44 And when the synagogue was dissolved, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas; who spake to them, persuading them to continue in the grace of God.

45 And, on the next sabbath day, almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God:

46 but when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with jealousy, and contradicted with blasphemy the words which were spoken by Paul:

47 then Paul and Barnabas grew bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first be spoken to you; but, since ye thrust it from you, and judge yourselves not worthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles:

48 for so the Lord hath commanded us, saying, "I have

appointed thee for a light "to the Gentiles, that thou "mayest be for salvation to "the end of the earth :"

49 and when the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were disposed for eternal life, believed:

50 and the word of the Lord was spread throughout all the country.

51 But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable

women, and the chief men of the city, and raised a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their borders;

52 but they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and went to Iconium:

53 and the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Spirit.

CHAPTER XIV.

AND it came to pass in Ico

nium, that they went together into the synagogue of the Jews; and so spake, that a great number both of Jews and of Greeks believed:

2 but the unbelieving Jews stirred up and imbittered the minds of the Gentiles against the brethren:

3 therefore they staid a long time there, imboldened by the Lord, who gave testimony to the word of his grace, by granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.

7 And a certain man, impotent in his feet, was sitting in Lystra, a cripple from his mother's womb, who had never walked :

8 the same was listening to Paul as he spake; who, looking steadfastly on him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,

9 said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet! and he sprang up and walked :

10 and when the multitudes saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying, in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men!

11 and they called Barnabas, Jupiter; but Paul, Hermes,⚫ because he took the lead in discourse.

12 And the priest of the temple of Jupiter, which was before the city, brought bulls and garlands to the gates; and, with the people, would have offered sacrifice to them:

13 but when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard this, they rent their clothes, and rushed into the multitude, crying out, and saying,

14 Ye men! why do ye these things? We also are men, of like feelings with yourselves; and bring to you the good tidings, that ye must turn from

who made the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and all the things that are in them:

15 who, in the passed generations, suffered all the nations to walk in their own ways;

16 although 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:

17 and though they said these words, they hardly restrained the people from offering to them sacrifice.

18 But certain Jews came thither from Antioch of Pisidia, and from Iconium, who gained over the people; and, having stoned Paul, they drew him out of the city, supposing he was dead;

19 but, while the disciples were standing round him, he rose up, and went into the city; and on the next day he departed, with Barnabas, to Derbe.

20 And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, and to Iconium, and to Antioch, to confirm the souls of the disciples:

21 exhorting them to continue in the faith; for that we must, through many tribulations, enter into the kingdom of God:

22 and when they had or

dained elders for them in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they committed them to the Lord, on whom they had believed.

23 And passing through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia:

24 and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia:

25 and from thence they sailed back to Antioch of Syria, from whence they had been committed to the grace of God, c. xiii. 2. for the work which they had fulfilled:

26 and when they were arrived, and had gathered the church together, they related all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles : 27 and they abode there some time, with the disciples.

CHAPTER XV.

BUT, certain persons had gone down to Antioch from Judea, and taught the brethren, saying, Unless ye be circumcised according to the custom of Moses, ye cannot be saved:

2 when, therefore, Paul and Barnabas had had no small dissension and dispute with these, they determined that Paul, and Barnabas, and some others of them, should go up to the apostles and elders

at Jerusalem, concerning this question.

3 Having, therefore, been brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring, as they went, the conversion of the Gentiles; which caused great joy to all the brethren: 4 and when they arrived at Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, and the apostles and elders; and they declared all that God had done by them.

5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees, who had believed, arose, saying, That it was necessary to circumcise them, and to enjoin them to keep the law of Moses :

6 and the apostles and elders assembled to consider of this matter:

7 and as there was much disputing, Peter rose up, and said to them, Brethren, ye

know that from the first days God made choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel, and believe :

8 and God, who knoweth the hearts, bare testimony to them, by giving the Holy Spirit to them even as he gave it to us; 9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith:

10 now, therefore, why tempt ye God, by putting a yoke upon

the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?

11 for, we believe that we, as also they, shall be saved, Rom. iii. 22. through the grace of the Lord Jesus.

12 Then all the multitude became silent, and listened to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought by them among the Gentiles :

13 and when they had ceased speaking, James answered, saying, Brethren, hearken to me:

14 Simon hath shewn how God first visited the Gentiles, to take out from them a people for his name:

15 and with this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,

16" After this I will return, Amos, ix. 11. " and will build again the ta"bernacle of David which is "fallen down; and I will build

11.

the fornication, and from any 2 Chron. xxi. thing strangled and from the Lev. xix. Æ. blood:

20 for Moses, from the earliest generations, hath in every city those that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

21 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, determined to send to Antioch, with Paul and Barnabas, men chosen from among themselves, namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren, writing thus by their hands:

22"The apostles and elder "brethren, to the brethren of "the Gentiles who are in An"tioch, and Syria, and Cilicia, "wish health:

23 "Whereas we have heard "that some persons, going forth "from us, have perplexed you by their discourses, unsettling your souls; to whom we gave "no commandment:

66

66

Lev. xvii. 10-16.

32 and after they had remained there some time, they were dismissed, with peace from the brethren to those who had sent them :

33 but Paul and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching, with many others also, the word of the Lord.

34 And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, Let us return and see how our brethren do, in all the cities in which we have preached the word of the Lord:

35 and Barnabas wished to

take with them John, who was called Mark;

36 but Paul thought that they should not take with them him who withdrew himself from them in Pamphylia, and who c. xiii. 14. went not with them to that work:

37 and the contention became so sharp between them, that they separated from each other; and Barnabas, taking with him Mark, sailed to Cyprus :

38 but Paul, having chosen Silas, departed; being committed, by the brethren, to the grace of the Lord:

39 and he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.

CHAPTER XVI.

AND he went down, as far as to Derbe, and to Lystra : and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewess that believed;

2 but his father was a Greek, who was well reported of by the brethren in Lystra and Iconium:

3 this disciple, Paul wished to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him, on account of the Jews which were in those places for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

4 And, as they went through the cities, they charged them

R