¶ There were at Antioche, in the congregation, prophets and doctors, as Barnabas and Simeonb called Nyger, And Lucius of Cerene, and Manahen Herod the tetrarkes nursefellow, and Saul. As they served God, and fasted, The holy ghost said: separate me Barnabas and Saul, for the work whereunto I have called them. Then fasted they and prayed, and put their hands on them, and let them go.
¶ And they after they were sent of the holy ghost, came unto Seleutia, and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. And when they were come to Solamine, they shewed the word of God in the synagogues, unto the jewes. And they had Ihon to their minister.
¶ When they had gone over all the Isle unto the city of Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet which was a iewe, named Bariesu, which was with the ruler of the country one Sergius Paulus a prudent man. The same ruler called unto him Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. The sorcerer Elemas (for so was his name by interpretation) withstood them, and sought to turn away the ruler from the faith. Then Saul which also is called Paul being full of the holy ghost, set his eyes on him, and said: O full of all subtlety and deceitfulness the child of the devil, and the enemy of all righteousness thou ceasest not to pervert the straight ways of the Lord. And now behold the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind and not see the sun for a season. And immediately fell on him a mist and a darkness, And he went about seeking, them that should lead him by the hand. Then the ruler when he saw what had happened, believed, and wondered at the doctrine of the Lord.
¶ When Paul and they that were with him, had shipped from Paphus, they came to Perga a city of Pamphilia. There departed Ihon from them, and returned to Ierusalem. But they wandered thorow the countries, from Perga to Antioche a city of the country of Pisidia, and went into the synagoge on the saboth day, and sat down. After the lecture of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them saying: Ye men and brethren, if ye have any sermon to exhort the people, say on.
¶ Paul stood up and beckoned with his hand and said: Men of Israhel, and ye that fear God, give audience. The God of this people chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with a mighty arm brought them out of it, and about the time of .xl. years, suffered he their manners in the wilderness. And he destroyed vij. nations in the land of Canaan, and divided their land to them by Lott. And afterward he gave unto them judges about the space of. iiij.C. and l. years unto the time of Samuel the prophet. And after that they desired a king, and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of xl. years. And after he had put him down, he set up David to be their king, to whom he gave witness, saying: I have found David the son of Iesse, a man after mine own heart, he shall fulfil all my will.
¶ Of this man's seed hath God (according to his promise) brought forth to the people of Israel a saviour, one Iesus, when Ihon had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to Israhel. When Ihon had fulfilled his course, he said: Whom ye think that I am? the same am I not, but behold there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to lowse.
¶ Ye men and brethren, children of the generation off Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is this word of health sent. The inhabiters of Ierusalem, and their rulers because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every saboth day, have fulfilled them in condemning him. And when they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate to kill him. And when they had fulfilled all that were written of him, they took him down from the tree and put him in a sepulchre: But God raised him again from death, and he was seen many days of them, which came with him from Galile to Ierusalem which are his witnesses unto the people.
¶ And we declare unto you, how that the promise made unto the fathers, god hath now fulfilled unto us the children, in that he raised up Iesus again, even as it is written in the first psalm: Thou art my son, this same day begat I thee. As concerning that he so raised him up from death, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise: The holy promises made to David I will keep faithfully. Wherefore he saith also in another place: Thou shalt not suffer thy Saincte to see corruption. For David after he had in his time fulfilled the will of God, he slept, and was laid with his fathers, and saw corruption. But he whom God raised again, saw no corruption.
¶ Be it known unto you therefore ye men and brethren, that thorow this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, And by him are all that believe justified from all things from the which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore lest that fall on you, which is spoken of in the prophets: Behold ye despisers, and wonder, and perish ye: for I do a work in your days, which ye shall not believe, if a man would declare it you.
¶ When the jews were gone out of the Synagogue, the gentiles besought them that they would preach the word of god to them between the saboth days. When the congregation was broken up, many of the jews and virtuous proselites followed Paul and Barnabas, which spake to them and exhorted them to continue in the grace of God.
¶ And the next saboth day came Almost the whole city to gether to hear the word of God. When the jews saw the people, they were full of indignation and spake against those things which were spoken of Paul, They spake against it, and dispraised it, rayling on it. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said: it was meet that the word of God should first have been preached to you. But seeing ye put it from you, and think yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us: I have made thee a light to the gentiles, that thou be health unto the end of the world.
¶ The gentiles heard, and were glad and glorified the word of the Lord, and believed even as many as were ordained unto eternal life. And the word of the Lord was published thorowout all the region. But the jews moved the worshipful and honorable women, and the chief men of the city. And raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts. But they shook off the dust off their feet against them, and came unto Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the holy ghost.
© Faith of God
William Tyndale 1526