The Acts of the Apostles

⭑ Unlocked Dynamic Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 16 -

Paul and Silas went to the cities of Derbe and Lystra and visited the believers there. A believer whose name was Timothy lived in Lystra. His mother was a Jewish believer, but his father was a Greek.

The believers in Lystra and Iconium said good things about Timothy,

and Paul wanted to take Timothy with him when he went to other places, so he circumcised Timothy. He did that so that the Jews who lived in those places would accept Timothy, because they knew that his non-Jewish father had not circumcised him.

So Timothy went with Paul and Silas, and they traveled to many other towns. In each town they told the believers the rules that had been decided by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem.

They helped the believers in those towns to trust more strongly in the Lord Jesus, and every day more people became believers.

Paul’s Vision of the Macedonian

Paul and his companions were stopped from speaking the word in Asia by the Holy Spirit, so they went through the regions of Phrygia and Galatia.

They arrived at the border of the province of Mysia, and they wanted to go north into the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus kept them from going there.

So they went through the province of Mysia and arrived at Troas, a city by the sea.

That night God gave Paul a vision in which he saw a man from the province of Macedonia. He was calling to Paul, saying, “Come to Macedonia and help us!”

After he saw the vision, we left for Macedonia, because we believed that God had called us to proclaim the good news with the people there.

Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi

(Revelation 2:18–29)

We got on a boat and sailed from Troas to Samothrace, and the next day went to the city of Neapolis.

Then we left Neapolis and went to Philippi. It was a very important city in Macedonia, where many Roman citizens lived. We stayed in Philippi for many days.

On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate down to the river. We had heard someone say that Jewish people gathered to pray there. When we arrived, we saw some women who had gathered to pray, so we sat down and began to tell them about Jesus.

A woman whose name was Lydia was one of the women who was listening to Paul. She was from the city of Thyatira, sold purple cloth, and worshiped God. Lord God caused her to pay attention to the message that Paul spoke, and she believed it.

After Paul and Silas baptized Lydia and the others who lived in her house, she said to them, “If you believe I have been faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay there.” After she said this, we stayed at her house.

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

Another day, while we were going to the place where people gathered to pray, we met a young woman who was a slave. An evil spirit was giving her power to tell the future about people. People paid money to the men who were her owners, in return for her telling them what would happen to them.

This young woman followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men serve God who is the greatest of all gods! They are telling you how God can save you.”

She continued to do this for many days. Finally, Paul became angry, so he turned toward the young woman and spoke to the evil spirit that was in her. He said, “In the name of Jesus Christ, come out of her!” Right away the evil spirit left her.

And then her owners realized that she could no longer earn money for them because she could no longer predict what would happen to people, so they were angry. They grabbed Paul and Silas and took them to the public square where the rulers of the city were.

The owners of the young woman brought them to the city rulers and told them, “These men are Jews, and they are greatly troubling the people in our city.

They are teaching that we should follow rules that our laws do not allow us Romans to obey!”

Many of the crowd joined those who were accusing Paul and Silas, and they started to beat them. Then the Roman rulers told soldiers to tear the shirts off Paul and Silas and to beat them with rods.

So the soldiers beat Paul and Silas badly with rods. After that, they took them and put them into the prison. They told the jailer to make sure they did not get out.

Because the officials had told him to do that, the jailer put Paul and Silas into the room that was farthest inside the prison. There, he made them sit down on the floor and stretch out their legs. Then he fastened their ankles in holes between two large pieces of wood, so that Paul and Silas could not move their legs.

The Conversion of the Jailer

About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and praising God by singing songs. The other prisoners were listening to them.

Suddenly there was a very strong earthquake that shook the jail. The earthquake caused all of the doors of the jail to open and all of the chains that fastened the prisoners to fall off.

The jailer woke up and saw that the doors of the jail were open by the earthquake. He thought that the prisoners had left the jail, so he pulled out his sword to kill himself, because he knew that the city rulers would kill him if the prisoners became free.

