John the Baptist Prepares the Way^(A)

1 The ^(B)beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, ^(C)the Son of God.

¹² So, when he had considered this, ^(A)he came to the house of Mary, the mother of ^(B)John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together ^(C)praying. ¹³ And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. ¹⁴ When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. ¹⁵ But they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, ^(D)“It is his angel.”

¹⁶ Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. ¹⁷ But ^(E)motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren.” And he departed and went to another place.

At Antioch in Pisidia

¹³ Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and ^(A)John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem.

Division over John Mark

³⁶ Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.” ³⁷ Now Barnabas ^[a]was determined to take with them ^(A)John called Mark. ³⁸ But Paul insisted that they should not take with them ^(B)the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work. ³⁹ Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to ^(C)Cyprus; ⁴⁰ but Paul chose Silas and departed, ^(D)being ^[b]commended by the brethren to the grace of God. ⁴¹ And he went through Syria and Cilicia, ^(E)strengthening the churches.

¹³ She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does ^(A)Mark my son.