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Acceptance and Opposition

¹ Now in ^(C1)Iconium Paul and Barnabas ^(C2)went into the Jewish synagogue together and spoke in such a way with such power and boldness ^(C3)that a large number of Jews as well as ^(C4)Greeks believed and confidently accepted Jesus as Savior;² but the ^(C1)unbelieving ^(C2)Jews who rejected Jesus as Messiah stirred up and embittered the minds of the Gentiles against ^(C3)the ^(F1)believers.³ So Paul and Barnabas stayed for a long time, ^(C1)speaking boldly and confidently for the Lord, who continued to testify to the word of His grace, granting that ^(C2)signs and wonders (attesting miracles) be done by them.^4 (C1)But the people of the city were divided; some were siding with ^(C2)the Jews, and some with ^(C3)the apostles.⁵ When there was an attempt by both the Gentiles and ^(C1)the Jews, together with their rulers, to shamefully mistreat and to stone ^(C2)them,⁶ they, aware of the situation, escaped to ^(C1)Lystra and ^(C2)Derbe, taking refuge in the cities of ^(C3)Lycaonia, and the neighboring region;⁷ and there they continued to ^(C1)preach the good news.

⁸ Now at ^(C1)Lystra ^(C2)a man sat who was unable to use his feet, for he was crippled from birth and had never walked.⁹ This man was listening to Paul as he spoke, and Paul ^(C1)looked intently at him and saw that he had ^(C2)faith to be healed,¹⁰ and said with a loud voice, "Stand up on your feet." ^(C1)And he jumped up and began to walk.¹¹ And the crowds, when they saw what Paul had done, raised their voices, shouting in the ^(F1)(C1)Lycaonian language, "^(C2)The gods have come down to us ^(F2)in human form!"¹² They began calling Barnabas, Zeus chief of the Greek gods, and Paul, Hermes messenger of the Greek gods, since he took the lead in speaking.¹³ The priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance of the city, brought bulls and garlands to the city gates, and ^(C1)wanted to offer sacrifices with the crowds.¹⁴ But when ^(C1)the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard about it, they ^(F1)(C2)tore their robes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting,¹⁵ "Men, why are you doing these things? We too are only ^(C1)men of the same nature as you, ^(C2)bringing the good news to you, so that you turn from these ^(C3)useless and meaningless things to the ^(C4)living God, ^(C5)WHO MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA AND EVERYTHING THAT IS IN THEM. ^(VR1)16 "In generations past He ^(C1)permitted all the nations to ^(C2)go their own ways;¹⁷ yet ^(C1)He did not leave Himself without some witness as evidence of Himself, in that He kept constantly doing good things and showing you kindness, and ^(C2)giving you rains from heaven and productive seasons, filling your hearts with food and happiness."¹⁸ Even saying these words, with difficulty they prevented the people from offering sacrifices to them.

¹⁹ But ^(C1)Jews arrived from ^(C2)Antioch and ^(C3)Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they ^(C4)stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead. ^(VR1)20 But ^(C1)the disciples formed a circle around him, and he got up and went back into the city; and the next day he went on with Barnabas to ^(C2)Derbe.²¹ They ^(C1)preached the good news to that city and ^(C2)made many disciples, then they returned to ^(C3)Lystra and to ^(C4)Iconium and to ^(C5)Antioch,²² strengthening and establishing the hearts of ^(C1)the disciples; encouraging them to remain firm in ^(C2)the faith, saying, "^(C3)It is through many tribulations and hardships that we must enter the kingdom of God."²³ When ^(C1)they had appointed ^(C2)elders for them in every church, having ^(C3)prayed with fasting, they ^(C4)entrusted them to the Lord in whom they believed and joyfully accepted as the Messiah.

²⁴ Then they passed through ^(C1)Pisidia and came to ^(C2)Pamphylia.²⁵ When they had spoken the word of salvation through faith in Christ in ^(C1)Perga, they went down to Attalia.²⁶ From there they sailed back to ^(F1)(C1)Antioch, where ^(C2)they had been ^(C3)entrusted to the grace of God for the ^(F2)work which they had now completed.²⁷ Arriving there, they gathered the church together and began to ^(C1)report in great detail everything that God had done with them and how He had opened to the Gentiles a ^(C2)door of faith in Jesus as the Messiah and Savior.²⁸ And they stayed there a long time with ^(C1)the disciples.