Acts 16

1 Then he came to Derbe and Lystra: and behold there was a certain disciple there, named Timothy, the son of a believing Jewess, but of a Grecian father.

2 Who was well spoken of by the brethren at Lystra and Iconium:

3 wherefore Paul was desirous that he should go forth with him, and took and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in those parts; for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

4 And as they passed through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees that had been made by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem.

5 And so the churches were established in the faith, and increased in number daily.

6 And when they had passed through Phrygia and Galatia, being forbidden by the holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia, they came to Mysia, and endeavoured to go to Bithynia:

7 but the Spirit suffered them not.

8 So they passed by Mysia, and came down to Troas.

9 And Paul saw a vision in the night, There stood a certain man of Macedonia, intreating him and saying, Come over into Macedonia and help us.

10 And as soon as he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to depart into Macedonia, concluding that the Lord called us to preach the gospel to them.

11 Therefore we set sail from Troas, and came in a direct course to Samothracia, and the day following to Neapolis;

12 and from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a Roman colony. And we staid some time in this city.

13 And on the sabbath-day we went out of the city to a river-side, where there used to be prayer: and we sat down and preached to the women that resorted thither.

14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a purple-seller of the city of Thyatira, who worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened to attend to the things that were spoken by Paul.

15 And when she was baptized and her family, she requested us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and lodge there. And she constrained us.

16 Now as we were going to the place of prayer, there met us a young woman that had a spirit of divination, who brought her masters much gain by soothsaying.

17 She following Paul and us, cried out, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, who shew us the way of salvation.

18 And this she did for many days. But Paul being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.

19 And he came out that instant. And when her masters saw, that the hope of their gain was gone, they seized on Paul and Silas, and dragged them into the court to the magistrates.

20 And when they brought them to the governors, they said, These men cause great disturbance in our city, for they are Jews, and teach customs,

21 which it is not lawful for us to receive, nor practise, who are Romans.

22 And the populace rose up together against them: and the officers stripped off their clothes, and ordered them to be scourged.

23 And when they had given them many stripes, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely.

24 Who having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

25 Now in the middle of the night Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God, and the prisoners heard them.

26 And on a sudden there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bonds were loosed.

27 The jailor waking, and seeing the prison-doors open, drew his sword and was going to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners were fled.

28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

29 Then he called for lights, and sprang in, and being in a tremor fell down before Paul and Silas:

30 and bringing them out, he said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thine house.

32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all in his family.

33 And he took them at that very time of the night, and bathed their stripes: and was baptized, he and all his immediately after.

34 And he brought them into his house, and spread a table for them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his household.

35 And when it was the day the governors sent the serjeants, saying, Let those men go.

36 And the jailor told these words to Paul, saying, the governors have sent orders, that you should be discharged; now therefore depart, and go in peace.

37 But Paul said unto them, They have publicly beaten us, uncondemned, and Romans, and cast us into prison, and do they now turn us out privately? No verily, let them come themselves and fetch us out.

38 And the serjeants reported these words to the governors: and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans.

39 And they came and intreated them, and when they had brought them out, they desired them to leave the city.

40 And when they were come out of the prison, they went into the house of Lydia: and seeing the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.