Acts 18:23–28)
3 UDB So they continued to fast and pray. Then they put their hands on Barnabas and Saul and prayed that God would help them. Then they sent them off to do what the Holy Spirit had commanded. BSB BSB: And after they had fasted and prayed, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
On Cyprus 4 UDB The Holy Spirit gave Barnabas and Saul instructions about where to go. So they went down from Antioch to the city of Seleucia by the sea. From there they went by ship to the city of Salamis on the island of Cyprus. BSB BSB: So Barnabas and Saul, sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.
5 UDB While they were in Salamis, they went to the Jewish meeting places. There they proclaimed the message from God about Jesus. John Mark went with them and was helping them. BSB BSB: When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. And John was with them as their helper.
6 UDB The three of them went across the entire island to the city of Paphos. There they met a magician whose name was Bar-Jesus. He was a Jew who falsely claimed to be a prophet. BSB BSB: They traveled through the whole island as far as Paphos, where they found a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus,
8 UDB However, the magician, whose name is translated Elymas in the Greek language, tried to stop them. He repeatedly tried to persuade the governor not to believe in Jesus. BSB BSB: But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.
9 UDB Then Saul, who now called himself Paul, directed by the Holy Spirit, looked intently at the magician and said, BSB BSB: Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked directly at Elymas
10 UDB "You are serving the devil, and you try to stop everything that is good! You are always lying to people and doing other evil things to them. You must stop saying that the truth about the Lord God is false! BSB BSB: and said, “O child of the devil and enemy of all righteousness, you are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery! Will you never stop perverting the straight ways of the Lord?
11 UDB Right now the Lord is going to punish you! You will become blind and you will not be able to see the sun for a while." At once he became blind, as though he were in a dark mist, and he groped about, searching for someone to hold him by the hand and lead him. BSB BSB: Now look, the hand of the Lord is against you, and for a time you will be blind and unable to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.
12 UDB When the governor saw what had happened to Elymas, he believed in Jesus. He was amazed by what Paul and Barnabas were teaching about the Lord Jesus. BSB BSB: When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.
In Pisidian Antioch 13 UDB After that, Paul and the men with him went by ship from Paphos to the city of Perga in the province of Pamphylia. At Perga, John Mark left them and returned to his home in Jerusalem. BSB BSB: After setting sail from Paphos, Paul and his companions came to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem.
15 UDB Someone read aloud from what Moses had written in the books of the law. Next someone read from what the prophets had written. Then the leaders of the Jewish meeting place sent a message to Paul and Barnabas: "Fellow Jews, if one of you wants to speak to the people here to encourage them, please speak to us now." BSB BSB: After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue leaders sent word to them: “Brothers, if you have a word of encouragement for the people, please speak.”
17 UDB The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors to be his people, and he caused them to become very numerous while they were foreigners living in Egypt. Then God did powerful things in order to lead them out of slavery. BSB BSB: The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers. He made them into a great people during their stay in Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out of that land.
18 UDB Even though they repeatedly disobeyed him, he endured their behavior for about forty years while they were in the wilderness. BSB BSB: He endured their conduct for about forty years in the wilderness.
19 UDB After God destroyed the seven peoples who were then living in the region of Canaan, he gave that land to the people of Israel to possess it and live in it. BSB BSB: And having vanquished seven nations in Canaan, He gave their land to His people as an inheritance.
20 UDB All of these things happened about 450 years after their ancestors had gone to Egypt. "After that, God chose people to serve as judges and as leaders to rule the people of Israel. Those leaders continued to rule our people, and the prophet Samuel was the last judge to rule them. BSB BSB: All this took about 450 years. After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.
21 UDB Then, while Samuel was still their leader, the people demanded that he choose a king to rule them. So God chose Saul son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin, to be their king. He ruled them for forty years. BSB BSB: Then the people asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years.
22 UDB After God had rejected Saul from being king, he chose David to be their king. God said about him, 'I have seen that David son of Jesse is exactly the kind of man who desires what I desire. He will do everything that I want him to do.' BSB BSB: After removing Saul, He raised up David as their king and testified about him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will carry out My will in its entirety.’
23 UDB "From among David's descendants, God brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, just as he had promised. BSB BSB: From the descendants of this man, God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as He promised.
24 UDB Before Jesus began his work, John the Baptizer preached to all the people of Israel who came to him. He told them that they should turn away from their sinful behavior and ask God to forgive them. Then he would baptize them. BSB BSB: Before the arrival of Jesus, John preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
25 UDB When John was about to finish the work that God gave him to do, he was saying, 'Do you think that I am the Christ? No, I am not. But listen! The Christ will soon come. He is coming after me, and I am not good enough to untie the sandals on his feet.' BSB BSB: As John was completing his course, he said, ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not that One. But there is One coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’
27 UDB The people living in Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus. They did not understand the messages of their own prophets even though the prophets were read aloud to them every Sabbath, and then what the prophets predicted long ago was made true when they condemned Jesus to death. BSB BSB: The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning Him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.
28 UDB Many people accused Jesus of doing wicked things, but even though they could not prove that he had done anything for which he deserved to die, they asked Pilate the governor to condemn Jesus to death. BSB BSB: And though they found no ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have Him executed.
