Acts 16

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

²who was well spoken of by the brothers in Lystra and Iconium.

³Paul wanted this one to go out with him, and having taken him, he circumcised him on account of the Jews being in those parts; for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

⁴And while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering to them the decrees to keep—the ones decided on by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem.

⁵So indeed the churches were strengthened in the faith and were increasing in number every day.

⁶And having passed through Phrygia and the Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia,

⁷and having come down to Mysia, they were attempting to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.

⁸And having passed by Mysia, they came down to Troas.

⁹And a vision appeared to Paul during the night: A certain man of Macedonia was standing and beseeching him and saying, “Having passed over into Macedonia, help us.”

¹⁰And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go out into Macedonia, concluding that God had summoned us to preach the gospel to them.

¹¹And having sailed from Troas, we made a straight course to Samothrace, and on the following day to Neapolis,

¹²and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia—a colony. Now we were staying some days in this city.

¹³And on the day of the Sabbaths, we went outside the city gate, by a river, where there was customary to be prayer. And having sat down, we began speaking to the women having gathered.

¹⁴And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple of the city of Thyatira, worshiping God, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to attend to the things being spoken by Paul.

¹⁵And when she was baptized, and her house, she begged, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, having entered into my house, abide.” And she persuaded us.

¹⁶Now it happened in our going to the prayer that a certain girl having a spirit of Python met us, who was bringing her masters much gain by fortune-telling.

¹⁷Having followed Paul and us, she was crying out, saying, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation!”

¹⁸And she continued this for many days. And Paul, having been distressed and having turned, said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out from her!” And it came out the same hour.

¹⁹And her masters, having seen that their hope of profit was gone, having taken hold of Paul and Silas, dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers.

²⁰And having brought them up to the magistrates, they said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city

²¹and proclaim customs not lawful for us, being Romans, to accept nor to practice.”

²²And the crowd rose up together against them, and the magistrates, having torn off their garments, were commanding that they be beaten with rods.

²³And having laid many blows on them, they cast them into prison, having charged the jailer to keep them securely,

²⁴who, having received such an order, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

²⁵Now toward midnight, Paul and Silas, praying, were singing praises to God. And the prisoners were listening to them.

²⁶And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and the chains of all were loosed.

²⁷And the jailer, having been awoken and having seen the doors of the prison open, having drawn his sword, was about to kill himself, supposing the prisoners to have escaped.

²⁸But Paul called out in a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!”

²⁹And having called for lights, he rushed in, and having become terrified, he fell down before Paul and Silas.

³⁰And having brought them out, he was saying, “Sirs, what is necessary for me to do so that I may be saved?”

³¹And they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your house.”

³²And they spoke the word of the Lord to him, along with all those in his house.

³³And having taken them in that hour of the night, he washed them from the wounds, and immediately he was baptized, and all his own.

³⁴And having brought them into the house, he set a table and rejoiced with all his household, having believed in God.

³⁵And day having come, the magistrates sent the officers, saying, “Release those men.”

³⁶And the jailer reported these words to Paul: “The captains have sent that you may be let go. Now, therefore, having gone out, depart in peace.”

³⁷But Paul was saying to them, “Having beaten us publicly, uncondemned men being Romans, they cast us into prison, and now do they throw us out secretly? No indeed! Rather, having come themselves, let them bring us out.”

³⁸And the officers reported these words to the captains, and they were afraid, having heard that they are Romans.

³⁹And having come, they appealed to them, and having brought them out, they were asking them to go out of the city.

⁴⁰And having gone out of the prison, they came to Lydia, and having seen them, they exhorted the brothers and went out.