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.

The Macedonian Vision

16 Now Paul also came to ^(A)Derbe and to ^(B)Lystra. And a disciple was there, named ^(C)Timothy, the son of a ^(D)Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, ² and he was well spoken of by ^(E)the brothers and sisters who were in ^(F)Lystra and ^(G)Iconium. ³ Paul wanted this man to leave with him; and he ^(H)took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. ⁴ Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering ^(I)the ordinances for them to follow which had been determined by ^(J)the apostles and ^(K)elders in Jerusalem. ⁵ So ^(L)the churches were being strengthened ^[a]in the faith, and were ^(M)increasing in number daily.

⁶ They passed through the ^[b](N)Phrygian and ^(O)Galatian region, after being forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in ^[c](P)Asia; ⁷ and after they came to ^(Q)Mysia, they were trying to go into ^(R)Bithynia, and the ^(S)Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; ⁸ and passing by ^(T)Mysia, they went down to ^(U)Troas. ^9 (V)And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of ^(W)Macedonia was standing and pleading with him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰ When he had seen ^(X)the vision, ^(Y)we immediately sought to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to ^(Z)preach the gospel to them.

¹¹ So after setting sail from ^(AA)Troas, we ran ^(AB)a straight course to Samothrace, and on the following day to Neapolis; ¹² and from there to ^(AC)Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of ^(AD)Macedonia, ^(AE)a Roman colony; and we were spending some days in this city. ¹³ And on ^(AF)the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were thinking that there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled.

First Convert in Europe

¹⁴ A woman named Lydia was listening; she was a seller of purple fabrics from the city of ^(AG)Thyatira, and ^(AH)a worshiper of God. ^[d]The Lord ^(AI)opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. ¹⁵ Now when she and ^(AJ)her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

¹⁶ It happened that as we were going to ^(AK)the place of prayer, a slave woman who had ^(AL)a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing great profit to her masters by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ She followed Paul and us and cried out repeatedly, saying, “These men are bond-servants of ^(AM)the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you a way of salvation.” ¹⁸ Now she continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and he turned and said to the spirit, “I command you ^(AN)in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out at that very ^[e]moment.

¹⁹ But when her masters saw that their hope of ^(AO)profit was suddenly gone, they seized ^(AP)Paul and Silas and ^(AQ)dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities, ²⁰ and when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, “These men, Jews as they are, are causing our city trouble, ²¹ and they ^(AR)are proclaiming customs that are not lawful for us to accept or to practice, since we are ^(AS)Romans.”

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

²² The crowd joined in an attack against them, and the chief magistrates tore their ^[f]robes off them and proceeded to order ^[g]them to be ^(AT)beaten with rods. ²³ When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding ^(AU)the jailer to guard them securely; ^24 [h]and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in ^(AV)the ^[i]stocks.

²⁵ Now about midnight ^(AW)Paul and Silas were praying and ^(AX)singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; ²⁶ and suddenly ^(AY)there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately ^(AZ)all the doors were opened, and everyone’s ^(BA)chains were unfastened. ²⁷ When ^(BB)the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about ^(BC)to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul called out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” ²⁹ And the jailer asked for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear, he fell down before ^(BD)Paul and Silas; ³⁰ and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, ^(BE)what must I do to be saved?”

The Jailer Converted

³¹ They said, “^(BF)Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and ^(BG)your household.” ³² And they spoke the word of God to him together with all who were in his house. ³³ And he took them ^(BH)that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. ³⁴ And he brought them into his house and set ^[j]food before them, and was ^[k]overjoyed, since he had become a believer in God together with ^(BI)his whole household.

³⁵ Now when day came, the chief magistrates sent their officers, saying, “Release those men.” ³⁶ And ^(BJ)the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The chief magistrates have sent word that you be released. So come out now and go ^(BK)in peace.” ³⁷ But Paul said to them, “After beating us in public without due process—^(BL)men who are Romans—they threw us into prison; and now they are releasing us secretly? No indeed! On the contrary, let them come ^[l]in person and lead us out.” ³⁸ The officers reported these words to the chief magistrates. ^(BM)And they became fearful when they heard that they were Romans, ³⁹ and they came and pleaded with them, and when they had led them out, they repeatedly asked them ^(BN)to leave the city. ⁴⁰ They left the prison and entered the house of ^(BO)Lydia, and when they saw ^(BP)the brothers and sisters, they ^[m]encouraged them and departed.