Paul saw the jailer and shouted to him, “Do not kill yourself! We prisoners are all here!”

The jailer shouted to someone to bring torches so he could see who was still in the prison. Shaking with fear, he fell down in front of Paul and Silas.

Then he brought Paul and Silas out of the jail and asked: “Sirs, what do I need to do to be saved?”

They answered, “Trust in the Lord Jesus, and you and your household will be saved.”

Then Paul and Silas spoke about the Lord Jesus to him and everyone in his household.

Then the jailer washed their wounds, right at that time in the middle of the night. Then Paul and Silas baptized him and everyone in his household.

Then the jailer took Paul and Silas into his house and gave them food to eat. He and all in his household were all very happy because they had believed in God.

An Official Apology

The next morning, the city rulers told some soldiers to go to the prison to say to the jailer, “Let those two prisoners go now!”

When the jailer heard this, he went and told Paul, “The city rulers have told me to let you go. So you two can leave the prison now and go in peace!”

But Paul said to the jailer, “The city rulers told men to beat us in front of a crowd, even though we are Roman citizens, and put us in prison. And now they want to send us away without telling anyone! We will not accept that! Those city rulers must come themselves and free us from prison.”

So the soldiers went and told the city rulers what Paul had said. When the city rulers heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were afraid because they had done the wrong thing.

So the city rulers came to Paul and Silas and told them that they were sorry for what they had done to them. The city rulers brought them out of the prison and asked them to leave the city.

After Paul and Silas left the prison, they went to Lydia’s house. There they met with her and the other believers. They encouraged the believers to continue trusting in the Lord Jesus, and then the two apostles left the city of Philippi.

He came to Derbe and Lystra; and behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewess who believed, but his father was a Greek.

The brothers who were at Lystra and Iconium gave a good testimony about him.

Paul wanted to have him go out with him, and he took and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered the decrees to them to keep which had been ordained by the apostles and elders who were at Jerusalem.

So the assemblies were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.

Paul’s Vision of the Macedonian

When they had gone through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.

When they had come opposite Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit didn’t allow them.

Passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.

A vision appeared to Paul in the night. There was a man of Macedonia standing, begging him and saying, “Come over into Macedonia and help us.”

When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go out to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the Good News to them.

Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi

(Revelation 2:18–29)

Setting sail therefore from Troas, we made a straight course to Samothrace, and the day following to Neapolis;

and from there to Philippi, which is a city of Macedonia, the foremost of the district, a Roman colony. We were staying some days in this city.

On the Sabbath day we went outside of the city by a riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together.

A certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, one who worshiped God, heard us. The Lord opened her heart to listen to the things which were spoken by Paul.

When she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

As we were going to prayer, a certain girl having a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much gain by fortune telling.

Following Paul and us, she cried out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us a way of salvation!”

She was doing this for many days. But Paul, becoming greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” It came out that very hour.

But when her masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers.

When they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men, being Jews, are agitating our city

and advocate customs which it is not lawful for us to accept or to observe, being Romans.”

The multitude rose up together against them and the magistrates tore their clothes from them, then commanded them to be beaten with rods.

When they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely.

Having received such a command, he threw them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks.

The Conversion of the Jailer

But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were loosened.

The jailer, being roused out of sleep and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.

But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, “Don’t harm yourself, for we are all here!”

He called for lights, sprang in, fell down trembling before Paul and Silas,

brought them out, and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

They spoke the word of the Lord to him, and to all who were in his house.

He took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes, and was immediately baptized, he and all his household.

He brought them up into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly with all his household, having believed in God.

An Official Apology

But when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, “Let those men go.”

The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go; now therefore come out and go in peace.”

But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly without a trial, men who are Romans, and have cast us into prison! Do they now release us secretly? No, most certainly, but let them come themselves and bring us out!”

The sergeants reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans,

and they came and begged them. When they had brought them out, they asked them to depart from the city.

They went out of the prison and entered into Lydia’s house. When they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them, then departed.