16:11 We put out to sea 1 from Troas 2 and sailed a straight course 3 to Samothrace, 4 the next day to Neapolis, 5 16:12 and from there to Philippi, 6 which is a leading city of that district 7 of Macedonia, 8 a Roman colony. 9 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 10 and began to speak 11 to the women 12 who had assembled there. 13 16:14 A 14 woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth 15 from the city of Thyatira, 16 a God-fearing woman, listened to us. 17 The Lord opened her heart to respond 18 to what Paul was saying. 16:15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, 19 “If 20 you consider me to be a believer in the Lord, 21 come and stay in my house.” And she persuaded 22 us.
16:16 Now 23 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. 24 She 25 brought her owners 26 a great profit by fortune-telling. 27 16:17 She followed behind Paul and us and kept crying out, 28 “These men are servants 29 of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way 30 of salvation.” 31 16:18 She continued to do this for many days. But Paul became greatly annoyed, 32 and turned 33 and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ 34 to come out of her!” And it came out of her at once. 35 16:19 But when her owners 36 saw their hope of profit 37 was gone, they seized 38 Paul and Silas and dragged 39 them into the marketplace before the authorities. 16:20 When 40 they had brought them 41 before the magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion. 42 They are 43 Jews 16:21 and are advocating 44 customs that are not lawful for us to accept 45 or practice, 46 since we are 47 Romans.”
16:22 The crowd joined the attack 48 against them, and the magistrates tore the clothes 49 off Paul and Silas 50 and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 51 16:23 After they had beaten them severely, 52 they threw them into prison and commanded 53 the jailer to guard them securely. 16:24 Receiving such orders, he threw them in the inner cell 54 and fastened their feet in the stocks. 55
16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying 56 and singing hymns to God, 57 and the rest of 58 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 59 of all the prisoners came loose. 16:27 When the jailer woke up 60 and saw the doors of the prison standing open, 61 he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, 62 because he assumed 63 the prisoners had escaped. 16:28 But Paul called out loudly, 64 “Do not harm yourself, 65 for we are all here!” 16:29 Calling for lights, the jailer 66 rushed in and fell down 67 trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. 16:30 Then he brought them outside 68 and asked, “Sirs, what must 69 I do to be saved?” 16:31 They replied, 70 “Believe 71 in the Lord Jesus 72 and you will be saved, you and your household.” 16:32 Then 73 they spoke the word of the Lord 74 to him, along with all those who were in his house. 16:33 At 75 that hour of the night he took them 76 and washed their wounds; 77 then 78 he and all his family 79 were baptized right away. 80 16:34 The jailer 81 brought them into his house and set food 82 before them, and he rejoiced greatly 83 that he had come to believe 84 in God, together with his entire household. 85 16:35 At daybreak 86 the magistrates 87 sent their police officers, 88 saying, “Release those men.” 16:36 The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, 89 “The magistrates have sent orders 90 to release you. So come out now and go in peace.” 91 16:37 But Paul said to the police officers, 92 “They had us beaten in public 93 without a proper trial 94 – even though we are Roman citizens 95 – and they threw us 96 in prison. And now they want to send us away 97 secretly? Absolutely not! They 98 themselves must come and escort us out!” 99 16:38 The police officers reported these words to the magistrates. They were frightened when they heard Paul and Silas 100 were Roman citizens 101 16:39 and came 102 and apologized to them. After 103 they brought them out, they asked them repeatedly 104 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 105 departed.