16:1 He also came to Derbe 1 and to Lystra. 2 A disciple 3 named Timothy was there, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, 4 but whose father was a Greek. 5 16:2 The brothers in Lystra 6 and Iconium 7 spoke well 8 of him. 9 16:3 Paul wanted Timothy 10 to accompany him, and he took 11 him and circumcised 12 him because of the Jews who were in those places, 13 for they all knew that his father was Greek. 14 16:4 As they went through the towns, 15 they passed on 16 the decrees that had been decided on by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem 17 for the Gentile believers 18 to obey. 19 16:5 So the churches were being strengthened in the faith and were increasing in number every day. 20
16:6 They went through the region of Phrygia 21 and Galatia, 22 having been prevented 23 by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message 24 in the province of Asia. 25 16:7 When they came to 26 Mysia, 27 they attempted to go into Bithynia, 28 but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow 29 them to do this, 30 16:8 so they passed through 31 Mysia 32 and went down to Troas. 33 16:9 A 34 vision appeared to Paul during the night: A Macedonian man was standing there 35 urging him, 36 “Come over 37 to Macedonia 38 and help us!” 16:10 After Paul 39 saw the vision, we attempted 40 immediately to go over to Macedonia, 41 concluding that God had called 42 us to proclaim the good news to them.
16:11 We put out to sea 43 from Troas 44 and sailed a straight course 45 to Samothrace, 46 the next day to Neapolis, 47 16:12 and from there to Philippi, 48 which is a leading city of that district 49 of Macedonia, 50 a Roman colony. 51 We stayed in this city for some days. 16:13 On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate to the side of the river, where we thought there would be a place of prayer, and we sat down 52 and began to speak 53 to the women 54 who had assembled there. 55 16:14 A 56 woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth 57 from the city of Thyatira, 58 a God-fearing woman, listened to us. 59 The Lord opened her heart to respond 60 to what Paul was saying. 16:15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, 61 “If 62 you consider me to be a believer in the Lord, 63 come and stay in my house.” And she persuaded 64 us.
16:16 Now 65 as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit that enabled her to foretell the future by supernatural means. 66 She 67 brought her owners 68 a great profit by fortune-telling. 69 16:17 She followed behind Paul and us and kept crying out, 70 “These men are servants 71 of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way 72 of salvation.” 73 16:18 She continued to do this for many days. But Paul became greatly annoyed, 74 and turned 75 and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ 76 to come out of her!” And it came out of her at once. 77 16:19 But when her owners 78 saw their hope of profit 79 was gone, they seized 80 Paul and Silas and dragged 81 them into the marketplace before the authorities. 16:20 When 82 they had brought them 83 before the magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion. 84 They are 85 Jews 16:21 and are advocating 86 customs that are not lawful for us to accept 87 or practice, 88 since we are 89 Romans.”
16:22 The crowd joined the attack 90 against them, and the magistrates tore the clothes 91 off Paul and Silas 92 and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 93 16:23 After they had beaten them severely, 94 they threw them into prison and commanded 95 the jailer to guard them securely. 16:24 Receiving such orders, he threw them in the inner cell 96 and fastened their feet in the stocks. 97
16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying 98 and singing hymns to God, 99 and the rest of 100 the prisoners were listening to them. 16:26 Suddenly a great earthquake occurred, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. Immediately all the doors flew open, and the bonds 101 of all the prisoners came loose. 16:27 When the jailer woke up 102 and saw the doors of the prison standing open, 103 he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, 104 because he assumed 105 the prisoners had escaped. 16:28 But Paul called out loudly, 106 “Do not harm yourself, 107 for we are all here!” 16:29 Calling for lights, the jailer 108 rushed in and fell down 109 trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. 16:30 Then he brought them outside 110 and asked, “Sirs, what must 111 I do to be saved?” 16:31 They replied, 112 “Believe 113 in the Lord Jesus 114 and you will be saved, you and your household.” 16:32 Then 115 they spoke the word of the Lord 116 to him, along with all those who were in his house. 16:33 At 117 that hour of the night he took them 118 and washed their wounds; 119 then 120 he and all his family 121 were baptized right away. 122 16:34 The jailer 123 brought them into his house and set food 124 before them, and he rejoiced greatly 125 that he had come to believe 126 in God, together with his entire household. 127 16:35 At daybreak 128 the magistrates 129 sent their police officers, 130 saying, “Release those men.” 16:36 The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, 131 “The magistrates have sent orders 132 to release you. So come out now and go in peace.” 133 16:37 But Paul said to the police officers, 134 “They had us beaten in public 135 without a proper trial 136 – even though we are Roman citizens 137 – and they threw us 138 in prison. And now they want to send us away 139 secretly? Absolutely not! They 140 themselves must come and escort us out!” 141 16:38 The police officers reported these words to the magistrates. They were frightened when they heard Paul and Silas 142 were Roman citizens 143 16:39 and came 144 and apologized to them. After 145 they brought them out, they asked them repeatedly 146 to leave the city. 16:40 When they came out of the prison, they entered Lydia’s house, and when they saw the brothers, they encouraged them and then 147 departed.