Veritable King James Version
1Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
2While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
3Then after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
4So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
5When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them.
6When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain person, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus,
7who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent person. This person sent for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.
8But Elymas the magician (for that is what his name means) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
9But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him
10and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not cease to pervert the straight ways of the Lord?
11And 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 lead him by the hand.
12Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
13Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem,
14but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.
15After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Friends, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it.”
16So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “People of Israel and you who fear God, listen.
17The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm He led them out of it.”
18“For about forty years He bore with them in the wilderness.
19And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, He gave them their land as an inheritance.
20All this took about four hundred and fifty years. And after that He gave them judges until Samuel the prophet.
21Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a person of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.”
22“And when He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, of whom He testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a person after My own heart, who will do all My will.’
23From this person’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as He promised.”
24“Before His coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
25And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not He. But behold, one comes after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’”
26“Friends, children of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation.
27For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize Him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning Him.
28And though they found in Him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have Him executed.”
29“And when they had carried out all that was written of Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.
30But God raised Him from the dead,
31and 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 good news that what God promised to the ancestors,
33this He has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You.’
34And as for the fact that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken in this way, ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’
35Therefore He says also in another psalm, ‘You will not let Your Holy One see corruption.’”
36“For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his ancestors and saw corruption,
37but He whom God raised up did not see corruption.
38Let it be known to you therefore, friends, that through this One forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,
39and by Him everyone who believes is justified from everything from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.”
40“Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets come upon you:
41‘Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am working a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if someone tells it to you.’”
42As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told to them the next Sabbath.
43And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
44The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.
45But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him.
46And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.”
47“For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
48And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.
49And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.
50But the Jews incited 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.
51But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium.
52And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Translation notes
The NA28 Greek text uses “ἐκκλησία” in verse 1, translated as “church” gender-neutrally. “Prophets and teachers” renders “προφῆται καὶ διδάσκαλοι,” gender-neutral as the roles are unspecified beyond named individuals. Capitalized “Lord,” “Holy Spirit,” “Me,” and “I” follow instructions. “Set apart” translates “ἀφορίσατε,” echoing the KJV’s “separate” in modern English. “Laid their hands” renders “ἐπιθέντες τὰς χεῖρας,” preserving the KJV’s ceremonial tone, per the NA28.
“They” in verses 4–5 refers to Barnabas and Saul, kept neutral where possible for “αὐτοί.” Capitalized “Holy Spirit” and “God” follow instructions. “Proclaimed the word of God” translates “καταγγέλλοντες τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ,” echoing the KJV’s evangelistic emphasis. “John” (John Mark) is retained as a specific identifier, per the NA28. No gender-neutral adjustments are needed for named individuals.
“Certain person” in verse 6 for Bar-Jesus translates “ἀνὴρ τινὰ” gender-neutrally, though he is named. “Intelligent person” in verse 7 for Sergius Paulus renders “ἀνὴρ συνετῷ,” also neutral before naming. Capitalized “God” follows instructions. “Elymas the magician” translates “Ἐλύμας ὁ μάγος,” with the parenthetical explanation reflecting “μεθερμηνεύεται,” per the NA28 and KJV. “Faith” renders “πίστιν,” maintaining the KJV’s theological focus.
Capitalized “Holy Spirit” and “Lord” follow instructions. “Saul, who was also called Paul” reflects the NA28’s transition to “Παῦλος,” aligning with the KJV. “Son of the devil” translates “υἱὲ διαβόλου,” preserving the KJV’s confrontational tone. “Straight ways of the Lord” renders “τὰς ὁδοὺς τοῦ Κυρίου τὰς εὐθείας,” echoing the KJV’s imagery. “People” in verse 11 translates gender-neutrally for those assisting Elymas, per the NA28.
Capitalized “Lord” follows instructions. “His companions” in verse 13 translates “οἱ περὶ Παῦλον” gender-neutrally, as the group is unspecified beyond Paul and Barnabas. “Believed” renders “ἐπίστευσεν,” echoing the KJV’s emphasis on faith. “Teaching of the Lord” translates “διδαχῇ τοῦ Κυρίου,” per the NA28. No gender-neutral adjustments are needed for named individuals (Paul, John).
“Friends” in verse 15 translates “ἀδελφοί” gender-neutrally, consistent with prior usage (e.g., Acts 2:29). “People” in verses 15–16 renders “λαῷ” and “ἄνδρες” inclusively. Capitalized “God” and “He” follow instructions. “People of Israel” and “ancestors” translate “λαοῦ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ” and “πατέρας” gender-neutrally, per the NA28. “Uplifted arm” renders “βραχίονι ὑψηλῷ,” preserving the KJV’s imagery of divine power.
Capitalized “He” and “God” follow instructions. “Person” in verse 21 for Saul translates “ἀνὴρ” gender-neutrally before naming him. “Bore with them” renders “ἐτροποφόρησεν,” a variant in the NA28, modernizing the KJV’s “suffered their manners.” “Four hundred and fifty years” translates “ὡς ἔτεσιν τετρακοσίοις πεντήκοντα,” aligning with the KJV’s chronology. The narrative reflects Old Testament history, per the NA28.
Capitalized “He,” “God,” “My,” “I,” “Savior,” and “Jesus” follow instructions. “Person” for David and his offspring translates “ἀνὴρ” and “σπέρματος” gender-neutrally. The quotation in verse 22 echoes Psalm 89:20 and 1 Samuel 13:14, per the NA28’s Septuagint-based text. “Brought to Israel a Savior” renders “ἤγαγεν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ σωτῆρα,” preserving the KJV’s messianic emphasis in modern English.
Capitalized “His” and “He” refer to Jesus, following instructions. “People of Israel” translates “λαῷ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ” gender-neutrally. The quotation in verse 25 reflects John 1:20, 27, per the NA28. “Baptism of repentance” renders “βάπτισμα μετανοίας,” echoing the KJV’s theological focus. No gender-neutral adjustments are needed, as John the Baptist is specified.
“Friends” in verse 26 translates “ἀδελφοί” gender-neutrally. “Children of the family” renders “υἱοὶ γένους,” gender-neutral for Abraham’s descendants. Capitalized “God” and “Him” (for Jesus) follow instructions. “Those who live in Jerusalem” translates “οἱ κατοικοῦντες” gender-neutrally. “Utterances of the prophets” renders “φωνὰς τῶν προφητῶν,” preserving the KJV’s emphasis, per the NA28.
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