The Acts 16
16
1AND he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, there was a certain disciple there named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman that believed; but his father was a Gentile.
2To this man the brethren that were in Lystra and Iconium, gave a good testimony.
3Him Paul would have to go along with him: and taking him he circumcised him, because of the Jews who were in those places. For they all knew that his father was a Gentile.
4And as they passed through the cities, they delivered unto them the decrees for to keep, that were decreed by the apostles and ancients who were at Jerusalem.
5And the churches were confirmed in faith, and increased in number daily.
6And when they had passed through Phrygia, and the country of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia.
7And when they were come into Mysia, they attempted to go into Bythynia, and the Spirit of Jesus suffered them not.
8And when they had passed through Mysia, they went down to Troas.
9And a vision was shewed to Paul in the night, which was a man of Macedonia standing and beseeching him, and saying: Pass over into Macedonia, and help us.
10And as soon as he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, being assured that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
11And sailing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the day following to Neapolis;
12And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were in this city some days conferring together.
13And upon the sabbath day, we went forth without the gate by a river side, where it seemed that there was prayer; and sitting down, we spoke to the women that were assembled.
14And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, one that worshipped God, did hear: whose heart the Lord opened to attend to those things which were said by Paul.
15And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying: If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.
16And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain girl, having a pythonical spirit, met us, who brought to her masters much gain by divining.
17This same following Paul and us, cried out, saying: These men are the servants of the most high God, who preach unto you the way of salvation.
18And this she did many days. But Paul being grieved, turned, and said to the spirit: I command thee, in the name of Jesus Christ, to go out from her. And he went out the same hour.
19But her masters, seeing that the hope of their gain was gone, apprehending Paul and Silas, brought them into the marketplace to the rulers.
20And presenting them to the magistrates, they said: These men disturb our city, being Jews;
21And preach a fashion which it is not lawful for us to receive nor observe, being Romans.
22And the people ran together against them; and the magistrates rending off their clothes, commanded them to be beaten with rods.
23And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the gaoler to keep them diligently.
24Who having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
25And at midnight, Paul and Silas praying, praised God. And they that were in prison, heard them.
26And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and the bands of all were loosed.
27And the keeper of the prison, awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the doors of the prison open, drawing his sword, would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
28But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying: Do thyself no harm, for we all are here.
29Then calling for a light, he went in, and trembling, fell down at the feet of Paul and Silas.
30And bringing them out, he said: Masters, what must I do, that I may be saved?
31But they said: Believe in the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
32And they preached the word of the Lord to him and to all that were in his house.
33And he, taking them the same hour of the night, washed their stripes, and himself was baptized, and all his house immediately.
34And when he had brought them into his own house, he laid the table for them, and rejoiced with all his house, believing God.
35And when the day was come, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, Let those men go.
36And the keeper of the prison told these words to Paul: The magistrates have sent to let you go; now therefore depart, and go in peace.
37But Paul said to them: They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men that are Romans, and have cast us into prison: and now do they thrust us out privately? Not so; but let them come,
38And let us out themselves. And the serjeants told these words to the magistrates. And they were afraid, hearing that they were Romans.
39And coming, they besought them; and bringing them out, they desired them to depart out of the city.
40And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia; and having seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.
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The Acts 16: DRC1752
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Acts 16
16
Timothy Joins Paul and Silas
1Paul came to Derbe. Then he went on to Lystra. A believer named Timothy lived there. His mother was Jewish and a believer. His father was a Greek. 2The believers at Lystra and Iconium said good things about Timothy. 3Paul wanted to take him along on the journey. So he circumcised Timothy because of the Jews who lived in that area. They all knew that Timothy’s father was a Greek. 4Paul and his companions traveled from town to town. They reported what the apostles and elders in Jerusalem had decided. The people were supposed to obey what was in the report. 5So the churches were made strong in the faith. The number of believers grew every day.
Paul’s Vision of the Man From Macedonia
6Paul and his companions traveled all through the area of Phrygia and Galatia. The Holy Spirit had kept them from preaching the word in Asia Minor. 7They came to the border of Mysia. From there they tried to enter Bithynia. But the Spirit of Jesus would not let them. 8So they passed by Mysia. Then they went down to Troas. 9During the night Paul had a vision. He saw a man from Macedonia standing and begging him. “Come over to Macedonia!” the man said. “Help us!” 10After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia. We decided that God had called us to preach the good news there.
Lydia Becomes a Believer in Philippi
11At Troas we got into a boat. We sailed straight for Samothrace. The next day we went on to Neapolis. 12From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony. It is an important city in that part of Macedonia. We stayed there several days.
13On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate. We walked down to the river. There we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered together. 14One of the women listening was from the city of Thyatira. Her name was Lydia, and her business was selling purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to accept Paul’s message. 15She and her family were baptized. Then she invited us to her home. “Do you consider me a believer in the Lord?” she asked. “If you do, come and stay at my house.” She succeeded in getting us to go home with her.
Paul and Silas Are Thrown Into Prison
16One day we were going to the place of prayer. On the way we were met by a female slave. She had a spirit that helped her tell people what was going to happen. She earned a lot of money for her owners by doing this. 17She followed Paul and the rest of us around. She shouted, “These men serve the Most High God. They are telling you how to be saved.” 18She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became upset. Turning around, he spoke to the spirit that was in her. “In the name of Jesus Christ,” he said, “I command you to come out of her!” At that very moment the spirit left the woman.
19Her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone. So they grabbed Paul and Silas. They dragged them into the market place to face the authorities. 20They brought them to the judges. “These men are Jews,” her owners said. “They are making trouble in our city. 21They are suggesting practices that are against Roman law. These are practices we can’t accept or take part in.”
22The crowd joined the attack against Paul and Silas. The judges ordered that Paul and Silas be stripped and beaten with rods. 23They were whipped without mercy. Then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24When he received these orders, he put Paul and Silas deep inside the prison. He fastened their feet so they couldn’t get away.
25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying. They were also singing hymns to God. The other prisoners were listening to them. 26Suddenly there was a powerful earthquake. It shook the prison from top to bottom. All at once the prison doors flew open. Everyone’s chains came loose. 27The jailer woke up. He saw that the prison doors were open. He pulled out his sword and was going to kill himself. He thought the prisoners had escaped. 28“Don’t harm yourself!” Paul shouted. “We are all here!”
29The jailer called out for some lights. He rushed in, shaking with fear. He fell down in front of Paul and Silas. 30Then he brought them out. He asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus. Then you and everyone living in your house will be saved.” 32They spoke the word of the Lord to him. They also spoke to all the others in his house. 33At that hour of the night, the jailer took Paul and Silas and washed their wounds. Right away he and everyone who lived with him were baptized. 34The jailer brought them into his house. He set a meal in front of them. He and everyone who lived with him were filled with joy. They had become believers in God.
35Early in the morning the judges sent their officers to the jailer. They ordered him, “Let those men go.” 36The jailer told Paul, “The judges have ordered me to set you and Silas free. You can leave now. Go in peace.”
37But Paul replied to the officers. “They beat us in public,” he said. “We weren’t given a trial. And we are Roman citizens! They threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and personally lead us out.”
38The officers reported this to the judges. When the judges heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they became afraid. 39So they came and said they were sorry. They led them out of the prison. Then they asked them to leave the city. 40After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house. There they met with the brothers and sisters. They told them to be brave. Then they left.
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