Acts 16:1-40 CEB

[1] Paul reached Derbe, and then Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy. He was the son of a believing Jewish woman and a Greek father. [2] The brothers and sisters in Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. [3] Paul wanted to take Timothy with him, so he circumcised him. This was because of the Jews who lived in those areas, for they all knew Timothy’s father was Greek. [4] As Paul and his companions traveled through the cities, they instructed Gentile believers to keep the regulations put in place by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. [5] So the churches were strengthened in the faith and every day their numbers flourished. [6] Paul and his companions traveled throughout the regions of Phrygia and Galatia because the Holy Spirit kept them from speaking the word in the province of Asia. [7] When they approached the province of Mysia, they tried to enter the province of Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus wouldn’t let them. [8] Passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas instead. [9] A vision of a man from Macedonia came to Paul during the night. He stood urging Paul, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” [10] Immediately after he saw the vision, we prepared to leave for the province of Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. [11] We sailed from Troas straight for Samothrace and came to Neapolis the following day. [12] From there we went to Philippi, a city of Macedonia’s first district and a Roman colony. We stayed in that city several days. [13] On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the riverbank, where we thought there might be a place for prayer. We sat down and began to talk with the women who had gathered. [14] One of those women was Lydia, a Gentile God-worshipper from the city of Thyatira, a dealer in purple cloth. As she listened, the Lord enabled her to embrace Paul’s message. [15] Once she and her household were baptized, she urged, “Now that you have decided that I am a believer in the Lord, come and stay in my house.” And she persuaded us. [16] One day, when we were on the way to the place for prayer, we met a slave woman. She had a spirit that enabled her to predict the future. She made a lot of money for her owners through fortune-telling. [17] She began following Paul and us, shouting, “These people are servants of the Most High God! They are proclaiming a way of salvation to you!” [18] She did this for many days. This annoyed Paul so much that he finally turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to leave her!” It left her at that very moment. [19] Her owners realized that their hope for making money was gone. They grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the officials in the city center. [20] When her owners approached the legal authorities, they said, “These people are causing an uproar in our city. They are Jews [21] who promote customs that we Romans can’t accept or practice.” [22] The crowd joined in the attacks against Paul and Silas, so the authorities ordered that they be stripped of their clothes and beaten with a rod. [23] When Paul and Silas had been severely beaten, the authorities threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to secure them with great care. [24] When he received these instructions, he threw them into the innermost cell and secured their feet in stocks. [25] Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. [26] All at once there was such a violent earthquake that it shook the prison’s foundations. The doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose. [27] When the jailer awoke and saw the open doors of the prison, he thought the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword and was about to kill himself. [28] But Paul shouted loudly, “Don’t harm yourself! We’re all here!” [29] The jailer called for some lights, rushed in, and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. [30] He led them outside and asked, “Honorable masters, what must I do to be rescued?” [31] They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your entire household.” [32] They spoke the Lord’s word to him and everyone else in his house. [33] Right then, in the middle of the night, the jailer welcomed them and washed their wounds. He and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. [34] He brought them into his home and gave them a meal. He was overjoyed because he and everyone in his household had come to believe in God. [35] The next morning the legal authorities sent the police to the jailer with the order “Release those people.” [36] So the jailer reported this to Paul, informing him, “The authorities sent word that you both are to be released. You can leave now. Go in peace.” [37] Paul told the police, “Even though we are Roman citizens, they beat us publicly without first finding us guilty of a crime, and they threw us into prison. And now they want to send us away secretly? No way! They themselves will have to come and escort us out.” [38] The police reported this to the legal authorities, who were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. [39] They came and consoled Paul and Silas, escorting them out of prison and begging them to leave the city. [40] Paul and Silas left the prison and made their way to Lydia’s house where they encouraged the brothers and sisters. Then they left Philippi.