Acts 14
New American Standard Bible
Acceptance and Opposition
14 In (A)Iconium (B)they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a way (C)that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of (D)Greeks. 2 But (E)the [a](F)unbelieving Jews stirred up the [b]minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against (G)the brothers. 3 Therefore they spent a long time there (H)speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that [c](I)signs and wonders be performed by their hands. 4 (J)But the [d]people of the city were divided; and some [e]sided with (K)the Jews, while others, with (L)the apostles. 5 And when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and (M)the Jews with their rulers, to treat them abusively and to (N)stone them, 6 they became aware of it and fled to the cities of (O)Lycaonia, (P)Lystra and (Q)Derbe, and the surrounding region; 7 and there they continued to (R)preach the gospel.
8 In (S)Lystra (T)a man was sitting whose feet were incapacitated. He had been disabled from his mother’s womb, and had never walked. 9 This man was listening to Paul as he spoke. Paul (U)looked at him intently and saw that he had (V)faith to be [f]made well, 10 and he said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet!” (W)And the man leaped up and began to walk. 11 When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the (X)Lycaonian language, “(Y)The gods have become like men and have come down to us!” 12 And they began calling Barnabas, [g]Zeus, and Paul, [h]Hermes, since he was [i]the chief speaker. 13 Moreover, the priest of Zeus, whose temple was [j]just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and (Z)wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. 14 But when (AA)the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard about it, they (AB)tore their [k]robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out 15 and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also (AC)men, of the same nature as you, (AD)preaching the gospel to you, to turn from these [l](AE)useless things to a (AF)living God, who (AG)made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything that is in them. 16 [m]In past generations He (AH)permitted all the [n]nations to (AI)go their own ways; 17 yet (AJ)He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and (AK)gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, [o]satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” 18 And even by saying these things, only with difficulty did they restrain the crowds from offering sacrifices to them.
19 But (AL)Jews came from (AM)Antioch and (AN)Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they (AO)stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, thinking that he was dead. 20 But while (AP)the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he left with Barnabas for (AQ)Derbe. 21 And after they had (AR)preached the gospel to that city and had (AS)made a good number of disciples, they returned to (AT)Lystra, to (AU)Iconium, and to (AV)Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of (AW)the disciples, encouraging them to continue in (AX)the faith, and saying, “(AY)It is through many tribulations that we must enter the kingdom of God.” 23 When (AZ)they had appointed (BA)elders for them in every church, having (BB)prayed with fasting, they (BC)entrusted them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
24 They passed through (BD)Pisidia and came into (BE)Pamphylia. 25 When they had spoken the word in (BF)Perga, they went down to Attalia. 26 From there they sailed to (BG)Antioch, (BH)where they had been (BI)entrusted to the grace of God for the work that they had [p]accomplished. 27 When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to (BJ)report all the things that God had done with them and [q]how He had opened a (BK)door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they spent [r]a long time with (BL)the disciples.
Footnotes
- Acts 14:2 Or disobeying
- Acts 14:2 Lit souls
- Acts 14:3 I.e., confirming miracles
- Acts 14:4 Lit multitude
- Acts 14:4 Lit were
- Acts 14:9 Lit saved
- Acts 14:12 In Lat Jupiter, the chief pagan god of Rome
- Acts 14:12 In Lat Mercury, considered the messenger or spokesman for the pagan gods of Rome
- Acts 14:12 Lit the leader of the speaking
- Acts 14:13 Lit in front of
- Acts 14:14 Or outer garments
- Acts 14:15 I.e., idols
- Acts 14:16 Lit Who in past generations permitted
- Acts 14:16 Or Gentiles
- Acts 14:17 Lit filling
- Acts 14:26 Lit fulfilled
- Acts 14:27 Lit that
- Acts 14:28 Lit not a little
Acts 14
The Voice
Paul never forsakes the Jews, the ones to whom the covenants were given. He shares with them first the good news about how God has fulfilled His promises through Jesus. Only when he faces opposition does he turn to the outsiders, because this hope is for them too.
