Chapter 14

¹At Iconium in the same way, they went to the Jewish synagogue and spoke with such power that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. ²But the Jews who refused their message stirred up the heathen and poisoned their minds against the brothers. ³They spent some time there, speaking fearlessly and relying upon the Lord, who bore witness to his gracious message by letting signs and wonders be done by them. ⁴But the people of the town were divided, some siding with the Jews and some with the apostles. ⁵And when there was a movement on the part of both the heathen and the Jews with the authorities to insult and stone them, ⁶and they became aware of it, they made their escape to the Lycaonian towns of Lystra and Derbe and the country around, ⁷and there they went on preaching the good news.

⁸In the streets of Lystra a man used to sit who had not the use of his feet. He had been lame from his birth, and had never been able to walk. ⁹He was listening to Paul as he talked, when Paul looked at him and, seeing that he had faith that he would be cured, ¹⁰said to him loudly,

“Stand on your feet!”

And he sprang up and began to walk. ¹¹The crowds, seeing what Paul had done, shouted in the Lycaonian language,

“The gods have come down to us in human form!”

¹²They called Barnabas Zeus, and Paul, because he was the principal speaker, Hermes. ¹³The priest of the temple of Zeus that stood at the entrance to the town came with crowds of people to the gates, bringing bulls and garlands, meaning to offer sacrifice to them. ¹⁴But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it, they rushed into the crowd, tearing their clothes ¹⁵and shouting,

“Friends, why are you doing this? We are only human beings like you, and we bring you the good news that you should turn from these follies to a living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and all that they contain. ¹⁶In ages past he let all the heathen follow their own ways; ¹⁷though he did not fail to give some evidence about himself, through his kindnesses to you, in sending you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, giving you food and happiness to your heart’s content.”

¹⁸Even with these words they could hardly restrain the people from offering sacrifice to them.

¹⁹But some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and won the people over, and they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the town, thinking that he was dead. ²⁰But the brothers gathered about him, and he got up and re-entered the town. The next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. ²¹They proclaimed the good news in that town and made a number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, ²²reassuring the disciples and encouraging them to stand by the faith and reminding them that we have to undergo many hardships to get into the Kingdom of God. ²³They appointed elders for them in each church, and with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. ²⁴Then they crossed Pisidia and entered Pamphylia. ²⁵They told their message in Perga, then went on to Attalia, ²⁶and from there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had first been commended to God’s favor for the work which they had now finished. ²⁷When they arrived there, they called the church together, and reported how God had worked with them, and how he had opened the way to faith for the heathen. ²⁸There they stayed for a long time with the disciples.