Acts 14
Legacy Standard Bible
In Iconium
14 Now it happened that in (A)Iconium (B)they entered the synagogue of the Jews together and spoke in such a manner (C)that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of (D)Greeks. 2 But (E)the [a](F)unbelieving Jews instigated and embittered the [b]minds of the Gentiles 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 done through their hands. 4 (J)But the multitude of the city was divided; and some [d]sided with (K)the Jews, and some with (L)the apostles. 5 And when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and (M)the Jews with their rulers to mistreat 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)proclaim the gospel.
In Lystra and Derbe
8 And at (S)Lystra (T)a man was sitting who had no strength in his feet, lame from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. 9 This man listened to Paul as he spoke, who, (U)when he fixed his gaze on him and saw that he had (V)faith to be [e]saved from being lame, 10 said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” (W)And he leaped up and began to walk. 11 And 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, [f]Zeus, and Paul, [g]Hermes, because he was [h]the chief speaker. 13 And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was [i]just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and (Z)was wanting to offer sacrifice with the crowds. 14 But when (AA)the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they (AB)tore their garments 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)proclaiming the gospel to you that you should turn from these [j](AE)vain things to a (AF)living God, (AG)who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. 16 [k]In the generations gone by He (AH)permitted all the [l]nations to (AI)go their own ways; 17 and yet (AJ)He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and (AK)gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.” 18 And saying these things, with difficulty they restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them.
19 But (AL)Jews came from (AM)Antioch and (AN)Iconium, and after winning over the crowds and (AO)stoning Paul, they were dragging him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. 20 But while (AP)the disciples stood around him, he rose up and entered the city. The next day he went away with Barnabas to (AQ)Derbe. 21 And after they had (AR)proclaimed the gospel to that city and had (AS)made many disciples, they returned to (AT)Lystra and 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)Through many afflictions we must enter the kingdom of God.” 23 And when (AZ)they had appointed (BA)elders for them in every church, having (BB)prayed with fasting, they (BC)commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
The Return to Antioch
24 And when they passed through (BD)Pisidia, they came into (BE)Pamphylia. 25 And when they had spoken the word in (BF)Perga, they went down to Attalia. 26 And from there they sailed to (BG)Antioch, from (BH)where they had been (BI)committed to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. 27 And when they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to (BJ)report all things that God had done with them and [m]how He had opened a (BK)door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they spent not a little time with (BL)the disciples.
Footnotes
- Acts 14:2 Or disobeying
- Acts 14:2 Lit souls
- Acts 14:3 Or attesting miracles
- Acts 14:4 Lit were
- Acts 14:9 Or made well
- Acts 14:12 In Lat Jupiter, the chief pagan god
- Acts 14:12 In Lat Mercury, considered the messenger or spokesman for the pagan gods of Greece and Rome
- Acts 14:12 Lit the leader of the speaking
- Acts 14:13 Lit in front of
- Acts 14:15 Idols
- Acts 14:16 Lit Who in the generations gone by permitted
- Acts 14:16 Or Gentiles
- Acts 14:27 Lit that
Acts 14
International Children’s Bible
Paul and Barnabas in Iconium
14 In Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went as usual to the Jewish synagogue. They spoke so well that a great many Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But some of the Jews who did not believe excited the non-Jewish people and turned them against the believers. 3 But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Iconium a long time and spoke bravely for the Lord. The Lord showed that their message about his grace was true by giving them the power to work miracles and signs. 4 But some of the people in the city agreed with the Jews. Others believed the apostles. So the city was divided.
5 Some non-Jewish people, some Jews, and some of their rulers wanted to harm Paul and Barnabas by killing them with stones. 6 When Paul and Barnabas learned about this, they went to Lystra and Derbe, cities in Lycaonia, and to the areas around those cities. 7 They announced the Good News there, too.
Paul in Lystra and Derbe
8 In Lystra there sat a man who had been born crippled; he had never walked. 9 This man was listening to Paul speak. Paul looked straight at him and saw that the man believed God could heal him. 10 So he cried out, “Stand up on your feet!” The man jumped up and began walking around. 11 When the crowds saw what Paul did, they shouted in their own Lycaonian language. They said, “The gods have become like men! They have come down to us!” 12 And the people began to call Barnabas “Zeus.”[a] They called Paul “Hermes,”[b] 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 they were about to do, they tore their clothes in anger. Then they ran in among the people and shouted, 15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We are only men, human beings like you! We are bringing you the Good News. We are telling you to turn away from these worthless things and turn to the true living God. He is 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 Yet he did things to prove he is real: He shows kindness to you. He gives you rain from heaven and crops at the right times. He gives you food and fills your hearts with joy.” 18 Even with these words, they were barely able to keep the crowd from offering sacrifices to them.
19 Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium. They persuaded the people to turn against Paul. And so they threw stones at Paul and dragged him out of town. They thought that they had killed him. 20 But the followers gathered around him, and 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 Paul and Barnabas told the Good News in Derbe and many became followers. Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. 22 In those cities they made the followers of Jesus stronger. They helped them to stay in the faith. They said, “We must suffer many things to enter God’s kingdom.” 23 They chose elders for each church, by praying and giving up eating.[c] These elders were men who had trusted the Lord. So Paul and Barnabas put them in the Lord’s care.
24 Then they went through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. 25 They preached the message in Perga, and then they went down to Attalia. 26 And from there they sailed away to Antioch. This is where the believers had put them into God’s care and had sent them out to do this work. And now they had finished the work.
