- 1And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.
- 2But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren.
- 3Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
- 4But the multitude of the city was divided: and part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles.
- 5And when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them,
- 6They were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about:
- 7And there they preached the gospel.
- 8 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked:
- 9The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,
- 10Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.
- 11And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.
- 12And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.
- 13Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.
- 14Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out,
- 15And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:
- 16Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.
- 17Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.
- 18And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.
- 19 And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.
- 20Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.
- 21And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch,
- 22Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
- 23And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.
- 24And after they had passed throughout Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia.
- 25And when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down into Attalia:
- 26And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled.
- 27And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.
- 28And there they abode long time with the disciples.
KING JAMES VERSION
ACTS 14
Read the chapter, follow a linked verse, and continue into related Watchman 33 teaching.
CHAPTER VISUAL
Acts 14 — Healings and hardship accompany the gospel as Paul and Barnabas turn worship from false gods to the living Creator and strengthen new churches.
About this illustration
The healed man and the apostles’ refusal of sacrifice share one Lystra scene. Paul’s later stoning is omitted rather than compressed into the celebration, and the offered animals remain unharmed.
Scripture basis: Acts 14:1–28King James Version · Standardized 1769 text with Strong’s numbering · Public domain outside the United Kingdom
EXPLORE THE MESSAGE
Related Watchman 33 Resources
Archaeological Evidence
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEArchaeological site
Hellenistic–Roman periods
Roman Perga in Pamphylia
Perga's gates, colonnaded streets, water channel, baths, theater, stadium, inscriptions, and sculptural programs reveal the major Pamphylian city through which Acts routes Paul and Barnabas, but no excavated monument records their visit.
Acts 14:24–25
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEInscription
AD 157
The Inscription Identifying Derbe
Michael Ballance's AD 157 civic dedication by Derbe's council and people securely locates the ancient city's territory near Kerti Höyük, while later topographic revision leaves the precise relationship between the inscription, mound, and nearby settlement centers open.
Acts 14:20–23 · Acts 16:1–2
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEInscription
First–third centuries AD
Lystra's Roman Colony and Cult Inscriptions
Lystra's colonial coins and inscriptions document a Roman civic identity alongside Anatolian religious practice, while recent scholarship warns that a famous Zeus–Hermes inscription was neither securely found at Lystra nor a direct parallel to Acts 14.
Acts 14:8–20 · Acts 16:1–3
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