True Bible Answers

Acts 13–14: Out through Cyprus, back through every town they had just left

Read it →
Mediterranean SeaPamphylian SeaTaurus MountainsAntioch (Syria)CyprusSeleuciaSalamisPaphosPamphyliaPergaAntioch (Pisidia)IconiumDerbeLycaoniaLystraAttaliaAntioch (Syria)

Acts 13:1ESV

Now there were in the church at prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of , Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

Acts 13:2ESV

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

Acts 13:3ESV

Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

Acts 13:4ESV

So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to , and from there they sailed to .

Acts 13:5ESV

When they arrived at , they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them.

Acts 13:6ESV

When they had gone through the whole island as far as , they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus.

Acts 13:7ESV

He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.

Acts 13:8ESV

But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.

Acts 13:9ESV

But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him

Acts 13:10ESV

and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?

Acts 13:11ESV

And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand.

Acts 13:12ESV

Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

Acts 13:13ESV

Now Paul and his companions set sail from and came to in . And John left them and returned to ,

Acts 13:14ESV

but they went on from and came to in . And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.

Acts 13:15ESV

After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.”

Acts 13:16ESV

So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen.

Acts 13:17ESV

The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of , and with uplifted arm he led them out of it.

Acts 13:18ESV

And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness.

Acts 13:19ESV

And after destroying seven nations in the land of , he gave them their land as an inheritance.

Acts 13:20ESV

All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet.

Acts 13:21ESV

Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

Acts 13:22ESV

And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’

Acts 13:23ESV

Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.

Acts 13:24ESV

Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

Acts 13:25ESV

And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’

Acts 13:26ESV

“Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation.

Acts 13:27ESV

For those who live in and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.

Acts 13:28ESV

And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed.

Acts 13:29ESV

And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.

Acts 13:30ESV

But God raised him from the dead,

Acts 13:31ESV

and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from to , who are now his witnesses to the people.

Acts 13:32ESV

And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers,

Acts 13:33ESV

this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’

Acts 13:34ESV

And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’

Acts 13:35ESV

Therefore he says also in another psalm, “‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’

Acts 13:36ESV

For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption,

Acts 13:37ESV

but he whom God raised up did not see corruption.

Acts 13:38ESV

Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,

Acts 13:39ESV

and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.

Acts 13:40ESV

Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:

Acts 13:41ESV

“‘Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”

Acts 13:42ESV

As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath.

Acts 13:43ESV

And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.

Acts 13:44ESV

The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.

Acts 13:45ESV

But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him.

Acts 13:46ESV

And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.

Acts 13:47ESV

For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

Acts 13:48ESV

And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

Acts 13:49ESV

And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.

Acts 13:50ESV

But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.

Acts 13:51ESV

But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to .

Acts 13:52ESV

And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 14:1ESV

Now at they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed.

Acts 14:2ESV

But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.

Acts 14:3ESV

So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.

Acts 14:4ESV

But the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles.

Acts 14:5ESV

When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them,

Acts 14:6ESV

they learned of it and fled to and , cities of , and to the surrounding country,

Acts 14:7ESV

and there they continued to preach the gospel.

Acts 14:8ESV

Now at there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked.

Acts 14:9ESV

He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well,

Acts 14:10ESV

said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking.

Acts 14:11ESV

And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in , “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!”

Acts 14:12ESV

Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

Acts 14:13ESV

And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.

Acts 14:14ESV

But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out,

Acts 14:15ESV

“Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.

Acts 14:16ESV

In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways.

Acts 14:17ESV

Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”

Acts 14:18ESV

Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.

Acts 14:19ESV

But Jews came from and , and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.

Acts 14:20ESV

But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to .

Acts 14:21ESV

When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to and to and to ,

Acts 14:22ESV

strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

Acts 14:23ESV

And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

Acts 14:24ESV

Then they passed through and came to .

Acts 14:25ESV

And when they had spoken the word in , they went down to ,

Acts 14:26ESV

and from there they sailed to , where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled.

Acts 14:27ESV

And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.

Acts 14:28ESV

And they remained no little time with the disciples.

Paul's first journey is a loop, and the loop is the point: every town on the way out is walked again on the way home. The church at Syrian Antioch fasted, laid hands on Barnabas and Saul and let them go; they walked the sixteen miles down to Seleucia and took ship for Cyprus, which was Barnabas' own island. Salamis at the eastern end, the whole length of it on foot, and at Paphos in the west a Roman proconsul who wanted to hear them and a magician who did not — and from Paphos onward Luke stops writing Saul and writes Paul. They sailed north to Perga on the Pamphylian plain, and there John Mark left them and went back to Jerusalem; Luke gives no reason, and the missing reason is what breaks up the partnership two chapters later. The rest is inland and uphill: a hundred miles over the Taurus onto the plateau, to the second Antioch on this map — the Roman colony in Pisidia, and not the one that sent them. Paul preaches Israel's own history there, the city divides, and they are put out of the district. Iconium goes the same way. At Lystra a lame man walks, the crowd calls them Zeus and Hermes in a language they cannot follow, and the same crowd stones Paul and drags him out of the city for dead; he gets up and walks back in. Derbe is the far end, and the only town on the journey where nothing goes wrong. Then they turn round. Lystra, Iconium, Antioch — every town that had just driven them out, walked again to appoint elders in the churches left behind in them, then down through Pisidia into Pamphylia, a word preached in Perga at last, down to the harbour at Attalia, and one sail east to the Antioch that had sent them. They gathered the church and reported that a door of faith had been opened to the Gentiles, which is the sentence Acts 15 is called to argue about.

