Acts 16:1-40 CEV

[1] Paul and Silas went back to Derbe and Lystra, where there was a follower named Timothy. His mother was also a follower. She was Jewish, and his father was Greek. [2] The Lord's followers in Lystra and Iconium said good things about Timothy, [3] and Paul wanted him to go with them. But Paul first had him circumcised, because all the Jewish people around there knew that Timothy's father was Greek. [4] As Paul and the others went from city to city, they told the followers what the apostles and leaders in Jerusalem had decided, and they urged them to follow these instructions. [5] The churches became stronger in their faith, and each day more people put their faith in the Lord. [6] Paul and his friends went through Phrygia and Galatia, but the Holy Spirit would not let them preach in Asia. [7] After they arrived in Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not let them. [8] So they went on through Mysia until they came to Troas. [9] During the night, Paul had a vision of someone from Macedonia who was standing there and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us!" [10] After Paul had seen the vision, we began looking for a way to go to Macedonia. We were sure that God had called us to preach the good news there. [11] We sailed straight from Troas to Samothrace, and the next day we arrived in Neapolis. [12] From there we went to Philippi, which is a Roman colony in the first district of Macedonia. We spent several days in Philippi. [13] Then on the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to a place by the river, where we thought there would be a Jewish meeting place for prayer. We sat down and talked with the women who came. [14] One of them was Lydia, who was from the city of Thyatira and sold expensive purple cloth. She was a worshiper of the Lord God, and he made her willing to accept what Paul was saying. [15] Then after she and her family were baptized, she kept on begging us, "If you think I really do have faith in the Lord, come stay in my home." Finally, we accepted her invitation. [16] One day on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl. She had a spirit in her that gave her the power to tell the future. By doing this she made a lot of money for her owners. [17] The girl followed Paul and the rest of us and kept yelling, "These men are servants of the Most High God! They are telling you how to be saved." [18] This went on for several days. Finally, Paul got so upset that he turned and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ, I order you to leave this girl alone!" At once the evil spirit left her. [19] When the girl's owners realized that they had lost all chances for making more money, they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them into court. [20] They told the officials, "These Jews are upsetting our city! [21] They are telling us to do things we Romans are not allowed to do." [22] The crowd joined in the attack on Paul and Silas. Then the officials tore the clothes off the two men and ordered them to be beaten with a whip. [23] After they had been badly beaten, they were put in jail, and the jailer was told to guard them carefully. [24] The jailer did as he was told. He put them deep inside the jail and chained their feet to heavy blocks of wood. [25] About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God, while the other prisoners listened. [26] Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the jail to its foundations. The doors opened, and the chains fell from all the prisoners. [27] When the jailer woke up and saw that the doors were open, he thought that the prisoners had escaped. He pulled out his sword and was about to kill himself. [28] But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! No one has escaped." [29] The jailer asked for a torch and went into the jail. He was shaking all over as he knelt down in front of Paul and Silas. [30] After he had led them out of the jail, he asked, "What must I do to be saved?" [31] They replied, "Have faith in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved! This is also true for everyone who lives in your home." [32] Then Paul and Silas told him and everyone else in his house about the Lord. [33] While it was still night, the jailer took them to a place where he could wash their cuts and bruises. Then he and everyone in his home were baptized. [34] They were very glad that they had put their faith in God. After this, the jailer took Paul and Silas to his home and gave them something to eat. [35] The next morning the officials sent some police with orders for the jailer to let Paul and Silas go. [36] The jailer told Paul, "The officials have ordered me to set you free. Now you can leave in peace." [37] But Paul told the police, "We are Roman citizens, and the Roman officials had us beaten in public without giving us a trial. They threw us into jail. Now do they think they can secretly send us away? No, they cannot! They will have to come here themselves and let us out." [38] When the police told the officials that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, the officials were afraid. [39] So they came and apologized. They led them out of the jail and asked them to please leave town. [40] But Paul and Silas went straight to the home of Lydia, where they saw the Lord's followers and encouraged them. Then they left.