Acts
16* And in visiting the various places he reached Derbe and Lystra, and found that there was a convert there named Timothy, son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but of a Greek father, 2 and that he was vouched for by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted this man to go out with him, and took him and circumcised him because of the Jews thereabouts, for they one and all knew he had a Greek for his father.
4 And as they went on through the cities they passed word to them to live up to the resolutions voted by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. 5 So the churches grew solid in faith and plentiful in number day by day.
6 And they went through the Phrygian-Galatian country, being forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in the province of Asia, 7 and came up to Mysia and tried to take a course into Bithynia but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them; 8 and they went past Mysia and down to Troas. 9 And in the night a vision appeared to Paul: some Macedonian man was standing and appealing to him and saying “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 And when he had seen the vision, at once we made efforts to get out to Macedonia, inferring that God had invited us to bring the gospel to them.
11 So, setting sail from Troas, we made a straight run to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12* and from there to Philippi, which is the first city in its quarter of Macedonia, a Roman colony. And we were staying on in that city for some days; 13* and on the sabbath day we went outside the city by the river, where we understood there was a prayer-meeting, and sat down and talked to the women that came together. 14 And there was a certain woman named Lydia listening, a dealer in Turkey-red cloth from the city of Thyatira, a religious-minded person, whose heart the Lord opened to mark what Paul was saying. 15 And when she and her household had been baptized she invited us to stay with her, saying “If you have judged me to be a loyal believer in the Lord, come to my house and stay,” and would not take no for an answer.
16 And it befell that as we were on our way to the prayer-meeting we met with a certain slave-girl that had an oracular spirit, who did a great business for her owners as a clairvoyant. 17 She followed after Paul and us shouting “These men are servants of the highest god who announce to you a road to salvation.” 18 And this she did for many days. But Paul, being nettled, turned round and said to the spirit “I enjoin you by the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her”; and out it came that very moment.
19 But her owners, seeing that their prospect of business was out, took Paul and Silas and dragged them to the marketplace where the magistrates were, 20 and brought them to the praetors and said “These men are agitating our city, when they are Jews, 21 and promulgating usages which we have not the right to accept or practice, being Romans”; 22 and the crowd struck in against them; and the praetors, tearing off their clothes, ordered them beaten, 23 and, after laying on many blows of the rods, threw them into prison, enjoining the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Receiving such a charge, he threw them into the inner prison and made their feet fast in the stocks.
25 But at midnight Paul and Silas in prayer were singing a hymn to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; 26 and suddenly there came a great earthquake so that the foundations of the lockup were shaken, and the doors all swung open, and everybody’s fetters were loosened. 27 And the jailer, coming awake and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was going to take his own life, believing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul called out loudly “Don’t do yourself any harm, for we are every one here.” 29 And he asked for lights and sprang in, and, trembling all over, threw himself down before Paul and Silas 30 and took them outside in front and said “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your family”; 32* and they spoke the word of God to him with all who were in his house. 33 And he took them with him at that hour in the night and washed the blood off from the welts and was baptized immediately, he and everyone who belonged to him, 34 and brought them up to his house and set a table for them, and jubilated with all his family over having put his faith in God.
35 And when day came the praetors sent the lictors with the word “Let those men go.” 36* And the jailer reported the words to Paul: “The praetors have sent to let you go; so now go out and go on your way.” 37 But Paul said “They beat us publicly without a sentence and threw us into prison, when we were Roman nationals, and now they are turning us out privately! I should say not! let them come themselves and fetch us out.” 38 And the lictors reported these words to the praetors; and they were afraid at hearing that they were Romans, 39 and came and apologized to them and fetched them out and requested them to go away from the city. 40 And they came out of the prison and went to Lydia’s, and saw the brothers and exhorted them, and went out.