14 The results in Iconium were similar. Paul and Barnabas began in the Jewish synagogue, bringing a great number of ethnic Jews and Greek converts to faith in Jesus. 2 But the other Jews who wouldn’t believe agitated the outsiders and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 3 Paul and Barnabas stayed in Iconium for a long time, speaking with great confidence for the Lord. He confirmed the message of His grace by granting them the power to do signs and wonders. 4 But over time the people were divided, some siding with the unbelieving Jews and some siding with the apostles. 5 Finally the Jews and outsiders who opposed them joined forces and enlisted the political leaders in their plan to beat and stone Paul and Barnabas. 6 They learned of the plan and escaped to Lystra and Derbe in Lycaonia, and the surrounding countryside, 7 where they continued proclaiming the good news.
8 In Lystra they met a man who had been crippled since birth; his feet were completely useless. 9 He listened to Paul speak, and Paul could see in this man’s face that he had faith to be healed.
Paul (shouting): 10 Stand up on your own two feet, man!
The man jumped up and walked! 11 When the crowds saw this, they started shouting in Lycaonian.
Crowd: The gods have come down to us! They’ve come in human form!
12 They decided that Barnabas was Zeus and Paul was Hermes (since he was the main speaker). 13 Before they knew it, the priest of Zeus, whose temple was prominent in that city, came to the city gates with oxen and garlands of flowers so the Lycaonians could offer sacrifices in worship to Paul and Barnabas! 14 When they heard of this, Paul and Barnabas were beside themselves with frustration—they ripped their tunics as an expression of disapproval and rushed out into the crowd.
Paul and Barnabas (shouting): 15 Friends! No! No! Don’t do this! We’re just humans like all of you! We’re not here to be worshiped! We’re here to bring you good news—good news that you should turn from these worthless forms of worship and instead serve the living God, the God who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that they contain. 16 Through all previous generations, God has allowed all the nations to follow their own customs and religions, 17 but even then God revealed Himself by doing good to you—giving you rain for your crops and fruitful harvests season after season, filling your stomachs with food and your hearts with joy.
18 In spite of these words, they were barely able to keep the crowds from making sacrifices to them.
When God uses men to bless the world, many mistakenly exalt those men to the place of God. This inevitably leads to pain and disappointment. Paul and Barnabas did the right thing by shouting as loudly as possible, “We are only men!” It is time for many leaders and celebrities to follow their example, root out the religious hero worship, claim our humanity, and start sharing our own struggles—sin, depression, despair—to remind people we are all alike. Then we can focus on the one true God instead of His messengers.
19 Then unbelieving Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and incited the crowds against the Lord’s emissaries. The crowds turned on Paul, stoned him, dragged him out of the city, and left him there, thinking he was dead. 20 As the disciples gathered around him, he suddenly rose to his feet and returned to the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe. 21 After they proclaimed the good news there and taught many disciples, they returned to some of the cities they had recently visited—Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch in Pisidia. 22 In each place, they brought strength to the disciples, encouraging them to remain true to the faith.
Paul and Barnabas: We must go through many persecutions as we enter the kingdom of God.
23 In each church, they would appoint leaders, pray and fast together, and entrust them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe.
24 They then passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. 25 They preached their message in Perga and then went to the port of Attalia. 26 There they set sail for Antioch, where they were first entrusted to the grace of God for the mission they had now completed. 27 They called the church together when they arrived and reported all God had done with and through them, how God had welcomed outsiders through the doorway of faith. 28 They stayed with the disciples in Antioch for quite a while.
Acts 14
Easy-to-Read Version
Paul and Barnabas in Iconium
14 Paul and Barnabas went to the city of Iconium. As they did in Antioch, they entered the Jewish synagogue. They spoke to the people there. They spoke so well that many Jews and Greeks believed what they said. 2 But some of the Jews did not believe. They said things that caused the non-Jewish people to be angry and turn against the believers.
3 So Paul and Barnabas stayed in Iconium a long time, and they spoke bravely for the Lord. They told the people about God’s grace. The Lord proved that what they said was true by causing miraculous signs and wonders to be done through them. 4 But some of the people in the city agreed with the Jews who did not believe Paul and Barnabas. Others followed the apostles. So the city was divided.
