Acts 16:11-40

The Conversion of Lydia

11 So, setting sail from Troas, we ¹made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis,

12 and from there to ²Philippi, which is a leading city of the^[a] district of Macedonia and ³a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days.

13 And ⁴on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate ⁵to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we ⁶sat down and spoke to the women who had come together.

14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, ⁷who was a worshiper of God. The Lord ⁸opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.

15 And after she was baptized, ⁹and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay. ” And she ¹⁰prevailed upon us.

Paul and Silas in Prison

16 As we were going to ¹¹the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had ¹²a spirit of ¹³divination and ¹⁴brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling.

17 She followed Paul and us, ¹⁵crying out, “These men are ¹⁶servants^[b] of ¹⁷the Most High God, who proclaim to you ¹⁸the way of salvation. ”

18 And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ¹⁹“I command you ²⁰in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. ” And ²¹it came out that very hour.

19 But ²²when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and ²³dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers.

20 And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city.

21 They ²⁴advocate customs that are not lawful for us ²⁵as Romans to accept or practice. ”

22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders ²⁶to beat them with rods.

23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely.

24 Having received this order, he put them into the inner ²⁷prison and fastened their feet in ²⁸the stocks.

The Philippian Jailer Converted

25 ²⁹About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,

26 and suddenly ³⁰there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately ³¹all the doors were opened, and ³²everyone’s bonds were unfastened.

27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and ³³was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.

28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here. ”

29 And the jailer^[c] called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he ³⁴fell down before Paul and Silas.

30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, ³⁵what must I do to be ³⁶saved? ”

31 And they said, ³⁷“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you ³⁸and your household. ”

32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.

33 And he took them ³⁹the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he ⁴⁰was baptized at once, he and all his family.

34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he ⁴¹rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

35 But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go. ”

36 And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace. ”

37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, ⁴²uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out. ”

38 The police reported these words to the magistrates, and ⁴³they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens.

39 So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and ⁴⁴asked them to leave the city.

40 So they went out of the prison and visited ⁴⁵Lydia. And when they had seen ⁴⁶the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.

Cross References

• 1. 16:11 ch. 21:1
• 2. 16:12 Phil. 1:1; 1 Thess. 2:2
• 3. 16:12 [ver. 21]
• 4. 16:13 See ch. 13:14
• 5. 16:13 [Ezra 8:15, 21; Ps. 137:1]
• 6. 16:13 Matt. 5:1
• 7. 16:14 ch. 18:7
• 8. 16:14 See Luke 24:45
• 9. 16:15 See ch. 11:14
• 10. 16:15 Gen. 19:3; Luke 24:29
• 11. 16:16 ver. 13
• 12. 16:16 Luke 13:11
• 13. 16:16 See Lev. 19:31
• 14. 16:16 ver. 19
• 15. 16:17 See James 2:19
• 16. 16:17 Dan. 3:26
• 17. 16:17 See Mark 5:7
• 18. 16:17 [ch. 9:2; Matt. 7:14]
• 19. 16:18 [Mark 1:25, 34]
• 20. 16:18 See Mark 9:38
• 21. 16:18 [Matt. 17:18]
• 22. 16:19 ver. 16; [ch. 19:25, 26]
• 23. 16:19 ch. 17:6-8; 21:30; James 2:6; [ch. 8:3; 18:12; Matt. 10:18]
• 24. 16:21 [Esth. 3:8]
• 25. 16:21 [ver. 12]
• 26. 16:22 2 Cor. 6:5; 11:23-25; 1 Thess. 2:2
• 27. 16:24 See Luke 21:12
• 28. 16:24 Job 13:27; 33:11; Jer. 20:2, 3; 29:26
• 29. 16:25 Job 35:10; Ps. 42:8; 77:6; 119:62
• 30. 16:26 See ch. 4:31
• 31. 16:26 ch. 5:19; 12:10
• 32. 16:26 ch. 12:7
• 33. 16:27 [ch. 12:19; 27:42; 1 Kgs. 20:39]
• 34. 16:29 ch. 10:25
• 35. 16:30 ch. 2:37; 22:10; Luke 3:10, 12, 14; [John 6:28, 29]
• 36. 16:30 [ver. 17]
• 37. 16:31 See Mark 16:16
• 38. 16:31 See ch. 11:14
• 39. 16:33 ver. 25
• 40. 16:33 See ch. 8:12
• 41. 16:34 Ps. 9:14; 13:5; Isa. 25:9; Luke 1:47; 1 Pet. 1:6, 8; [ch. 2:46]
• 42. 16:37 ch. 22:25, 29
• 43. 16:38 [See ver. 37 above]
• 44. 16:39 [Matt. 8:34]
• 45. 16:40 ver. 14
• 46. 16:40 See John 21:23

Footnotes

• [a] 16:12 Or 'that'
• [b] 16:17 Greek 'bondservants'
• [c] 16:29 Greek 'he'