Study Desk

Then he went on to Derbe and Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy,^(a) the son of a believing Jewish woman,^(b) but his father was a Greek.

The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him.^(c)

Paul wanted Timothy^[a] to go with him, so he took him and circumcised^(d) him because of the Jews who were in those places, since they all knew that his father was a Greek.

As they traveled through the towns, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem for them to observe.^(e)

So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in number daily.^(f)

They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia and were prevented by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message in Asia.^(g)

When they came to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus^(h) did not allow them.

So, bypassing Mysia, they came down to Troas.⁽ⁱ⁾

During the night a vision appeared to Paul: A Macedonian man was standing and pleading with him, "Cross over to Macedonia and help us!"^(j)

After^(k) he had seen the vision, we^[b] immediately made efforts to set out for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to evangelize them.

Then, setting sail from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, the next day to Neapolis,

and from there to Philippi,^(l) a Roman colony, which is a leading city of that district of Macedonia. We stayed in that city for a number of days.

On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate by the river, where we thought there was a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women gathered there.

A woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was spoken by Paul.^(m)

After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, "If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house."⁽ⁿ⁾ And she persuaded us.