14
“In Iconium the Same Thing Happened”
1 In Iconium the same thing happened:+ Paul and Barnabas+ went into the Jewish synagogue and spoke so powerfully that both Jews and Gentiles+ believed in large numbers.+
2 The Jews who refused to believe, however, stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.
3 While, therefore, on the one hand, it was+ for quite some time that they stayed there,+ speaking boldly with the help of the Lord,+ who was bearing solemn witness to the message about his gift by+ performing+ through their hands miraculous signs and wonders,+
4 on the other hand the people of the city were divided, some siding with+ the unbelieving Jews+ and others with the apostles.
5 Now when a mob of Gentiles and Jews, along with their leaders, suddenly decided to attack Paul and Barnabas and stone them to death,+
6 on finding out about it the two men+ fled south+ to the cities of the district+ of Lycaonia—that is, Lystra and Derbe—and the surrounding area,
7 where they continued doing what?+ Proclaiming the gospel.
“There Was in Lystra a Certain Man Sitting Down Who Had No Strength in His Feet”
8 There was in Lystra a certain man sitting down who had no strength in his feet,+ lame from the time he was born,+ who had never walked.
9 This man listened to Paul as he was speaking. When Paul+ fixed his eyes on the man+ and saw that he had faith to be healed,
10 he said in a loud voice, “Stand up on ˢyour feet straight+!” At that, the man+ jumped up and started walking around!
11 The crowds, when they saw what Paul had done, began to shout+ in the Lycaonian language, “It is+ the gods, in human form,+ who have come down to us!”
12 They kept referring to Barnabas as “Zeus,” the chief god of the Greek pantheon,+ while Paul they were calling+ “Hermes,” the messenger of the gods,+ since he was the one doing most of the speaking.+
13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple+ was located near the entrance to the city, having brought to the city+ gates some oxen and sacrificial garlands,+ along with the crowds wanted to offer them+ sacrifices.+
14 When the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard about this, they tore their clothes in horror+ and rushed out to the crowd, shouting,
15 “Men, why in the world+ are ᵖyou doing these things? We, too, are mere+ human beings, just like ᵖyou,+ bringing you good news so that you may turn+ to the living God, who created the sky+ and the land+ and the sea and everything in them, away from these empty and worthless things.+
16 In+ generations past+ he allowed all the Gentiles+ to follow their own ways,++
17 although he did not leave himself without a witness,+ showing kindness,+ sending+ to ᵖyou from heaven+ rain and fruitful seasons,+ satisfying your hunger with food and your hearts with joy.+”
18 Even with these words Paul and Barnabas+ just+ barely stopped the crowds from offering sacrifices to them.
19 Then there arrived from Antioch and Iconium some of Paul and Barnabas’ Jewish opponents.+ After winning the crowd over to their side and pelting Paul with stones, they dragged him outside the city, thinking that he was dead.
20 But when the disciples gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. And the next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.
“They Made Their Way Back North”
21 When they had proclaimed the gospel in that city and instructed a considerable number of disciples,+ they made their way back north+ to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch,
22 strengthening the disciples, exhorting them to continue in+ the faith. “It is God’s will+ for us to enter the Kingdom of God through many trials and persecutions+ and sufferings in this age,”+ they said.
23 When they had appointed elders+ for them in the various assemblies,+ with prayer and fasting they entrusted them to the care+ of the Lord, in whom they had placed their faith.
24 After passing through Pisidia, they came into the province+ of Pamphylia.
25 When they had proclaimed the message in Perga, they went down to Attalia, the chief seaport of Pamphylia.+
26 From there they set sail for Antioch of Syria,+ where they had been entrusted to the gift of God for the work they had now completed.
27 When they arrived and had gathered the assembly, they recounted everything that God had done with them and how he had opened for the Gentiles a door of faith.+
28 And they remained there+ for quite some time with the disciples.