Gevurot 14

1Now it came about in Iconium that together they entered into the shul and the same thing transpired: they spoke with the result that both Yehudim and a great multitude of Yevanim became ma'aminim hameshichiyim.

2And the Yehudim who disobeyed were the ones who aroused and stirred up in anger the nefashot (souls) of the Goyim keneged (against) the Achim b'Moshiach.

3Therefore, they continued for a long zman (time) speaking with ometz lev (boldness) for Hashem, who gave edut to the dvar of Chen v'Chesed Hashem by granting otot and moftim to take place by the hands of Moshiach's Shluchim.

4And the multitude of the city was divided, and some were with the [disobedient, 14:2] Yehudim but, others, with the Moshiach's Shluchim.

5And when an attempt came by both the Goyim and the Yehudim with their rashim (heads, leaders) to mistreat and to stone them,

6when the Moshiach's Shluchim became aware of this, they fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra, and Derbe, and the surrounding countryside.

7And there the Moshiach's Shluchim were preaching the Besuras HaGeulah.

8And a certain ish in Lystra, powerless in his feet, was sitting, pise'ach from womb of his Em, a man who had never walked.

9This one heard Rav Sha'ul speaking, and when he gazed at the man and saw that he has emunah (faith) to be restored to health,

10Rav Sha'ul said in a kol gadol, " Stand upright on your feet." And the man jumped up and was walking around. [Ezek 2:1]

11And the multitudes, when they saw what Rav Sha'ul did, shouted in the Lycaonian language, saying, " The g-ds, having been made like anashim, have come down to us."

12And they were calling Bar-Nabba " Zeus" and Rav Sha'ul " Hermes," vi-bahlt (since) Rav Sha'ul was the main speaker.

13And the priest of Zeus was outside the city and brought bulls and flower wreaths to the gates; he and the multitudes wanted to offer pagan korbanot (sacrifices).

14But having heard this, the Moshiach's Shlichim BarNabba and Rav Sha'ul tore their kaftans and rushed out into the crowd, crying out,

15Anashim, why are you doing these things? We also are of the same nature as you, mere men, preaching to you to turn in teshuva from these worthless things to the Elohim Chayyim who made HASHOMAYIM V'ES HAARETZ V'ES HAYAM and all the things in them; [1Sm 12:21; Gn 1:1; Ps 146:6; Ex 20:11]

16In the dorot having passed, Hashem allowed all the Goyim to go their own way. [Ps 81:12; Mic 4:5]

17And yet Hashem did not leave himself without an eidus (witness) in doing hatovim to you, giving geshem from Shomayim and seasons of bearing p'ri, filling you with okhel and your levavot with simcha. [Dt 11:14; Job 5:10; Ps 65:10; 4:7; 147:20]

18And even saying these things, it was with difficulty that Moshiach's Shlichim restrained the multitudes from offering pagan korbanot to them. [AMOS 9:11 TARGUM HASHIVIM; YIRMEYAH 12:15; YESHAYAH 45:21]

19Then [disobedient] Yehudim came from Pisidian Antioch and Iconium and, having won over the crowds and having stoned Rav Sha'ul, they were dragging him outside the city, thinking he was dead.

20And after the Moshiach's talmidim had surrounded Rav Sha'ul, he got up and entered the city. And on the next day he went with Bar-Nabba to Derbe.

21And having preached the Besuras HaGeulah in that city and having made many talmidim, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Pisidian Antioch,

22Strengthening the nefashot (souls) of Moshiach's talmidim, encouraging them to remain in the [Orthodox Jewish] emunah (faith), and exhorting them that through tzarot rabbot it is necessary for us to enter into the Malchut Hashem.

23And having chosen for messianic s'michah Zekenim to be installed in every one of Moshiach's Kehillot, and having davened with tzomot, the Moshiach's Shlichim commended them to Adoneinu in whom they had emunah.

24And having gone through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia.

25And having spoken the dvar Hashem in Perga, they went down to Attalia.

26And from there, they sailed away to Syrian Antioch, their point of origin from which they had been commended to the Chen v'Chesed Hashem to the Messianic avodas kodesh which they had completed.

27Upon their arrival in Syrian Antioch, they assembled the Moshiach's Kehillah there, and were reporting what Hashem had done with them and how he had opened for the Nations a sha'ar of emunah.

28And they were spending not a little zman with the talmidim.