Acts 14

1At Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. They spoke so well that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.

2But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other non-Jewish people. They turned their minds against the brothers.

3So Paul and Barnabas stayed there a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord. The Lord proved that His message of grace was true by letting them perform signs and wonders.

4The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles.

5The non-Jewish people and Jews, together with their leaders, made a plan to hurt Paul and Barnabas and stone them.

6But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country,

7Where they kept on preaching the good news.

8In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked.

9He listened to Paul speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed,

10And called out: Stand up on your feet! At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

11When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language: The gods have come down to us, looking like humans!

12They called Barnabas Zeus, and they called Paul Hermes, because he did most of the talking.

13The priest of Zeus had a temple just outside the city. He brought bulls and flowers to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas.

14But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting:

15Friends, why are you doing this? We are only human too, just like you. We are bringing you good news. We are telling you to turn away from these worthless things and turn to the living God, who made heaven, earth, the sea, and everything in them.

16In the past, He let all nations go their own way.

17But He has always shown you proof that He is real. He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops at the right time. He gives you plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.

18Even after saying all this, Paul and Barnabas could barely stop the crowd from sacrificing to them.

19Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.

20But after the disciples had gathered around him, Paul got up and went back into the city. The next day, he and Barnabas left for Derbe.

21They preached the good news in Derbe and gained many disciples. Then they went back to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,

22They strengthened the disciples and encouraged them to remain true to the faith. They said: We must go through many hard times to enter the kingdom of God.

23Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church. With prayer and fasting, they gave these elders over to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.

24After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia,

25And when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.

26From Attalia, they sailed back to Antioch. This was the place where they had been given over to the grace of God for the work they had now finished.

27When they arrived, they gathered the church together. They reported all that God had done through them, and how He had opened the door of faith to the non-Jewish people.

28And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.