5 Some of the Jews there, as well as their leaders and some of the non-Jewish people, were determined to hurt Paul and Barnabas. They wanted to stone them to death. 6 When Paul and Barnabas learned about this, they left the city. They went to Lystra and Derbe, cities in Lycaonia, and to the surrounding areas. 7 They told the Good News there too.
Paul in Lystra and Derbe
8 In Lystra there was a man who had something wrong with his feet. He had been born crippled and had never walked. 9 He was sitting and listening to Paul speak. Paul looked straight at him and saw that the man believed God could heal him. 10 So Paul shouted, “Stand up on your feet!” The man jumped up and began walking around.
11 When the people saw what Paul did, they shouted in their own Lycaonian language. They said, “The gods have come down to us in the form of humans!” 12 The people began to call Barnabas “Zeus,” and they called Paul “Hermes,” because he was the main speaker. 13 The temple of Zeus was near the city. The priest of this temple brought some bulls and flowers to the city gates. The priest and the people wanted to offer a sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas.
14 But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, understood what the people were doing, they tore their own clothes.[a] Then they ran in among the people and shouted to them: 15 “Men, why are you doing this? We are not gods. We are human just like you. We came to tell you the Good News. We are telling you to turn away from these worthless things. Turn to the true living God, the one who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them.
16 “In the past God let all the nations do what they wanted. 17 But God was always there doing the good things that prove he is real. He gives you rain from heaven and good harvests at the right times. He gives you plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”
18 Even after saying all this, Paul and Barnabas still could hardly stop the people from offering sacrifices to them.
19 Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and persuaded the people to turn against Paul. So they threw stones at him and dragged him out of the town. They thought they had killed him. 20 But when the followers of Jesus gathered around him, he got up and went back into the town. The next day he and Barnabas left and went to the city of Derbe.
The Return to Antioch in Syria
21 They also told the Good News in the city of Derbe, and many people became followers of Jesus. Then Paul and Barnabas returned to the cities of Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. 22 In those cities they helped the followers grow stronger in their faith and encouraged them to continue trusting God. They told them, “We must suffer many things on our way into God’s kingdom.” 23 They also chose elders for each church and stopped eating for a period of time to pray for them. These elders were men who had put their trust in the Lord Jesus, so Paul and Barnabas put them in his care.
24 Paul and Barnabas went through the country of Pisidia. Then they came to the country of Pamphylia. 25 They told people the message of God in the city of Perga, and then they went down to the city of Attalia. 26 And from there they sailed away to Antioch in Syria. This is the city where the believers had put them into God’s care and sent them to do this work. Now they had finished it.
27 When Paul and Barnabas arrived, they gathered the church together. They told them everything God had used them to do. They said, “God opened a door for the non-Jewish people to believe!” 28 And they stayed there a long time with the Lord’s followers.
Footnotes
- Acts 14:14 tore … clothes This showed they were very upset.
Hechos 14
Nueva Biblia de las Américas
Pablo y Bernabé en Iconio
14 Cuando Pablo y Bernabé entraron juntos en la sinagoga(A) de los judíos en Iconio(B), hablaron de tal manera que creyó una gran multitud(C), tanto de judíos como de griegos(D). 2 Pero los judíos que no creyeron[a](E), excitaron y llenaron de odio los ánimos[b] de los gentiles(F) contra los hermanos(G). 3 Con todo, se detuvieron allí mucho tiempo hablando valientemente, confiados en el Señor que confirmaba[c] la palabra de Su gracia(H), concediendo que se hicieran señales[d] y prodigios(I) por medio de sus manos.
4 Pero la gente de la ciudad estaba dividida(J), y unos estaban con los judíos(K) y otros con los apóstoles(L). 5 Cuando los gentiles y los judíos, con sus gobernantes, prepararon un atentado para maltratarlos(M) y apedrearlos(N), 6 los apóstoles se dieron cuenta de ello y huyeron a las ciudades de Licaonia(O), Listra(P), Derbe(Q), y sus alrededores; 7 y allí continuaron anunciando el evangelio(R).