27 When they arrived in Antioch, they gathered the church together. Paul and Barnabas told them all about what God had done with them. They told how God had made it possible for the non-Jews to believe! 28 And they stayed there a long time with the followers.
Footnotes
- 14:12 “Zeus” The Greeks believed in many gods. Zeus was their most important god.
- 14:12 “Hermes” The Greeks believed he was a messenger for the other gods.
- 14:23 giving up eating This is called “fasting.” The people would give up eating for a special time of prayer and worship to God. It was also done to show sadness.
Acts 14
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 14
Paul and Barnabas at Iconium. 1 In Iconium they entered the Jewish synagogue together and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks came to believe, 2 although the disbelieving Jews stirred up and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against the brothers. 3 So they stayed for a considerable period, speaking out boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the word about his grace by granting signs and wonders to occur through their hands.(A) 4 The people of the city were divided: some were with the Jews; others, with the apostles. 5 When there was an attempt by both the Gentiles and the Jews, together with their leaders, to attack and stone them,(B) 6 they realized it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding countryside, 7 where they continued to proclaim the good news.
Paul and Barnabas at Lystra. 8 [a]At Lystra there was a crippled man, lame from birth, who had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul speaking, who looked intently at him, saw that he had the faith to be healed, 10 and called out in a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet.” He jumped up and began to walk about. 11 When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they cried out in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in human form.”(C) 12 They called Barnabas “Zeus”[b] and Paul “Hermes,” because he was the chief speaker. 13 And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, for he together with the people intended to offer sacrifice.
14 The apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their garments[c] when they heard this and rushed out into the crowd, shouting, 15 [d]“Men, why are you doing this? We are of the same nature as you, human beings. We proclaim to you good news that you should turn from these idols to the living God, ‘who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them.’(D) 16 In past generations he allowed all Gentiles to go their own ways;(E) 17 yet, in bestowing his goodness, he did not leave himself without witness, for he gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, and filled you with nourishment and gladness for your hearts.”(F) 18 Even with these words, they scarcely restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them.
19 (G)However, some Jews from Antioch and Iconium arrived and won over the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 20 But when the disciples gathered around him, he got up and entered the city. On the following day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.
End of the First Mission. 21 After they had proclaimed the good news to that city and made a considerable number of disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch. 22 They strengthened the spirits of the disciples and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”(H) 23 They appointed presbyters[e] for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord in whom they had put their faith. 24 Then they traveled through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia. 25 After proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia. 26 From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now accomplished.(I) 27 And when they arrived, they called the church together and reported what God had done with them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 Then they spent no little time with the disciples.
Footnotes
- 14:8–18 In an effort to convince his hearers that the divine power works through his word, Paul cures the cripple. However, the pagan tradition of the occasional appearance of gods among human beings leads the people astray in interpreting the miracle. The incident reveals the cultural difficulties with which the church had to cope. Note the similarity of the miracle worked here by Paul to the one performed by Peter in Acts 3:2–10.
- 14:12 Zeus…Hermes: in Greek religion, Zeus was the chief of the Olympian gods, the “father of gods and men”; Hermes was a son of Zeus and was usually identified as the herald and messenger of the gods.
- 14:14 Tore their garments: a gesture of protest.
- 14:15–17 This is the first speech of Paul to Gentiles recorded by Luke in Acts (cf. Acts 17:22–31). Rather than showing how Christianity is the logical outgrowth of Judaism, as he does in speeches before Jews, Luke says that God excuses past Gentile ignorance and then presents a natural theology arguing for the recognition of God’s existence and presence through his activity in natural phenomena.
- 14:23 They appointed presbyters: the communities are given their own religious leaders by the traveling missionaries. The structure in these churches is patterned on the model of the Jerusalem community (Acts 11:30; 15:2, 5, 22; 21:18).
Acts 14
New International Version
In Iconium
14 At Iconium(A) Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue.(B) There they spoke so effectively that a great number(C) of Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.(D) 3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly(E) for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.(F) 4 The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles.(G) 5 There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews,(H) together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them.(I) 6 But they found out about it and fled(J) to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, 7 where they continued to preach(K) the gospel.(L)
In Lystra and Derbe
8 In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth(M) and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed(N) 10 and called out, “Stand up on your feet!”(O) At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.(P)
11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!”(Q) 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker.(R) 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.
14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes(S) and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human,(T) like you. We are bringing you good news,(U) telling you to turn from these worthless things(V) to the living God,(W) who made the heavens and the earth(X) and the sea and everything in them.(Y) 16 In the past, he let(Z) all nations go their own way.(AA) 17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony:(AB) He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons;(AC) he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”(AD) 18 Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.
19 Then some Jews(AE) came from Antioch and Iconium(AF) and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul(AG) and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. 20 But after the disciples(AH) had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.
The Return to Antioch in Syria
21 They preached the gospel(AI) in that city and won a large number(AJ) of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium(AK) and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith.(AL) “We must go through many hardships(AM) to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. 23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders[a](AN) for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting,(AO) committed them to the Lord,(AP) in whom they had put their trust. 24 After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia,(AQ) 25 and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.
26 From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch,(AR) where they had been committed to the grace of God(AS) for the work they had now completed.(AT) 27 On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them(AU) and how he had opened a door(AV) of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.(AW)
Footnotes
- Acts 14:23 Or Barnabas ordained elders; or Barnabas had elders elected
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