1. Now there was in Antioch there among the Moshiach's Kehillah nevi'im and morim: Bar-Nabba, and Shimon called Niger, and Lucius from Cyrene, and Menachem (brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Rav Sha'ul.
2. They were ministering to Adonoi and under a tzom when the Ruach Hakodesh said to them, "Set apart for Me Bar-Nabba and Sha'ul for the avodas kodesh ministry to which I have called them." [DIVREY HAYAMIM BAIS 13:10; 35:3; YECHEZKEL 40:46; 44:16; 45:4]
3. Then, having continued the tzom and having davened and having laid their hands upon them, they sent them off.
4. They, then, having been sent out by the Ruach Hakodesh, went down to Seleucia, and from there sailed away to Cyprus.
5. Having arrived in Salamis, they were proclaiming the dvar Hashem in the shuls, with Yochanan Markos also as ozer (helper).
6. Having passed through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a certain ish, a magician, a Jewish navi sheker, by name of Bar-Yehoshua,
7. who was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, an ish of seichel. This one, having summoned Bar-Nabba and Sha'ul, sought to hear the dvar Hashem.
8. But Elymas the magician was opposing them--for thus is his name translated--and was seeking to be mashpia on the proconsul (seeking to sway him to think undesirably) about the emunah (faith). [YESHAYAH 30:11]
9. But Rav Sha'ul, the one also called Paulos, having been filled with the Ruach Hakodesh, gazed at him,
10. and said, "O ish full of all mirmah (deceit, fraud) and all resha, ben haSatan, oyev (enemy) of all Tzedek, will you not cease making crooked the straight paths of Hashem? [HOSHEA 14:9]
11. "Now-hinei-the yad Hashem is on you, and you will be blind, not seeing the shemesh (sun) for awhile." Immediately mistiness and choshech (darkness) fell on him, and, going about, he was seeking someone to lead him by the hand [SHEMOT 9:3; SHMUEL ALEF 5:6,7; TEHILLIM 32:4; BERESHIS 19:10,11; MELACHIM BAIS 6:18]
12. Then, the proconsul, having seen what had happened, had emunah, being mishpoyel (standing in awe) at the torah about Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu.
13. And having put out to sea from Paphos, Rav Sha'ul and those with him came to Perga of Pamphylia. But Yochanan (Markos), having left them, returned to Yerushalayim.
14. But having gone on from Perga, they came to Pisidian Antioch, and, having entered the shul on Shabbos, they sat down.
15. After the kri'at HaTorah (reading of the Sefer Torah) and the kri'at HaNevi'im, the Rashei Beit HaKnesset sent to them, saying "Anashim Achim, if there is any dvar hachizzuk among you to the people, say it."
16. And having got up and having motioned with his hand, Rav Sha'ul said, "Anshei Yisroel, and Yirei Elohim, listen!
17. "Elohei HaAm Yisroel chose Avoteinu. Hashem made the people great during their sojourn in Eretz Mitzrayim, and with an uplifted arm He led them out of it, [SHEMOT 6:1,6,7; 14:8; DEVARIM 7:6-8]
18. "and lav davka (approximately) ARBA'IM SHANAH He put up with them in the desert [DEVARIM 1:31; BAMIDBAR 14:33,34; TEHILLIM 95:10; SHEMOT 16:35]