Pablo y Bernabé en Listra
8 Y había en Listra(S) un hombre que estaba sentado, imposibilitado de los pies, cojo desde el seno de su madre y que nunca había andado(T). 9 Este escuchaba hablar a Pablo, el cual, fijando la mirada en él(U), y viendo que tenía fe para ser sanado[e](V), 10 dijo con voz fuerte: «Levántate derecho sobre tus pies». Y él dio un salto y comenzó a andar(W). 11 Cuando la multitud vio lo que Pablo había hecho, alzaron la voz, diciendo en el idioma de Licaonia(X): «Los dioses se han hecho semejantes a hombres(Y) y han descendido a nosotros».
12 Y llamaban a Bernabé, Júpiter[f], y a Pablo, Mercurio[g], porque este era el que dirigía la palabra. 13 El sacerdote de Júpiter, cuyo templo estaba en las afueras de[h] la ciudad, trajo toros y guirnaldas a las puertas, y quería ofrecer sacrificios(Z) junto con la multitud.
14 Pero cuando lo oyeron los apóstoles(AA) Bernabé y Pablo, rasgaron sus ropas(AB) y se lanzaron en medio de la multitud, gritando: 15 «Señores, ¿por qué hacen estas cosas? Nosotros también somos hombres de igual naturaleza que ustedes(AC), y les anunciamos el evangelio(AD) para que se vuelvan de estas cosas vanas(AE) a un Dios vivo(AF), que hizo el cielo, la tierra, el mar, y todo lo que hay en ellos(AG). 16 En las generaciones pasadas Él permitió que todas las naciones[i] siguieran sus propios caminos(AH); 17 y sin embargo, no dejó de dar testimonio de Él mismo(AI), haciendo bien y dándoles lluvias del cielo y estaciones fructíferas(AJ), llenando sus corazones de sustento y de alegría». 18 Aun diciendo estas palabras, apenas pudieron impedir que las multitudes les ofrecieran sacrificio.
Pablo apedreado en Listra
19 Pero vinieron algunos judíos de Antioquía(AK) y de Iconio(AL), y habiendo persuadido a la multitud(AM), apedrearon a Pablo(AN) y lo arrastraron[j] fuera de la ciudad, pensando que estaba muerto. 20 Pero mientras los discípulos(AO) lo rodeaban, él se levantó y entró en la ciudad. Al día siguiente Pablo partió con Bernabé a Derbe(AP).
21 Después de anunciar el evangelio(AQ) a aquella ciudad y de hacer muchos discípulos(AR), volvieron a Listra(AS), a Iconio(AT) y a Antioquía(AU), 22 fortaleciendo los ánimos de los discípulos(AV), exhortándolos a que perseveraran en la fe(AW), y diciendo: «Es necesario que a través de muchas tribulaciones(AX) entremos en el reino de Dios». 23 Después que les designaron(AY) ancianos(AZ) en cada iglesia, habiendo orado con ayunos(BA), los encomendaron al Señor(BB) en quien habían creído.
24 Pasaron por Pisidia(BC) y llegaron a Panfilia(BD). 25 Después de predicar[k] la palabra en Perge(BE), descendieron a Atalia; 26 y de allí se embarcaron para Antioquía(BF), donde habían sido encomendados(BG) a la gracia de Dios(BH) para la obra que habían cumplido.
27 Cuando llegaron y reunieron a la iglesia, informaron de todas las cosas que Dios había hecho con ellos(BI), y cómo[l] había abierto a los gentiles la puerta(BJ) de la fe. 28 Y se quedaron mucho tiempo[m] con los discípulos(BK).
Footnotes
- Hechos 14:2 O desobedecieron.
- Hechos 14:2 Lit. las almas.
- Hechos 14:3 Lit. testificaba de.
- Hechos 14:3 O milagros.
- Hechos 14:9 Lit. salvado.
- Hechos 14:12 Gr. Zeus.
- Hechos 14:12 Gr. Hermes.
- Hechos 14:13 Lit. enfrente de.
- Hechos 14:16 O todos los gentiles.
- Hechos 14:19 Lit. lo arrastraban.
- Hechos 14:25 Lit. hablar.
- Hechos 14:27 Lit. que.
- Hechos 14:28 Lit. no poco tiempo.
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