Acts 13:1–15

Now in the church at Antioch^t there were prophets^u and teachers:^v Barnabas,^w Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene,^x Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod^y the tetrarch) and Saul. ²While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,^z “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work^a to which I have called them.”^{b 3}So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them^c and sent them off.^d

On Cyprus

⁴The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit,^e went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.^{f 5}When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God^g in the Jewish synagogues.^h Johnⁱ was with them as their helper.

⁶They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer^j and false prophet^k named Bar-Jesus, ⁷who was an attendant of the proconsul,^l Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. ⁸But Elymas the sorcerer^m (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsulⁿ from the faith.^{o 9}Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit,^p looked straight at Elymas and said, ¹⁰“You are a child of the devil^q and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?^{r 11}Now the hand of the Lord is against you.^s You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.”^t

Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. ¹²When the proconsul^u saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

In Pisidian Antioch

¹³From Paphos,^v Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia,^w where John^x left them to return to Jerusalem. ¹⁴From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch.^y On the Sabbath^z they entered the synagogue^a and sat down. ¹⁵After the reading from the Law^b and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.”