Part 21

015:037 Barnabas, however, was bent on taking with them John, whose other name was Mark,

015:038 while Paul deemed it undesirable to have as their companion one who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work.

015:039 So there arose a serious disagreement between them, which resulted in their parting from one another, Barnabas taking Mark and setting sail for Cyprus.

015:040 But Paul chose Silas as his travelling companion; and set out, after being commended by the brethren to the grace of the Lord;

015:041 and he passed through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the Churches.

016:001 He also came to Derbe and to Lystra. At Lystra he found a disciple, Timothy by name--the son of a Christian Jewess, though he had a Greek father.

016:002 Timothy was well spoken of by the brethren at Lystra and Iconium,

016:003 and Paul desiring that he should accompany him on his journey, took him and circumcised him on account of the Jews in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

016:004 As they journeyed on from town to town, they handed to the brethren for their observance the decisions which had been arrived at by the Apostles and Elders in Jerusalem.

016:005 So the Churches went on gaining a stronger faith and growing in numbers from day to day.

016:006 Then Paul and his companions passed through Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Message in the province of Asia.

016:007 When they reached the frontier of Mysia, they were about to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not permit this.

016:008 So, passing along Mysia, they came to Troas.

016:009 Here, one night, Paul saw a vision. There was a Macedonian who was standing, entreating him and saying, "Come over into Macedonia and help us."

016:010 So when he had seen the vision, we immediately looked out for an opportunity of passing on into Macedonia, confidently inferring that God had called us to proclaim the Good News to the people there.

016:011 Accordingly we put out to sea from Troas, and ran a straight course to Samothrace. The next day we came to Neapolis,

016:012 and thence to Philippi, which is a city in Macedonia, the first in its district, a Roman colony. And there we stayed some little time.

016:013 On the Sabbath we went beyond the city gate to the riverside, where we had reason to believe that there was a place for prayer; and sitting down we talked with the women who had come together.

016:014 Among our hearers was one named Lydia, a dealer in purple goods. She belonged to the city of Thyateira, and was a worshipper of the true God. The Lord opened her heart, so that she gave attention to what Paul was saying.

016:015 When she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, "If in your judgement I am a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house." And she made us go there.

016:016 One day, as we were on our way to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who claimed to be inspired and was accustomed to bring her owners large profits by telling fortunes.

016:017 She kept following close behind Paul and the rest of us, crying aloud, "These men are the bondservants of the Most High God, and are proclaiming to you the way of salvation."

016:018 This she persisted in for a considerable time, until Paul, wearied out, turned round and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And it came out immediately.

016:019 But when her owners saw that their hopes of gain were gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them off to the magistrates in the public square.

016:020 Then they brought them before the praetors. "These men," they said, "are creating a great disturbance in our city.

016:021 They are Jews, and are teaching customs which we, as Romans, are not permitted to adopt or practise."

016:022 The crowd, too, joined in the outcry against them, till at length the praetors ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods;

016:023 and, after severely flogging them, they threw them into jail and bade the jailer keep them safely.