Map of Acts 13–14: Out through Cyprus, back through every town they had just left — 13 sites plotted
13 sites from Acts 13–14 on one frame. The map at the top of the page is the same drawing, and it walks the verses with you.

Regions on this map

Acts 13:1–4 and 14:26–28: the church that fasted, laid hands on two of its teachers and let them go is the church they come back to and report to. Seleucia is its harbour, sixteen miles down the Orontes, and Luke names it going out and not coming back.

Acts 13:4–13: Barnabas' own island, entered at Salamis in the east and crossed the whole way to Paphos in the west, where a Roman proconsul asks to hear them and the mission first has a hearer of rank.

Acts 13:13–14: north from Paphos to Perga on the Pamphylian plain, where John Mark turns back for Jerusalem, and then a hundred miles over the Taurus onto a plateau three thousand feet up.

Acts 13:14–14:20: Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe, in that order and to the same pattern each time — they preach, some believe, the town divides. Three of the four end in expulsion or stoning; Derbe, the far point, does not.

Acts 14:21–28: from Derbe they turn round and walk back through every town that had just driven them out, appointing elders as they go, and come down to the sea at Attalia for one sail home.

Places the span names for reasons other than going to them: one teacher's home city, the city one companion goes back to, and the three lands Paul's sermon at Pisidian Antioch walks the congregation through. None is on the itinerary and none carries a pin.

Acts 13–14, verse by verse

Acts 13

  1. Acts 13:1Now there were in the church at prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of , Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
  2. Acts 13:2While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
  3. Acts 13:3Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
  4. Acts 13:4So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to , and from there they sailed to .
  5. Acts 13:5When they arrived at , they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them.
  6. Acts 13:6When they had gone through the whole island as far as , they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus.
  7. Acts 13:7He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.
  8. Acts 13:8But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
  9. Acts 13:9But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him
  10. Acts 13:10and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?
  11. Acts 13:11And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand.
  12. Acts 13:12Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
  13. Acts 13:13Now Paul and his companions set sail from and came to in . And John left them and returned to ,
  14. Acts 13:14but they went on from and came to in . And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.
  15. Acts 13:15After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.”
  16. Acts 13:16So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen.
  17. Acts 13:17The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of , and with uplifted arm he led them out of it.
  18. Acts 13:18And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness.
  19. Acts 13:19And after destroying seven nations in the land of , he gave them their land as an inheritance.
  20. Acts 13:20All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet.
  21. Acts 13:21Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
  22. Acts 13:22And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’
  23. Acts 13:23Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.
  24. Acts 13:24Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
  25. Acts 13:25And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’
  26. Acts 13:26“Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation.
  27. Acts 13:27For those who live in and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.
  28. Acts 13:28And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed.
  29. Acts 13:29And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.
  30. Acts 13:30But God raised him from the dead,
  31. Acts 13:31and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from to , who are now his witnesses to the people.
  32. Acts 13:32And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers,
  33. Acts 13:33this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’
  34. Acts 13:34And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’
  35. Acts 13:35Therefore he says also in another psalm, “‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’
  36. Acts 13:36For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption,
  37. Acts 13:37but he whom God raised up did not see corruption.
  38. Acts 13:38Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,
  39. Acts 13:39and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.
  40. Acts 13:40Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:
  41. Acts 13:41“‘Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”
  42. Acts 13:42As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath.
  43. Acts 13:43And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
  44. Acts 13:44The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.
  45. Acts 13:45But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him.
  46. Acts 13:46And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.
  47. Acts 13:47For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
  48. Acts 13:48And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.
  49. Acts 13:49And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.
  50. Acts 13:50But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.
  51. Acts 13:51But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to .
  52. Acts 13:52And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 14

  1. Acts 14:1Now at they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed.
  2. Acts 14:2But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.
  3. Acts 14:3So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
  4. Acts 14:4But the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles.
  5. Acts 14:5When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them,
  6. Acts 14:6they learned of it and fled to and , cities of , and to the surrounding country,
  7. Acts 14:7and there they continued to preach the gospel.
  8. Acts 14:8Now at there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked.
  9. Acts 14:9He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well,
  10. Acts 14:10said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking.
  11. Acts 14:11And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in , “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!”
  12. Acts 14:12Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.
  13. Acts 14:13And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.
  14. Acts 14:14But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out,
  15. Acts 14:15“Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.
  16. Acts 14:16In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways.
  17. Acts 14:17Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”
  18. Acts 14:18Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.
  19. Acts 14:19But Jews came from and , and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.
  20. Acts 14:20But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to .
  21. Acts 14:21When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to and to and to ,
  22. Acts 14:22strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
  23. Acts 14:23And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
  24. Acts 14:24Then they passed through and came to .
  25. Acts 14:25And when they had spoken the word in , they went down to ,
  26. Acts 14:26and from there they sailed to , where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled.
  27. Acts 14:27And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.
  28. Acts 14:28And they remained no little time with the disciples.