Acts 16:1-25 ▼

1 And he came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a believing Jewish woman and a Greek father,

2 who was well spoken of by the brothers in Lystra and Iconium.

3 Paul wanted this one to go out with him, and having taken him, he circumcised him on account of the Jews being in those parts; for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

4 And while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering to them the decrees to keep—the ones decided on by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem.

5 So indeed the churches were strengthened in the faith and were increasing in number every day.

6 And having passed through Phrygia and the Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia,

7 and having come down to Mysia, they were attempting to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.

8 And having passed by Mysia, they came down to Troas.

9 And a vision appeared to Paul during the night: A certain man of Macedonia was standing and beseeching him and saying, “Having passed over into Macedonia, help us.”

10 And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go out into Macedonia, concluding that God had summoned us to preach the gospel to them.

11 And having sailed from Troas, we made a straight course to Samothrace, and on the following day to Neapolis,

12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia—a colony. Now we were staying some days in this city.

13 And on the day of the Sabbaths, we went outside the city gate, by a river, where there was customary to be prayer. And having sat down, we began speaking to the women having gathered.

14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple of the city of Thyatira, worshiping God, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to attend to the things being spoken by Paul.

15 And when she was baptized, and her house, she begged, saying, “If you? have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, having entered into my house, abide.” And she persuaded us.

16 Now it happened in our going to the prayer that a certain girl having a spirit of Python met us, who was bringing her masters much gain by fortune-telling.

17 Having followed Paul and us, she was crying out, saying, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you? the way of salvation!”

18 And she continued this for many days. And Paul, having been distressed and having turned, said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out from her!” And it came out the same hour.

19 And her masters, having seen that their hope of profit was gone, having taken hold of Paul and Silas, dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers.

20 And having brought them up to the magistrates, they said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city

21 and proclaim customs not lawful for us, being Romans, to accept nor to practice.”

22 And the crowd rose up together against them, and the magistrates, having torn off their garments, were commanding that they be beaten with rods.

23 And having laid many blows on them, they cast them into prison, having charged the jailer to keep them securely,

24 who, having received such an order, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

25 Now toward midnight, Paul and Silas, praying, were singing praises to God. And the prisoners were listening to them.