Acts 16

1 And he came also to Derbe and Lystra, where there was a certain disciple named Timothy, the son of a believing Jewess, and of a Greek father.

2 He was well spoken of by the brothers in Lystra and Iconiun.

3 Now Paul, wishing that this man should accompany him on his journey, took him and circumcised him because of the local Jews, who all knew that his father was a Greek.

4 And as they went on their way through the cities they handed them the resolutions which the apostles and the elders in Jerusalem had ordained for them to keep.

5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and continued to increase in number daily.

6 Then they went through Phrygia and Galatia, the Holy Spirit having forbidden them to proclaim the message in Asia.

7 When they got as far as Mysia, they attempted to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not permit it;

8 and so they passed by Mysia and went on down to Troas.

9 Here a vision appeared to Paul in the night. There stood a man of Macedonia, entreating him and saying, "Come over into Macedonia and help us!"

10 So when he had seen the vision, we sought at once to go forth into Macedonia, because we concluded that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

11 So we set sail from Troas and ran a straight course to Samothrace. The next day we arrived in Neapolis,

12 and thence came to Philippi, a city of Macedonia, the fore most in its district, a Roman colony. There we stayed for some time.

13 On the Sabbath Day we went outside the city gate, to a riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and talked to the women who had gathered there.

14 Among them was a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, who belonged to the town of Thyatira. She, since she was a worshiper of God, listened to us, and the Lord opened her heart to attend to what Paul said.

15 When she was baptized, and her household, she urged us, saying, "If in your judgment I am a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house." And she compelled us to come.

16 Now as we were going to the place of prayer, a certain slave girl met us, who had a spirit of divination, and who brought her masters great gain by fortune-telling.

17 She used to follow after Paul and us, crying out again and again, "These men are servants of the most high God, who proclaimed to you the way of salvation."

18 She persisted in this for many days, until Paul, worn out, turned round and said to the spirit, "I charge you, in the name of Jesus Christ, to come out of her." In that very hour it came out of her.

19 But when her owners saw that their hopes of gain were gone, they seized Paul and Silas, and dragged them before the magistrates, into the market-place.

20 Then they brought them before the praetors, saying. "These fellows are Jews, who are making a great disturbance in our city.

21 "They are teaching customs which it is not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or practise."

22 The crowd, too, rose up together against them, and the praetors, after having them stripped, and after ordering them to be flogged,

23 had many lashes inflicted upon them, and put them in prison, with a charge to the jailer to keep them safe.

24 On receiving so strict an order he cast them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.

25 But at midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,

26 suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the very foundations of the prison-house were shaken; and instantly all the doors were opened, and every one’s chains fell off.

27 The jailer, roused from sleep, and seeing the doors wide open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, because he thought that the prisoners had escaped.

28 But Paul shouted loudly to him. "Do yourself no harm; for we are all here!"

29 So he called for lights, and sprang in, and, trembling for fear, fell down before Paul and Silas,

30 and brought them out, saying, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

31 "Believe on the Lord Jesus," they answered, "and you will be saved, you and all your household."

32 Then they spoke the message of the Lord to him, as well as to all who were in his house.

33 And he took them, the same hour of the night, and washed their wounds, and he was baptized at once, he and all his.

34 And after bringing them up into his house, he set food before them, overjoyed with all his household in having believed in God.

35 But in the morning the praetors sent their lictors with the order, "Let these men go."

36 The jailer reported the words to Paul, saying. "The praetors have sent to release you; so come out, and go in peace."

37 But Paul said. "They have flogged us publicly, uncondemned, men that are Roman citizens; and have thrown us into prison. Are they now going to get rid of us secretly? No, indeed! Let them come here, themselves and take us out."

38 The lictors reported these words to the praetors, who were frightened when they heard that they were Romans.

39 So they came and conciliated them, and after taking them out of prison, begged them to leave the town.

40 So Paul and Silas came out of the prison, and went to Lydia’s house; and after they had seen the brethren and encouraged them, they left Philippi.