16
“This Man Paul Wanted to Come Along on the Journey”
1 Paul+ reached Derbe and then went on to Lystra, where there lived a certain disciple named Timothy,+ whose mother was a Jewish believer, but whose father was a Gentile,+
2 and+ who was highly respected by the brothers and sisters in Lystra and Iconium.
3 This man Paul wanted to come along on the journey with+ him, and so he took him and had+ him circumcised for the sake+ of the Jews who lived in those places, since everyone knew that his father was a Gentile.+
4 As they traveled from town to town, they passed on the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, so that the Gentile believers could observe them.+
“Please Come Over to Macedonia and Help Us!”
5 While the assemblies, therefore, were being strengthened in the faith and were growing in number every day,
6 Paul and his companions+ traveled through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been prevented by the Holy Spirit from proclaiming the message+ in the province+ of Asia.
7 When they came to the border of the province+ of Mysia, they tried to enter the province+ of Bithynia,+ but the Spirit of Jesus didn’t allow them to do so.
8 So instead,+ passing through Mysia, they went down to the seaport+ of Troas,
9 where+ there appeared to Paul a vision during the night.+ Standing there and pleading with him was a man from the province+ of Macedonia,+ saying, “Please+ come over to Macedonia and help us!”
10 After he had seen+ this vision, we immediately looked for a way to go to Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the gospel to the people there.+
11 After putting out to sea from Troas, we sailed straight across to the island+ of Samothrace, and the next day on to the port city+ of Neapolis.
12 From there we traveled to Philippi, which is a leading city in that district of Macedonia, a Roman colony.
13 We stayed in Philippi+ for a number of days, and on the Sabbath day, we went outside the city gate to the riverside, where we thought there would be a place where Jews gathered for prayer.+
14 Sitting down, we began speaking with the women who had assembled. One of those listening was a certain woman named Lydia,+ a merchant who dealt in expensive purple cloth, a God-fearing woman, whose mind+ and heart the Lord opened to carefully follow what Paul was saying.
15 After she was baptized, along with her household, she urged us, “If ᵖyou consider me a believer+ in the Lord, please+ come and stay in my home.” And she insisted until we agreed.+
16 Now one day+ as we were on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a young girl who had been bought as a slave,+ who had in her an evil spirit that enabled her to foretell the future,+ whose fortune-telling brought in for her owners a good deal of money.+
17 This girl, as she followed along behind Paul and the rest+ of us, kept shouting, “These men are very+ slaves of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to ᵖyou the way of salvation!”
18 This she continued to do for many days, until finally+ Paul became so aggravated that he turned around and said to the spirit, “I command ˢyou in the name of Jesus to come out of her.” And the spirit+ came out at that very moment.+
19 When the girl’s+ owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them to the public square to face+ the authorities.
20 Bringing the two men+ before the highest officials of the colony,+ they said, “These men are stirring up trouble in our city. They are Jews,+
21 and are advocating customs that are unlawful for us to accept or practice as Romans.+”
22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas,+ and the officials, having+ the two men+ stripped of their clothing, gave an order for them to be beaten with rods.
23 After inflicting on them a good+ many heavy blows, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them under very+ close guard.
24 Upon receiving so+ strong an order,+ the jailer+ put the two men+ in the inner cell and fastened their feet+ securely between heavy blocks of wood.+
25 Now around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other+ prisoners were listening to them.
26 Suddenly there was a very+ strong earthquake, so violent that it shook the prison to its foundations.+ The prison doors, all of them,+ immediately flew open,+ and everyone’s chains came loose.
27 When the jailer woke up,+ meanwhile, and saw the doors of the prison standing wide+ open, he drew his sword and was about to kill+ himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped.
28 “Don’t do yourself any harm+!” shouted Paul. “Each and every+ one of us is here.”
29 Calling for some torches, the jailer+ rushed in and threw himself down before Paul and Silas trembling.+
30 When he had brought them outside, he asked, “Sirs, what is it+ I must do to be saved?”
31 “Put ˢyour faith in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, ˢyou and your household,” they replied.
32 Then they shared the message+ about the Lord with him, and with all the others+ in his household.
33 Taking the two men+ aside at that very hour of the night, the jailer+ washed their wounds, and he and everyone in his household were baptized without delay.+
34 Then taking them up into his house, he served them a meal,+ and rejoiced that he had come to trust+ in God, together with his entire household.
35 When it was daybreak,+ the officials sent their officers with the order,+ “Release those men.”
36 The jailer told Paul, “The officials over the colony have sent word that the two+ of ᵖyou are to be released. Now, then, come out and go in peace.”
37 Paul, however, said to the officers,+ “After having+ us beaten in public without a trial, even though+ we are Roman citizens,+ they ordered us to be thrown into prison. And now they want to send us away secretly+? Absolutely not! They must come and escort us out themselves.+”
38 The officers told the colony officials what Paul had said.+ The officials+ became frightened when they learned that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens,+
39 and they came and apologized to the two men.+ And when they had escorted them out, they begged+ them to leave the city.
40 After leaving the prison, Paul and Silas+ went to Lydia’s home, where+ they saw and encouraged the brothers and sisters. Then they departed.