New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Acts 14
1
At Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogue as usual. They spoke there with great power. Large numbers of Jews and non-Jews became believers.
Reference
2
But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up those who weren't Jews. They poisoned their minds against the two men and the new believers.
Reference
3
So Paul and Barnabas spent a lot of time there. They spoke boldly for the Lord. He gave them the ability to do miraculous signs and wonders. In this way the Lord showed that they were telling the truth about his grace.
Reference
Grace
Acts 20:32
Acts 20:24
Kingdom
Mark 16:20
Parallel theme
Romans 1:16
1 Thessalonians 2:2
Witness
Hebrews 2:4
Acts 5:32
Word
Acts 2:22
4
The people of the city did not agree with each other. Some were on the side of the Jews. Others were on the side of the apostles.
Reference
5
Jews and non-Jews alike planned to treat Paul and Barnabas badly. Their leaders agreed. They planned to kill them by throwing stones at them.
Reference
6
But Paul and Barnabas found out about the plan. They escaped to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding area.
Reference
📍 Locations
7
There they continued to preach the good news.
Reference
Parallel theme
Acts 14:21
8
In Lystra there sat a man who couldn't walk. He hadn't been able to use his feet since the day he was born.
Reference
📍 Lystra
9
He listened as Paul spoke. Paul looked right at him. He saw that the man had faith to be healed.
Reference
11
The crowd saw what Paul had done. They shouted in the Lycaonian language. "The gods have come down to us in human form!" they exclaimed.
Reference
12
They called Barnabas Zeus. Paul was the main speaker. So they called him Hermes.
Reference
Parallel theme
Acts 19:35
13
Just outside the city was the temple of the god Zeus. The priest of Zeus brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates. He and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas.
Reference
Parallel theme
Daniel 2:46
14
But the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard about this. So they tore their clothes. They rushed out into the crowd. They shouted,
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 26:65
15
"Why are you men doing this? We are only human, just like you. We are bringing you good news. Turn away from these worthless things. Turn to the living God. He is the one who made the heavens and the earth and the sea. He made everything in them.
Reference
Creation
Revelation 14:7
Jeremiah 14:22
Genesis 1:1
Acts 4:24
Parallel theme
Acts 10:26
James 5:17
1 Samuel 12:21
Jonah 2:8
References God
1 Corinthians 8:4
Deuteronomy 32:21
17
But he has given proof of what he is like. He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven. He gives you crops in their seasons. He provides you with plenty of food. He fills your hearts with joy."
Reference
Good
Psalm 145:9
Deuteronomy 28:12
Parallel theme
Job 5:10
Joel 2:23
Deuteronomy 11:14
Isaiah 5:6
Jeremiah 5:24
Ezekiel 34:26
Leviticus 26:4
18
Paul and Barnabas told them all these things. But they had trouble keeping the crowd from offering sacrifices to them.
19
Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium. They won the crowd over to their side. They threw stones at Paul. They thought he was dead, so they dragged him out of the city.
Reference
Parallel theme
2 Corinthians 11:25
2 Timothy 3:11
Acts 14:5
Acts 7:58
2 Corinthians 11:23
References Paul
Acts 13:45
20
The believers gathered around Paul. Then he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.
Reference
📍 Derbe
21
Paul and Barnabas preached the good news in the city of Derbe. They won large numbers of followers. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch.
Reference
📍 Lystra
22
There they helped the believers gain strength. They told them to remain true to what they had been taught. "We must go through many hard times to enter God's kingdom," they said.
Reference
Faith
Revelation 2:10
Colossians 1:23
Kingdom
2 Peter 1:11
Parallel theme
John 16:33
Acts 18:23
Revelation 7:14
References God
1 Peter 5:10
2 Timothy 3:12
Romans 8:17
2 Timothy 1:8
23
Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church. The elders had trusted in the Lord. Paul and Barnabas prayed and fasted. They placed the elders in the Lord's care.
Reference
Faith
2 Timothy 2:2
Parallel theme
Titus 1:5
Acts 11:30
Acts 20:32
Acts 20:17
Acts 15:4
Acts 15:6
1 Timothy 5:22
1 Timothy 5:1
Prayer
James 5:14
24
After going through Pisidia, Paul and Barnabas came into Pamphylia.
25
They preached the word in Perga. Then they went down to Attalia.
📍 Attalia
26
From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch. That was where they had been committed to God's grace. They had now completed the work God had given them to do.
Reference
27
When they arrived at Antioch, they gathered the church together. They reported all that God had done through them. They told how he had opened the way for non-Jews to believe.
Reference
Faith
1 Corinthians 11:18
Parallel theme
1 Corinthians 16:9
2 Corinthians 2:12
1 Corinthians 5:4
Romans 15:18
John 9:10
References God
Acts 15:12
Colossians 4:3
Acts 11:18
1 Corinthians 15:10
28
And they stayed there a long time with the believers.
Reference
Parallel theme
Acts 11:26
Summary of Acts 14
Acts 14 continues the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas, showing how the Gospel spreads through new cities while the missionaries face both enthusiastic acceptance and intense persecution.
