Amnon and Tamar

1 Now ^zAbsalom, David’s son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was ^aTamar. And after a time ^bAmnon, David’s son, loved her. 2 And Amnon was so tormented that he made himself ill because of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her. 3 But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of ^cShimeah, David’s brother. And Jonadab was a very crafty man. 4 And he said to him, “O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.” 5 Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Let my sister Tamar come and give me bread to eat, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’” 6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. And when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.”

7 Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Go to your brother Amnon’s house and prepare food for him.” 8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house, where he was lying down. And she took dough and kneaded it and made cakes in his sight and baked the cakes. 9 And she took the pan and emptied it out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, “Send out everyone from me.” So everyone went out from him. 10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the chamber, that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. 11 But when she brought them near him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, ^dmy sister.” 12 She answered him, “No, my brother, do not violate¹ me, for such a thing ^eis not done in Israel; do not do this outrageous thing. 13 As for me, where could I carry my shame? And as for you, you would be as one of the outrageous fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” 14 But he would not listen to her, and being stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her.

15 Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up! Go!” 16 But she said to him, “No, my brother, for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me.”² But he would not listen to her. 17 He called the young man who served him and said, “Put this woman out of my presence and bolt the door after her.” 18 Now she was wearing a long robe with sleeves,³ for thus were the virgin daughters of the king dressed. So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. 19 And Tamar ^fput ashes on her head and ^gtore the long robe that she wore. And she ^hlaid her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went.

20 And her brother Absalom said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? Now hold your peace, my sister. He is your brother; do not take this to heart.” So Tamar lived, a ⁱdesolate woman, in her brother Absalom’s house. 21 When King David heard of all these things, he was very angry.⁴ 22 But Absalom spoke to Amnon neither good nor bad, for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had violated his sister Tamar.

Absalom Murders Amnon

23 After two full years Absalom had sheepshearers at Baal-hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king’s sons. 24 And Absalom came to the king and said, “Behold, your servant has sheepshearers. Please let the king and his servants go with your servant.” 25 But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son, let us not all go, lest we be burdensome to you.” He pressed him, but he would not go but gave him his blessing. 26 Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.” And the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” 27 But Absalom pressed him until he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him. 28 Then Absalom commanded his servants, “Mark when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon,’ then kill him. Do not fear; have I not commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant.” 29 So the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose, and each mounted his ^jmule and fled.

30 While they were on the way, news came to David, “Absalom has struck down all the king’s sons, and not one of them is left.” 31 Then the king arose and ^ktore his garments and ^llay on the earth. And all his servants who were standing by tore their garments. 32 But Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, said, “Let not my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men, the king’s sons, for Amnon alone is dead. For by the command of Absalom this has been determined from the day he violated his sister Tamar. 33 Now therefore let not my lord the king so take it to heart as to suppose that all the king’s sons are dead, for Amnon alone is dead.”

Absalom Flees to Geshur

34 But Absalom fled. And the young man who kept the watch lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, many people were coming from the road behind him⁵ by the side of the mountain. 35 And Jonadab said to the king, “Behold, the king’s sons have come; as your servant said, so it has come about.” 36 And as soon as he had finished speaking, behold, the king’s sons came and lifted up their voice and wept. And the king also and all his servants wept very bitterly.

37 But Absalom fled and went to ^mTalmai the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son day after day. 38 So Absalom fled and went to Geshur, and was there three years. 39 And the spirit of the king⁶ longed to go out⁷ to Absalom, because he was comforted about Amnon, since he was dead.

Barnabas and Saul Sent Off

1 Now there were in the church at Antioch ⁱprophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger,¹ Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the ^jHoly Spirit said, ^k“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after ^lfasting and ^mpraying they ⁿlaid their hands on them and sent them off.

Barnabas and Saul on Cyprus

4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the ^osynagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. 6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain ^pmagician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) ^qopposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 But Saul, who was also called Paul, ^rfilled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “You ^sson of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making ^tcrooked the straight paths of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to ^ulead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

Paul and Barnabas at Antioch in Pisidia

13 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, 14 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any ^vword of encouragement for the people, say it.” 16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said:

“Men of Israel and you who ^wfear God, listen. 17 The God of this people Israel ^xchose our fathers and ^ymade the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and ^zwith uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18 And for about forty years he put up with² them in the wilderness. 19 ^aAnd after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. And after that ^bhe gave them judges until ^cSamuel the prophet. 21 Then ^dthey asked for a king, and ^eGod gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 And when he had removed him, ^fhe raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ^g‘I have found in David the son of Jesse ^ha man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 Of ⁱthis man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, ^jas he promised. 24 ^kBefore his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 ^lAnd as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’

26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. 27 ^mFor those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the ⁿprophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28 ^oAnd though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 And ^pwhen they had carried out all that was written of him, ^qthey took him down from the ^rtree and laid him in a tomb. 30 ^sBut God raised him from the dead, 31 ^tand for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 32 And we bring you the ^ugood news that what God ^vpromised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,

34 And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, ^yno more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,

35 Therefore he says also in another psalm,

36 For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, 37 but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. 38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed³ from everything from which you ^bcould not be freed by the law of Moses. 40 Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:

42 As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. 43 And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to ^dJudaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.

44 The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 But when the Jews⁴ saw the crowds, they were filled with ^ejealousy and began to ^fcontradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. 46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken ^gfirst to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are ^hturning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,

48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and ^lglorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. 49 And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. 50 But the Jews ^mincited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. 51 But they ⁿshook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with ^ojoy and with the Holy Spirit.

Paul and Barnabas at Iconium

1 Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great ^pnumber of both ^qJews and Greeks believed. 2 But the unbelieving Jews ^rstirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.⁵ 3 So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who ^sbore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. 4 But the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles. 5 When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, 6 they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, 7 and there they continued to ^tpreach the gospel.

Paul and Barnabas at Lystra

8 Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was ^ucrippled from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well,⁶ 10 said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he ^vsprang up and began walking. 11 And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, ^w“The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13 And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer ^xsacrifice with the crowds. 14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, 15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should ^yturn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. 16 In ^zpast generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. 17 Yet he did not leave himself ^awithout witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” 18 Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.

Paul Stoned at Lystra

19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, ^bthey stoned Paul and ^cdragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 20 But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. 21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had ^dmade many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many ^etribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. 23 And when they had ^fappointed elders for them in every church, ^gwith ^hprayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

Paul and Barnabas Return to Antioch in Syria

24 Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. 25 And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, 26 and from there they sailed to Antioch, ⁱwhere they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. 27 And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had ^jopened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they remained no little time with the disciples.

The Jerusalem Council

1 ^kBut some ^lmen came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are ^mcircumcised ⁿaccording to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, ^oPaul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. 3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail ^pthe conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers.⁷ 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. 5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”

6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 7 And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that ^qin the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, ^rbore witness ^sto them, by giving them the Holy Spirit ^tjust as he did to us, 9 and he ^umade no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 Now, therefore, why are you ^vputting God to the test by placing a ^wyoke on the neck of the disciples that ^xneither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be ^ysaved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

12 And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. 13 After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first ^zvisited the Gentiles, to take from them ^aa people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,