Acts 14-16

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)

The Council at Jerusalem

15 Certain people^(AX) came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers:^(AY) “Unless you are circumcised,^(AZ) according to the custom taught by Moses,^(BA) you cannot be saved.” ² This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem^(BB) to see the apostles and elders^(BC) about this question. ³ The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia^(BD) and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted.^(BE) This news made all the believers very glad. ⁴ When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.^(BF)

⁵ Then some of the believers who belonged to the party^(BG) of the Pharisees^(BH) stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”^(BI)

⁶ The apostles and elders met to consider this question. ⁷ After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.^{(BJ) 8} God, who knows the heart,^(BK) showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them,^(BL) just as he did to us. ⁹ He did not discriminate between us and them,^(BM) for he purified their hearts by faith.^{(BN) 10} Now then, why do you try to test God^(BO) by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke^(BP) that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? ¹¹ No! We believe it is through the grace^(BQ) of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

¹² The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders^(BR) God had done among the Gentiles through them.^{(BS) 13} When they finished, James^(BT) spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. ¹⁴ Simon^[b] has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles.^{(BU) 15} The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

¹⁹ “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰ Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols,^(BX) from sexual immorality,^(BY) from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.^{(BZ) 21} For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”^(CA)

The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers

²² Then the apostles and elders,^(CB) with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch^(CC) with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas,^(CD) men who were leaders among the believers. ²³ With them they sent the following letter:

³⁰ So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. ³¹ The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. ³² Judas and Silas,^(CN) who themselves were prophets,^(CO) said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. ³³ After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace^(CP) to return to those who had sent them. ^{[34] [e] 35} But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached^(CQ) the word of the Lord.^(CR)

Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas

³⁶ Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns^(CS) where we preached the word of the Lord^(CT) and see how they are doing.” ³⁷ Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark,^(CU) with them, ³⁸ but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them^(CV) in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. ³⁹ They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, ⁴⁰ but Paul chose Silas^(CW) and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord.^{(CX) 41} He went through Syria^(CY) and Cilicia,^(CZ) strengthening the churches.^(DA)

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

16 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra,^(DB) where a disciple named Timothy^(DC) lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer^(DD) but whose father was a Greek. ² The believers^(DE) at Lystra and Iconium^(DF) spoke well of him. ³ Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.^{(DG) 4} As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders^(DH) in Jerusalem^(DI) for the people to obey.^{(DJ) 5} So the churches were strengthened^(DK) in the faith and grew daily in numbers.^(DL)

Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia

⁶ Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia^(DM) and Galatia,^(DN) having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.^{(DO) 7} When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus^(DP) would not allow them to. ⁸ So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.^{(DQ) 9} During the night Paul had a vision^(DR) of a man of Macedonia^(DS) standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰ After Paul had seen the vision, we^(DT) got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel^(DU) to them.

Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi

¹¹ From Troas^(DV) we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. ¹² From there we traveled to Philippi,^(DW) a Roman colony and the leading city of that district^[f] of Macedonia.^(DX) And we stayed there several days.

¹³ On the Sabbath^(DY) we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. ¹⁴ One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira^(DZ) named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart^(EA) to respond to Paul’s message. ¹⁵ When she and the members of her household^(EB) were baptized,^(EC) she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

Paul and Silas in Prison

¹⁶ Once when we were going to the place of prayer,^(ED) we were met by a female slave who had a spirit^(EE) by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God,^(EF) who are telling you the way to be saved.” ¹⁸ She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.^(EG)

¹⁹ When her owners realized that their hope of making money^(EH) was gone, they seized Paul and Silas^(EI) and dragged^(EJ) them into the marketplace to face the authorities. ²⁰ They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar^{(EK) 21} by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans^(EL) to accept or practice.”^(EM)

²² The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.^{(EN) 23} After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer^(EO) was commanded to guard them carefully. ²⁴ When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.^(EP)

²⁵ About midnight^(EQ) Paul and Silas^(ER) were praying and singing hymns^(ES) to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶ Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken.^(ET) At once all the prison doors flew open,^(EU) and everyone’s chains came loose.^{(EV) 27} The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.^{(EW) 28} But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

²⁹ The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.^{(EX) 30} He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”^(EY)

³¹ They replied, “Believe^(EZ) in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved^(FA)—you and your household.”^{(FB) 32} Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. ³³ At that hour of the night^(FC) the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized.^{(FD) 34} The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he^(FE) was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

³⁵ When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” ³⁶ The jailer^(FF) told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”^(FG)

³⁷ But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens,^(FH) and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”

³⁸ The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed.^{(FI) 39} They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city.^{(FJ) 40} After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house,^(FK) where they met with the brothers and sisters^(FL) and encouraged them. Then they left.