Acts 15:36-16:5

New Testament for Everyone

A huge row

³⁶ After some days, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit the brothers and sisters in all the various cities where we preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.”

³⁷ Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them. ³⁸ But Paul reckoned that it was not a good idea to take with them someone who had left them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the rest of the work. ³⁹ There was a huge row, which resulted in them splitting up. Barnabas took Mark and sailed off for Cyprus. ⁴⁰ Paul chose Silas, and went off, having been commended by the church to the grace of the Lord. ⁴¹ They went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Timothy—and new developments

16 Paul went on further, to Derbe and then Lystra. There was a disciple there by the name of Timothy, the son of a believing Jewish woman, but with a Greek father. ² The Christians in Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. ³ Paul wanted Timothy to go with them, so he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews in those regions, since they all knew that his father was Greek. ⁴ When they went through the cities, they handed on to them the decisions which had been taken by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem, so that they could observe them. ⁵ The churches were strengthened in faith, and grew in number every day.