Acts
Chapter 13:v49 - Chapter 14:v20
Acts 13: v 49-52
49The word of the
Lord spread through the whole region. 50But the Jews incited
the Godfearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up
persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them
and went to Iconium. 52And the disciples were filled with joy
and with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 14: v 1-20
In Iconium
1At Iconium
Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively
that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed. 2But the
Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the
brothers. 3So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time
there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling
them to do miraculous signs and wonders. 4The people of the
city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. 5There was a plot afoot among the Gentiles and Jews, together with
their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. 6But they
found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the
surrounding country, 7where they continued to preach the good
news.
In Lystra and Derbe
8In Lystra
there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. 9He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at
him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10and called out,
“Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.
11When the
crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have
come down to us in human form!” 12Barnabas they called
Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. 13The
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.
14But when
the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into
the crowd, shouting: 15“Men, why are you doing this? We
too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from
these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything
in them. 16In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown
kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with
plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” 18Even
with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.
19Then some
Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged
him outside the city, thinking he was dead. 20But after the
disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he
and Barnabas left for Derbe.