In Iconium, Paul and Barnabas preach in the synagogue, and many Jews and Gentiles believe, but other Jewish leaders influence people against them and eventually organize a plan to attack them.
The missionaries escape to Lystra and Derbe, where they continue preaching instead of allowing opposition to stop their work.
In Lystra, Paul meets a man who has never been able to walk, and when Paul sees that the man has faith, he tells him to stand up, after which the man immediately begins walking.
The crowd is amazed by the miracle and mistakenly believes that Paul and Barnabas are gods who have come down in human form, calling Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes because Paul is the main speaker.
The people even prepare to offer sacrifices to them, but Paul and Barnabas strongly reject the worship and explain that they are ordinary human beings who have come to tell them about the living God, who created everything and continually shows His goodness through rain, crops, food, and other gifts.
The situation changes dramatically when Jews from Antioch and Iconium arrive and persuade the crowd to turn against Paul, and the same people who had just wanted to worship him now stone him and drag him outside the city, believing that he is dead.
However, when the disciples gather around Paul, he gets up and returns to the city, showing extraordinary courage and determination.
Paul and Barnabas then travel to Derbe, where they preach and make many disciples before beginning their return journey through the cities where they had previously preached.
Instead of avoiding the places where they had experienced danger, they return to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the new believers and teaching them that following God's kingdom requires perseverance because difficulties and persecution will come.
They also appoint elders in each church, showing that the new Christian communities are becoming organized and able to continue their work after the missionaries leave.
Paul and Barnabas eventually travel back to the coast, preach in Perga, reach Attalia, and sail back to Antioch in Syria, where the church had originally sent them out.
When they arrive, they gather the believers and report everything God has done through them, especially how God has opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
The central message of Acts 14 is that the Gospel continues to spread even when its messengers face rejection, misunderstanding, violence, and persecution.
The chapter also teaches that miracles are meant to point people toward God rather than toward the person performing them, which is why Paul and Barnabas immediately reject the crowd's attempt to worship them.
Another important lesson is that Christian faith requires perseverance, because Paul does not stop preaching after being rejected, threatened, or even stoned; instead, he returns to the new churches to strengthen the believers and prepare them for the same kind of difficulties.
Acts 14 also shows the importance of building lasting communities rather than simply making temporary converts, because Paul and Barnabas appoint local elders and encourage the believers to continue growing in faith.
By the end of the chapter, the first missionary journey has demonstrated that the Christian message is moving beyond its original Jewish setting and spreading into the Gentile world, while Antioch becomes an important base for this expanding mission.
In Iconium, Paul and Barnabas preach in the synagogue, and many Jews and Gentiles believe, but other Jewish leaders influence people against them and eventually organize a plan to attack them.
The missionaries escape to Lystra and Derbe, where they continue preaching instead of allowing opposition to stop their work.
In Lystra, Paul meets a man who has never been able to walk, and when Paul sees that the man has faith, he tells him to stand up, after which the man immediately begins walking.
The crowd is amazed by the miracle and mistakenly believes that Paul and Barnabas are gods who have come down in human form, calling Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes because Paul is the main speaker.
The people even prepare to offer sacrifices to them, but Paul and Barnabas strongly reject the worship and explain that they are ordinary human beings who have come to tell them about the living God, who created everything and continually shows His goodness through rain, crops, food, and other gifts.
The situation changes dramatically when Jews from Antioch and Iconium arrive and persuade the crowd to turn against Paul, and the same people who had just wanted to worship him now stone him and drag him outside the city, believing that he is dead.
However, when the disciples gather around Paul, he gets up and returns to the city, showing extraordinary courage and determination.
Paul and Barnabas then travel to Derbe, where they preach and make many disciples before beginning their return journey through the cities where they had previously preached.
Instead of avoiding the places where they had experienced danger, they return to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the new believers and teaching them that following God's kingdom requires perseverance because difficulties and persecution will come.
They also appoint elders in each church, showing that the new Christian communities are becoming organized and able to continue their work after the missionaries leave.
Paul and Barnabas eventually travel back to the coast, preach in Perga, reach Attalia, and sail back to Antioch in Syria, where the church had originally sent them out.
When they arrive, they gather the believers and report everything God has done through them, especially how God has opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
The central message of Acts 14 is that the Gospel continues to spread even when its messengers face rejection, misunderstanding, violence, and persecution.
The chapter also teaches that miracles are meant to point people toward God rather than toward the person performing them, which is why Paul and Barnabas immediately reject the crowd's attempt to worship them.
Another important lesson is that Christian faith requires perseverance, because Paul does not stop preaching after being rejected, threatened, or even stoned; instead, he returns to the new churches to strengthen the believers and prepare them for the same kind of difficulties.
Acts 14 also shows the importance of building lasting communities rather than simply making temporary converts, because Paul and Barnabas appoint local elders and encourage the believers to continue growing in faith.
By the end of the chapter, the first missionary journey has demonstrated that the Christian message is moving beyond its original Jewish setting and spreading into the Gentile world, while Antioch becomes an important base for this expanding mission.