Open English Translation ACTs Chapter 14

14 A similar thing happened in Iconium. Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish meeting hall and spoke in such as way that a lot of both Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But those Jews who didn’t believe got the non-Jews emotionally stirred up to oppose the believers. 3 So Paul and Barnabas ended up staying there for quite a while, and as they spoke boldly for the master, he himself confirmed his grace by enabling the two of them to be able to do miracles and amazing things. 4 Nevertheless, the people of the city were divided—some agreeing with the strict Jews, and others supporting the missionaries.

5 At one point, both the non-Jews and the strict Jews and their leaders got worked up enough to come in order to attack them and throw rocks to kill them. 6 However, Paul and Barnabas found out about it and escaped to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding region 7 and preached the good message there.

8 In Lystra there was a man sitting there who had been unable to use his legs since birth. 9 He was listening to Paul speaking, when Paul looked straight at him and realised that the man had the faith to be healed. 10 So in a loud voice, Paul said, “Stand upright on your feet.” And the man sprang up and was walking around. 11 The crowd of people who saw what Paul had done began to shout out in Lycaonian, “These two look like men, but they’re really gods who have come down to us!” 12 They called Barnabas ‘Zeus’ and called Paul ‘Hermas’ since he was the main speaker. 13 And the priest of Zeus wanted to sacrifice with the crowds, so he brought bulls and garlands of flowers to the city gates from the temple on the path to the city.

14 But when the missionaries Barnabas and Paul heard what was going on, they tore their clothes in dismay as they rushed out into the crowd 15 shouting, “Men, why are you doing all these things? We are only humans just like all of you. We were bringing you the good message about abandoning these useless sacrifices and turning to the living God who made heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them.[ref] 16 In previous generations he allowed all the nations to go their own different ways, 17 but he never left himself without evidence of himself—sending good rains from heaven to give you all fruitful seasons with food to fill your stomachs and happiness to fill your hearts.” 18 By saying these things, they were eventually just able to restrain the people from sacrificing to them.

19 But some strict Jews came over from Pisidian Antioch and Iconium and were able to persuade the crowds. They threw rocks at Paul to kill him and dragged his body outside the city gates thinking that he was dead. 20 But as the believers were standing around him, Paul got up and went back into the city, but he left again with Barnabas the next day and went to Derbe.

21 They preached the good message in Derbe, and after giving further training to many of them, they returned to Lystra and Iconium and Antioch. 22 There they strengthened the faith of the believers—encouraging them to continue believing and to expect that it’s normal to endure a lot of suffering on the path to God’s kingdom. 23 They appointed some elders for each assembly, then they fasted and prayed for the elders—asking the master that they believed in to look after them.

24 After passing through Pisidia, they arrived at Pamphylia 25 and after teaching the master’s message in Perga, they went down to the coastal city of Attalia. 26 From there, they sailed back to Syrian Antioch where the congregation had prayed for God’s grace to be with them[ref] for the work they had just fulfilled.

27 So when they arrived, they gathered the assembly together there and shared about what God had done with them and how he had opened up the door of faith to the non-Jews. 28 Then they stayed on with them there for quite a while.