3. Paul wanted to take Timothy with him, so he circumcised him. This was because of the Jews who lived in those areas, for they all knew Timothy’s father was Greek.
4. As Paul and his companions traveled through the cities, they instructed Gentile believers to keep the regulations put in place by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem.
5. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and every day their numbers flourished.
6. Paul and his companions traveled throughout the regions of Phrygia and Galatia because the Holy Spirit kept them from speaking the word in the province of Asia.
7. When they approached the province of Mysia, they tried to enter the province of Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus wouldn’t let them.
8. Passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas instead.
9. A vision of a man from Macedonia came to Paul during the night. He stood urging Paul, "Come over to Macedonia and help us!"
10. Immediately after he saw the vision, we prepared to leave for the province of Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.
11. We sailed from Troas straight for Samothrace and came to Neapolis the following day.
12. From there we went to Philippi, a city of Macedonia’s first district and a Roman colony. We stayed in that city several days.
13. On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the riverbank, where we thought there might be a place for prayer. We sat down and began to talk with the women who had gathered.
14. One of those women was Lydia, a Gentile God-worshipper from the city of Thyatira, a dealer in purple cloth. As she listened, the Lord enabled her to embrace Paul’s message.
15. Once she and her household were baptized, she urged, "Now that you have decided that I am a believer in the Lord, come and stay in my house." And she persuaded us.
16. One day, when we were on the way to the place for prayer, we met a slave woman. She had a spirit that enabled her to predict the future. She made a lot of money for her owners through fortune-telling.
17. She began following Paul and us, shouting, "These people are servants of the Most High God! They are proclaiming a way of salvation to you!"
18. She did this for many days. This annoyed Paul so much that he finally turned and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to leave her!" It left her at that very moment.
19. Her owners realized that their hope for making money was gone. They grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the officials in the city center.
20. When her owners approached the legal authorities, they said, "These people are causing an uproar in our city. They are Jews
21. who promote customs that we Romans can’t accept or practice."
22. The crowd joined in the attacks against Paul and Silas, so the authorities ordered that they be stripped of their clothes and beaten with a rod.
23. When Paul and Silas had been severely beaten, the authorities threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to secure them with great care.