Acts 14:1–28

¹Now in I‧co′ni‧um they entered together into the synagogue of the Jews and spoke in such a manner that a great multitude of both Jews and Greeks became believers.²But the Jews that did not believe stirred up and wrongly influenced the souls of people of the nations against the brothers.³Therefore they spent considerable time speaking with boldness by the authority of Jehovah, who bore witness to the word of his undeserved kindness by granting signs and portents to occur through their hands.⁴However, the multitude of the city was split, and some were for the Jews but others for the apostles.⁵Now when a violent attempt took place on the part of both people of the nations and Jews with their rulers, to treat them insolently and pelt them with stones,⁶they, on being informed of it, fled to the cities of Lyc‧a‧o′ni‧a, Lys′tra and Der′be and the country round about;⁷and there they went on declaring the good news.

⁸Now in Lys′tra there was sitting a certain man disabled in his feet, lame from his mother’s womb, and he had never walked at all.⁹This man was listening to Paul speak, who, on looking at him intently and seeing he had faith to be made well,¹⁰said with a loud voice: “Stand up erect on your feet.” And he leaped up and began walking.¹¹And the crowds, seeing what Paul had done, raised their voices, saying in the Lyc‧a‧o′ni‧an tongue: “The gods have become like humans and have come down to us!”¹²And they went calling Bar′na‧bas Zeus, but Paul Her′mes, since he was the one taking the lead in speaking.¹³And the priest of Zeus, whose [temple] was before the city, brought bulls and garlands to the gates and was desiring to offer sacrifices with the crowds.

¹⁴However, when the apostles Bar′na‧bas and Paul heard of it, they ripped their outer garments and leaped out into the crowd, crying out¹⁵and saying: “Men, why are ​YOU​ doing these things? We also are humans having the same infirmities as ​YOU​ do, and are declaring the good news to ​YOU, for ​YOU​ to turn from these vain things to the living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all the things in them.¹⁶In the past generations he permitted all the nations to go on in their ways,¹⁷although, indeed, he did not leave himself without witness in that he did good, giving ​YOU​ rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling ​YOUR​ hearts to the full with food and good cheer.”¹⁸And yet by saying these things they scarcely restrained the crowds from sacrificing to them.

¹⁹But Jews arrived from Antioch and I‧co′ni‧um and persuaded the crowds, and they stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, imagining he was dead.²⁰However, when the disciples surrounded him, he rose up and entered into the city. And on the next day he left with Bar′na‧bas for Der′be.²¹And after declaring the good news to that city and making quite a few disciples, they returned to Lys′tra and to I‧co′ni‧um and to Antioch,²²strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to remain in the faith and [saying]: “We must enter into the kingdom of God through many tribulations.”²³Moreover, they appointed older men for them in each congregation and, offering prayer with fastings, they committed them to Jehovah in whom they had become believers.

²⁴And they went through Pi‧sid′i‧a and came into Pam‧phyl′i‧a,²⁵and, after speaking the word in Perga, they went down to At‧ta‧li′a.²⁶And from there they sailed off for Antioch, where they had been entrusted to the undeserved kindness of God for the work they had fully performed.

²⁷When they had arrived and had gathered the congregation together, they proceeded to relate the many things God had done by means of them, and that he had opened to the nations the door to faith.²⁸So they spent not a little time with the disciples.