The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:

    What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb?
        What are you doing, son of my vows?
    Do not give your strength to women,
        your ways to those who destroy kings.
    It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
        it is not for kings to drink wine,
        or for rulers to take strong drink,
    lest they drink and forget what has been decreed
        and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
    Give strong drink to the one who is perishing,
        and wine to those in bitter distress;
    let them drink and forget their poverty
        and remember their misery no more.
    Open your mouth for the mute,
        for the rights of all who are destitute.
    Open your mouth, judge righteously,
        defend the rights of the poor and needy.
    
    
        An excellent wife who can find?
        She is far more precious than jewels.
    The heart of her husband trusts in her,
        and he will have no lack of gain.
    She does him good, and not harm,
        all the days of her life.
    She seeks wool and flax,
        and works with willing hands.
    She is like the ships of the merchant;
        she brings her food from afar.
    She rises while it is yet night
        and provides food for her household
        and portions for her maidens.
    She considers a field and buys it;
        with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
    She dresses herself with strength
        and makes her arms strong.
    She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
        Her lamp does not go out at night.
    She puts her hands to the distaff,
        and her hands hold the spindle.
    She opens her hand to the poor
        and reaches out her hands to the needy.
    She is not afraid of snow for her household,
        for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
    She makes bed coverings for herself;
        her clothing is fine linen and purple.
    Her husband is known in the gates
        when he sits among the elders of the land.
    She makes linen garments and sells them;
        she delivers sashes to the merchant.
    Strength and dignity are her clothing,
        and she laughs at the time to come.
    She opens her mouth with wisdom,
        and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
    She looks well to the ways of her household
        and does not eat the bread of idleness.
    Her children rise up and call her blessed;
        her husband also, and he praises her:
    “Many women have done excellently,
        but you surpass them all.”
    Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
        but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
    Give her of the fruit of her hands,
        and let her works praise her in the gates. (ESV)

Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While 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.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

  So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? 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 lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

  Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, 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. 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 word of encouragement for the people, say it.” So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said:

  “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And 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.’ (ESV)