Acts 14

Paul and Barnabas in Iconium

1 Paul and Barnabas rolled into Iconium and hit up the Jewish synagogue. They were preaching so good that a big crowd of Jews and Gentiles started believing.

2 But some Jews who did not believe stirred up trouble, poisoning the minds of the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas.

3 Even with the drama, Paul and Barnabas stayed a long time, preaching boldly about the Lord, and God backed them up by letting them do miracles and wonders.

4 The city got divided, some were riding with the Jews, and others were rocking with Paul and Barnabas.

5 Things got real when a mob of Gentiles and Jews, along with their leaders, plotted to jump Paul and Barnabas and stone them.

6 When they found out, Paul and Barnabas dipped to the cities of Lystra and Derbe in Lycaonia and the surrounding countryside.

7 But they did not stop, they kept preaching the good news wherever they went.

In Lystra and Derbe

8 In Lystra, there was a man who could not walk since birth; dude had never taken a step.

9 He was sitting there listening to Paul, and Paul noticed he had the faith to be healed.

10 Paul looked at him and said, “Stand up on your feet!” The man jumped up and started walking like it was nothing.

11 When the crowd saw what Paul did, they went wild, shouting in their Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!”

12 They called Barnabas “Zeus” and Paul “Hermes” because Paul was the one doing most of the talking.

13 The priest of Zeus even brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates, trying to offer sacrifices with the crowd.

14 When Paul and Barnabas realized what was happening, they tore their clothes (a sign of protest) and ran into the crowd yelling,

15 “You all need to stop this! We are just humans like you, trying to tell you to turn from this nonsense to the living God who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them.

16 In the past, God let all nations do their own thing.

17 But He did not leave you all without evidence of Himself. He has been sending rain, giving you crops, food, and joy.”

18 Even with all this, they barely stopped the crowd from sacrificing to them.

19 But then some Jews from Antioch and Iconium pulled up, turned the crowd against Paul, and got him stoned. They dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead.

20 But when the disciples gathered around Paul, he got up like nothing happened and went back into the city. The next day, he and Barnabas dipped to Derbe.

Return to Antioch

21 After preaching the gospel in Derbe and making more disciples, they went back to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch.

22 They were encouraging the believers, telling them to stay strong in the faith, and reminding them, “We must go through some struggles to enter God’s kingdom.”

23 They appointed leaders in each church, prayed, fasted, and put them in God’s hands.

24 Then they traveled through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia.

25 They preached in Perga, then went down to Attalia.

26 From there, they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been sent out by God’s grace for the work they just finished.

27 When they got back, they gathered the church and told them everything God had done, especially how He opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

28 Paul and Barnabas stayed there for a good while, chilling with the believers.