29 UDB They did to Jesus all the things that the prophets long ago had written that the people would do to him. They killed Jesus by nailing him to a cross. Then his body was taken down from the cross and placed in a tomb. BSB BSB: When they had carried out all that was written about Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.
30 UDB However, God raised him from the dead. BSB BSB: But God raised Him from the dead,
31 UDB For many days he repeatedly appeared to his followers who had come along with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. Those who saw him are telling the people about him now. BSB BSB: and for many days He was seen by those who had accompanied Him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now His witnesses to our people.
32 UDB Right now we are proclaiming to you this good message. We want to tell you that God has fulfilled what he promised to our Jewish ancestors! BSB BSB: And now we proclaim to you the good news: What God promised our fathers
33 UDB Now he has done this for us who are their descendants, and also for you who are not Jews, by making Jesus alive again. That is just like what David wrote in the second Psalm, when God was speaking about sending his Son, 'You are my Son, today I have become your Father.' BSB BSB: He has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: ‘You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.’
34 UDB "God has raised him from the dead and will never let him die again. God said to our Jewish ancestors, 'I will surely help you, as I promised David that I would do.' BSB BSB: In fact, God raised Him from the dead, never to see decay. As He has said: ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’
35 UDB In another Psalm of David, he also says about the Christ: 'You will never let the body of your Holy One decay in the grave.' BSB BSB: So also, He says in another Psalm: ‘You will not let Your Holy One see decay.’
36 UDB While David was living, he did what God wanted him to do. And when he died, his body was buried, as his ancestors' bodies had been buried, and David's body decayed. So he could not have been speaking about himself in this Psalm. BSB BSB: For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep. His body was buried with his fathers and saw decay.
37 UDB But Jesus was the one God raised from the dead, and his body did not decay. BSB BSB: But the One whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.
38 UDB "Therefore, my brothers, it is important for you to know that because of what Jesus has done, we can now proclaim the forgiveness of sins to you. BSB BSB: Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.
39 UDB All people who believe in Jesus are no longer guilty of any of the things that they have done that displeased God. Those very sins that could not be forgiven through the law of Moses are now forgiven in Jesus Christ. BSB BSB: Through Him everyone who believes is justified from everything from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.
40 UDB Be careful, so that the very things the prophets said would happen do not happen to you. God spoke through one of them, and he said: BSB BSB: Watch out, then, that what was spoken by the prophets does not happen to you:
41 UDB 'You who ridicule me, you will certainly be astonished and will die when you see what I am doing today. I am doing a work that you will not believe, even when it happens to you; even if someone told you about it, you would not believe it.'" BSB BSB: ‘Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish! For I am doing a work in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.’”
A Light for the Gentiles (Isaiah 49:1–6)
42 UDB As Paul and Barnabas started to leave that place, many of the people there asked them to return on the next Sabbath and say these things to them again. BSB BSB: As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people urged them to continue this message on the next Sabbath.
43 UDB When the meeting at the synagogue ended, many Jews and many Gentiles who had accepted the Jewish religion followed Paul and Barnabas. Paul and Barnabas continued talking with them and urged them to keep trusting God's kindness. BSB BSB: After the synagogue was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
44 UDB On the next Sabbath day, most of the people in Antioch came to the Jewish meeting place to hear Paul and Barnabas speak about the Lord Jesus. BSB BSB: On the following Sabbath, nearly the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.
45 UDB But the leaders of the Jews became extremely jealous when they saw the large crowds of people that were coming to hear Paul and Barnabas. So they began to contradict the things that Paul was saying and also to insult him. BSB BSB: But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and they blasphemously contradicted what Paul was saying.
46 UDB Then, speaking very boldly, Paul and Barnabas said to those Jewish leaders, "We had to speak the message from God about Jesus to you Jews first before we proclaim it to Gentiles because God commanded us to do that. But you are rejecting God's message. By doing that, you have shown that you are not worthy of eternal life. Therefore, we are leaving you, and now we will go to the Gentiles to tell them the message from God. BSB BSB: Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.
47 UDB We are doing this also because the Lord has commanded us to do it. He said in the scriptures, 'I have chosen you to reveal things about me to the Gentiles that will be like a light to them. I have chosen you to tell people everywhere in the world the message that I want to save them.'" BSB BSB: For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
48 UDB When the Gentiles heard those words, they began to rejoice, and they gave God praise for the message about Jesus. All of the Gentiles whom God had chosen for eternal life believed the message about the Lord Jesus. BSB BSB: When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
49 UDB At that time, many of the believers traveled around throughout that region, spreading the message about the Lord Jesus everywhere they went. BSB BSB: And the word of the Lord spread throughout that region.
50 UDB However, some leaders of the Jews talked to some important women who worshiped with them, as well as the most important men in the city. They persuaded them to try to stop Paul and Barnabas. So those men led many people against Paul and Barnabas, and they drove them out of their region. BSB BSB: The Jews, however, incited the religious women of prominence and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their district.
51 UDB As the two apostles were leaving, they shook the dust from their feet to show those leaders that God had rejected them and would punish them. Then they left the city of Antioch and went to the city of Iconium. BSB BSB: So they shook the dust off their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.
52 UDB Meanwhile, the believers continued to be filled with joy and with the power of the Holy Spirit. BSB BSB: And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.