Acts 16 (New American Standard)

The Macedonian Vision

1 Paul came also to ¹Derbe and to ²Lystra. And a disciple was there, named ³Timothy, the son of a ⁴Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, 2 and he was well spoken of by ⁵the brethren who were in ⁶Lystra and ⁷Iconium. 3 Paul wanted this man to ^ago with him; and he ⁸took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering ⁹the decrees which had been decided upon by ¹⁰the apostles and ¹¹elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe. 5 So ¹²the churches were being strengthened ^bin the faith, and were ¹³increasing in number daily . 6 They passed through the ^c14Phrygian and ¹⁵Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in ^d16Asia ; 7 and after they came to ¹⁷Mysia, they were trying to go into ¹⁸Bithynia, and the ¹⁹Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; 8 and passing by ²⁰Mysia, they came down to ²¹Troas. 9 ²²A vision appeared to Paul in the night : a man of ²³Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." 10 When he had seen ²⁴the vision, immediately ²⁵we sought to ^ego into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to ²⁶preach the gospel to them. 11 So putting out to sea from ²⁷Troas, we ran ²⁸a straight course to Samothrace, and on the day following to Neapolis ; 12 and from there to ²⁹Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of ³⁰Macedonia, ³¹a Roman colony ; and we were staying in this city for some days. 13 And on ³²the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside , where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer ; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled.

First Convert in Europe

14 A woman named Lydia, from the city of ³³Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, ³⁴a worshiper of God, was listening ; ^fand the Lord ³⁵opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and ³⁶her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us. 16 It happened that as we were going to ³⁷the place of prayer, a slave-girl having ³⁸a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortune-telling. 17 Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out, saying, "These men are bond-servants of ³⁹the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you ^gthe way of salvation." 18 She continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, "I command you ⁴⁰in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!" And it came out at that very ^hmoment. 19 But when her masters saw that their hope of ⁴¹profit was ⁱgone, they seized ⁴²Paul and Silas and ⁴³dragged them into the market place before the authorities, 20 and when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, "These men are throwing our city into confusion, being Jews, 21 and ⁴⁴are proclaiming customs which it is not lawful for us to accept or to observe, being ⁴⁵Romans."

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

22 The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their ^jrobes off them and proceeded to order ^kthem to be ⁴⁶beaten with rods. 23 When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding ⁴⁷the jailer to guard them securely ; 24 ^land he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in ⁴⁸the ^mstocks. 25 But about midnight ⁴⁹Paul and Silas were praying and ⁵⁰singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; 26 and suddenly ⁵¹there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken ; and immediately ⁵²all the doors were opened and everyone's ⁵³chains were unfastened. 27 When ⁵⁴the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about ⁵⁵to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here !" 29 And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before ⁵⁶Paul and Silas, 30 and after he brought them out, he said, "Sirs, ⁵⁷what must I do to be saved ?"

The Jailer Converted

31 They said, "⁵⁸Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and ⁵⁹your household." 32 And they spoke the word of ⁿthe Lord to him together with all who were in his house. 33 And he took them ⁶⁰that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. 34 And he brought them into his house and set ^ofood before them, and rejoiced ^pgreatly, having believed in God with ⁶¹his whole household. 35 Now when day came, the chief magistrates sent their policemen, saying, "Release those men." 36 And ⁶²the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, "The chief magistrates have sent to release you. Therefore come out now and go ⁶³in peace." 37 But Paul said to them, "They have beaten us in public without trial, ⁶⁴men who are Romans, and have thrown us into prison ; and now are they sending us away secretly ? No indeed ! But let them come themselves and bring us out." 38 The policemen reported these words to the chief magistrates. ⁶⁵They were afraid when they heard that they were Romans, 39 and they came and appealed to them, and when they had brought them out, they kept begging them ⁶⁶to leave the city. 40 They went out of the prison and entered the house of ⁶⁷Lydia, and when they saw ⁶⁸the brethren, they ^qencouraged them and departed.