Chapter 16

He also came to Derbe and to Lystra. At Lystra he found a disciple, Timothy by name--the son of a Christian Jewess, though he had a Greek father.

Timothy was well spoken of by the brethren at Lystra and Iconium,

and Paul desiring that he should accompany him on his journey, took him and circumcised him on account of the Jews in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

As they journeyed on from town to town, they handed to the brethren for their observance the decisions which had been arrived at by the Apostles and Elders in Jerusalem.

So the Churches went on gaining a stronger faith and growing in numbers from day to day.

Then Paul and his companions passed through Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Message in the province of Asia.

When they reached the frontier of Mysia, they were about to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not permit this.

So, passing along Mysia, they came to Troas.

Here, one night, Paul saw a vision. There was a Macedonian who was standing, entreating him and saying, 'Come over into Macedonia and help us.'

So when he had seen the vision, we immediately looked out for an opportunity of passing on into Macedonia, confidently inferring that God had called us to proclaim the Good News to the people there.

Accordingly we put out to sea from Troas, and ran a straight course to Samothrace. The next day we came to Neapolis,

and thence to Philippi, which is a city in Macedonia, the first in its district, a Roman colony. And there we stayed some little time.

On the Sabbath we went beyond the city gate to the riverside, where we had reason to believe that there was a place for prayer; and sitting down we talked with the women who had come together.

Among our hearers was one named Lydia, a dealer in purple goods. She belonged to the city of Thyateira, and was a worshipper of the true God. The Lord opened her heart, so that she gave attention to what Paul was saying.

When she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, 'If in your judgement I am a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.' And she made us go there.

One day, as we were on our way to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who claimed to be inspired and was accustomed to bring her owners large profits by telling fortunes.

She kept following close behind Paul and the rest of us, crying aloud, 'These men are the bondservants of the Most High God, and are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.'

This she persisted in for a considerable time, until Paul, wearied out, turned round and said to the spirit, 'I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.' And it came out immediately.

But when her owners saw that their hopes of gain were gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them off to the magistrates in the public square.

Then they brought them before the praetors. 'These men,' they said, 'are creating a great disturbance in our city.

They are Jews, and are teaching customs which we, as Romans, are not permitted to adopt or practise.'

The crowd, too, joined in the outcry against them, till at length the praetors ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods;

and, after severely flogging them, they threw them into jail and bade the jailer keep them safely.

He, having received an order like that, lodged them in the inner prison, and secured their feet in the stocks.

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

when suddenly there was such a violent shock of earthquake that the prison shook to its foundations. Instantly the doors all flew open, and the chains fell off from every prisoner.

Starting up from sleep and seeing the doors of the jail wide open, the jailer drew his sword and was on the point of killing himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.

But Paul shouted loudly to him, saying, 'Do yourself no injury: we are all here.

Then, calling for lights, he sprang in and fell trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas;

and, bringing them out of the prison, he exclaimed, 'O sirs, what must I do to be saved?'

'Believe on the Lord Jesus,' they replied, 'and both you and your household will be saved.'

And they told the Lord's Message to him as well as to all who were in his house.

Then he took them, even at that time of night, washed their wounds, and he and all his household were immediately baptized;

and bringing the Apostles up into his house, he spread a meal for them, and was filled with gladness, with his whole household, his faith resting on God.

In the morning the praetors sent their lictors with the order, 'Release those men.'

So the jailer brought Paul word, saying, 'The praetors have sent orders for you to be released. Now therefore you can go, and proceed on your way in peace.'

But Paul said to them, 'After cruelly beating us in public, without trial, Roman citizens though we are, they have thrown us into prison, and are they now going to send us away privately? No, indeed! Let them come in person and fetch us out.'

This answer the lictors took back to the praetors, who were alarmed when they were told that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.

Accordingly they came and apologized to them; and, bringing them out, asked them to leave the city.

Then Paul and Silas, having come out of the prison, went to Lydia's house; and, after seeing the brethren and encouraging them, they left Philippi.