Acts 13:16-33a
So Paul stood up and with a gesture began to speak:
"You Israelites, and others who fear God, listen. The 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. For about
forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. After he had destroyed
seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an
inheritance for about four hundred fifty years. After that he gave them
judges until the time of the prophet Samuel. Then they asked for a king;
and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who
reigned for forty years. When he had removed him, he made David their
king. In his testimony about him he said, 'I have found David, son of
Jesse, to be a man after my heart, who will carry out all my wishes.' Of
this man's posterity God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he
promised; before his coming John had already proclaimed a baptism of
repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John was finishing his
work, he said, 'What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but one
is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of the sandals on
his feet.'
"My brothers, you descendants of Abraham's family, and others who fear
God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent. Because the
residents of Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize him or
understand the words of the prophets that are read every sabbath, they
fulfilled those words by condemning him. Even though they found no cause
for a sentence of death, they asked Pilate to have him killed. When they
had carried out everything that was written about him, they took him down
from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead;
and for many days he appeared to those who came up with him from Galilee
to Jerusalem, and they are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring
you the good news that what God promised to our ancestors he has fulfilled
for us, their children, by raising Jesus; as also it is written in the
second psalm,
'You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.'
