At Iconium

14 Now it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of the ^(A)Greeks believed. ² But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and ^[a]poisoned their ^[b]minds against the brethren. ³ Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, ^(B)who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and ^(C)wonders to be done by their hands.

⁴ But the multitude of the city was ^(D)divided: part sided with the Jews, and part with the ^(E)apostles. ⁵ And when a violent attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, ^(F)to abuse and stone them, ⁶ they became aware of it and ^(G)fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding region. ⁷ And they were preaching the gospel there.

Idolatry at Lystra

^8 (H)And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. ⁹ This man heard Paul speaking. ^[c]Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, ¹⁰ said with a loud voice, ^(I)“Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked. ¹¹ Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, ^(J)“The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” ¹² And Barnabas they called ^[d]Zeus, and Paul, ^[e]Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. ¹³ Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, ^(K)intending to sacrifice with the multitudes.

¹⁴ But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, ^(L)they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out ¹⁵ and saying, “Men, ^(M)why are you doing these things? ^(N)We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from ^(O)these useless things ^(P)to the living God, ^(Q)who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them, ^16 (R)who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways. ^17 (S)Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, ^(T)gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with ^(U)food and gladness.” ¹⁸ And with these sayings they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them.

Stoning, Escape to Derbe

^19 (V)Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, ^(W)they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be ^(X)dead. ²⁰ However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.

Strengthening the Converts

²¹ And when they had preached the gospel to that city ^(Y)and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, ²² strengthening the souls of the disciples, ^(Z)exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, ^(AA)“We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” ²³ So when they had ^(AB)appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. ²⁴ And after they had passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. ²⁵ Now when they had preached the word in 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 which they had completed.

²⁷ Now when they had come and gathered the church together, ^(AC)they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had ^(AD)opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. ²⁸ So they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

Eastern Tribes Return to Their Lands

22 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, ² and said to them: “You have kept ^(A)all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, ^(B)and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. ³ You have not ^[a]left your brethren these many days, up to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the Lord your God. ⁴ And now the Lord your God has given ^(C)rest to your brethren, as He promised them; now therefore, return and go to your tents and to the land of your possession, ^(D)which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan. ⁵ But ^(E)take^[b] careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, ^(F)to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” ⁶ So Joshua ^(G)blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.

⁷ Now to half the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan, ^(H)but to the other half of it Joshua gave a possession among their brethren on this side of the Jordan, westward. And indeed, when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them, ⁸ and spoke to them, saying, “Return with much riches to your tents, with very much livestock, with silver, with gold, with bronze, with iron, and with very much clothing. ^(I)Divide the ^[c]spoil of your enemies with your brethren.”

⁹ So the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to ^(J)the country of Gilead, to the land of their possession, which they had obtained according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

An Altar by the Jordan

¹⁰ And when they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan—a great, impressive altar. ¹¹ Now the children of Israel ^(K)heard someone say, “Behold, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the ^[d]frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan—on the children of Israel’s side.” ¹² And when the children of Israel heard of it, ^(L)the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered together at Shiloh to go to war against them.

¹³ Then the children of Israel ^(M)sent ^(N)Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, ¹⁴ and with him ten rulers, one ruler each from the chief house of every tribe of Israel; and ^(O)each one was the head of the house of his father among the ^[e]divisions of Israel. ¹⁵ Then they came to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying, ¹⁶ “Thus says the whole congregation of the Lord: ‘What ^(P)treachery^[f] is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the Lord, in that you have built for yourselves an altar, ^(Q)that you might rebel this day against the Lord? ¹⁷ Is the iniquity ^(R)of Peor not enough for us, from which we are not cleansed till this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the Lord, ¹⁸ but that you must turn away this day from following the Lord? And it shall be, if you rebel today against the Lord, that tomorrow ^(S)He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. ^19 [g]Nevertheless, if the land of your possession is unclean, then cross over to the land of the possession of the Lord, ^(T)where the Lord’s tabernacle stands, and take possession among us; but do not rebel against the Lord, nor rebel against us, by building yourselves an altar besides the altar of the Lord our God. ^20 (U)Did not Achan the son of Zerah ^[h]commit a trespass in the ^[i]accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity.’ ”

²¹ Then the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh answered and said to the heads of the ^[j]divisions of Israel: ²² “The Lord ^(V)God of gods, the Lord God of gods, He ^(W)knows, and let Israel itself know—if it is in rebellion, or if in treachery against the Lord, do not save us this day. ²³ If we have built ourselves an altar to turn from following the Lord, or if to offer on it burnt offerings or grain offerings, or if to offer peace offerings on it, let the Lord Himself ^(X)require an account. ²⁴ But in fact we have done it ^[k]for fear, for a reason, saying, ‘In time to come your descendants may speak to our descendants, saying, “What have you to do with the Lord God of Israel? ²⁵ For the Lord has made the Jordan a border between you and us, you children of Reuben and children of Gad. You have no part in the Lord.” So your descendants would make our descendants cease fearing the Lord.’ ²⁶ Therefore we said, ‘Let us now prepare to build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice, ²⁷ but that it may be ^(Y)a ^[l]witness between you and us and our generations after us, that we may ^(Z)perform the service of the Lord before Him with our burnt offerings, with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your descendants may not say to our descendants in time to come, “You have no part in the Lord.” ’ ²⁸ Therefore we said that it will be, when they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say, ‘Here is the replica of the altar of the Lord which our fathers made, though not for burnt offerings nor for sacrifices; but it is a witness between you and us.’ ²⁹ Far be it from us that we should rebel against the Lord, and turn from following the Lord this day, ^(AA)to build an altar for burnt offerings, for grain offerings, or for sacrifices, besides the altar of the Lord our God which is before His tabernacle.”

³⁰ Now when Phinehas the priest and the rulers of the congregation, the heads of the ^[m]divisions of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them. ³¹ Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh, “This day we perceive that the Lord is ^(AB)among us, because you have not committed this treachery against the Lord. Now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the Lord.”

³² And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the rulers, returned from the children of Reuben and the children of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought back word to them. ³³ So the thing pleased the children of Israel, and the children of Israel ^(AC)blessed God; they spoke no more of going against them in battle, to destroy the land where the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.

³⁴ The children of Reuben and the children of ^[n]Gad called the altar, Witness, “For it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.”

Job Defends His Righteousness

The words of Job are ended.