Jubilee2000 - Acts - 16

16:1  Then he came to Derbe and Lystra; and, behold, a certain disciple was there named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman, who was faithful, but his father [was] a Gentile,

16:2  of whom the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium gave [good] witness.

16:3  Paul desired to have him go forth with him and took and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those quarters, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

16:4  And as they went through the cities, they asked them to keep the decrees that had been determined by the apostles and elders who were at Jerusalem.

16:5  And so the churches were established in the faith and increased in number daily.

16:6  Now passing through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia;

16:7  after they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit suffered them not.

16:8  And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas.

16:9  And a vision was shown to Paul in the night: There stood a man of Macedonia, asking him, saying, Come over into Macedonia and help us.

16:10  And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel unto them.

16:11  Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next [day] to Neapolis,

16:12  and from there to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, [and] a colony; and we were in that city abiding certain days.

16:13  And on one of the sabbaths we went out of the city by a river side, where it was customary to pray; and we sat down and spoke unto the women who gathered [there].

16:14  Then a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, who feared God, heard [us], whose heart the Lord opened that she attended unto the things which were spoken by Paul.

16:15  And when she was baptized, with her household, she besought [us], saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and abide [there]. And she constrained us.

16:16  And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a Pythian spirit met us, which brought her masters much gain by divination:

16:17  she followed Paul and us and cried out, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, who announce unto us the way of saving health.

16:18  And she did this [for] many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

16:19  And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas and drew [them] into the marketplace unto the rulers

16:20  and brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city

16:21  and teach rites which are not lawful for us to receive neither to observe, being Romans.

16:22  And the multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates rent off their clothes and commanded to beat [them].

16:23  And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast [them] into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely,

16:24  who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison and made their feet fast in the stocks.

16:25  But at midnight as Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God, and the prisoners heard them,

16:26  then suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

16:27  And the keeper of the prison, awaking out of his sleep and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had fled.

16:28  But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm, for we are all here.

16:29  Then he called for a light and came inside and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas

16:30  and brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

16:31  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

16:32  And they spoke unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

16:33  And he took them the same hour of the night and washed [their] stripes and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

16:34  And when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.

16:35  And when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, Let those men go.

16:36  And the keeper of the prison made these words known unto Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go; now therefore depart and go in peace.

16:37  But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast [us] into prison; and now do they thrust us out in secret? no indeed; but let them come themselves and fetch us out.

16:38  And the sergeants returned and told these words unto the magistrates; and they feared when they heard that they were Romans.

16:39  And they came and besought them, and bringing [them] out, asked [them] to depart out of the city.

16:40  And leaving the prison, they entered into [the house of] Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them and departed.: