使徒行传 16
Chinese New Version (Traditional)
保羅帶提摩太同行
16 保羅來到了特庇，又到了路司得。在那裡有一個門徒，名叫提摩太，是一個信主的猶太婦人的兒子，父親卻是希臘人。 2 路司得和以哥念的弟兄們都稱讚他。 3 保羅有意要他一同出去，但為了那些地方的猶太人，就給他行了割禮，因為他們都知道他父親是希臘人。 4 他們經過各城，把耶路撒冷的使徒和長老所定的規條，交給門徒遵守。 5 於是眾教會信心越發堅固，人數天天增加。
保羅見異象往馬其頓去
6 聖靈既然禁止他們在亞西亞傳道，他們就走遍弗呂家、加拉太地區。 7 他們來到每西亞邊境，想要去庇推尼，耶穌的靈也不許。 8 他們經過每西亞，下到特羅亞。 9 夜間有一個異象向保羅顯現：有一個馬其頓人站著求他說：“請你到馬其頓來，幫助我們！” 10 保羅見了這異象，我們就認定是 神呼召我們去傳福音給他們，於是立刻設法前往馬其頓。
呂底亞信主
11 我們從特羅亞開船，直航撒摩特拉，第二天到達尼亞波利， 12 從那裡來到腓立比，就是馬其頓地區的首要城市，是羅馬的殖民地。我們在這城裡住了幾天。 13 安息日我們出了城門，來到河邊，以為那裡是個祈禱的地方。我們坐下，對聚集的婦女講論。 14 有一位敬畏 神的婦女，名叫呂底亞，是推雅推拉城賣紫色布的商人，她一直在聽，主開啟她的心，使她留心聽保羅所講的。 15 她和她一家受了洗以後，就請求說：“你們若認為我是對主忠實的，就請到我家來住。”於是她強留我們。
在腓立比被囚
16 有一次，我們到祈禱的地方去的時候，一個被巫鬼附著的婢女迎面而來；她行占卜使主人們發了大財。 17 她跟著保羅和我們，喊叫說：“這些人是至高 神的僕人，向你們傳講得救的道路。” 18 她一連多日這樣喊叫，保羅覺得厭煩，就轉身對那鬼說：“我奉耶穌基督的名，命令你從她身上出來！”那鬼就立刻出來了。 19 她的主人們看見發財的希望完了，就揪住保羅和西拉，拉到市中心去見官長， 20 又帶到裁判官面前，說：“這些人是猶太人，擾亂我們的城市， 21 傳我們羅馬人不准接受、不准實行的規例。” 22 群眾一齊起來攻擊他們，裁判官就剝去他們的衣服，下令用棍子打他們。 23 打了很多棍，就把他們放在監牢裡，吩咐獄吏嚴密看守。 24 獄吏領了命令，就把他們押入內監，兩腳拴了木狗。
保羅領獄吏全家信主
25 約在半夜，保羅和西拉祈禱歌頌 神，囚犯們都側耳聽著。 26 忽然發生了大地震，以致監牢的地基都搖動起來，所有的監門立刻開了，囚犯的鎖鍊都鬆了。 27 獄吏醒過來，看見監門全開，以為囚犯都已經逃脫了，就拔出刀來想要自刎。 28 保羅大聲呼叫說：“不要傷害自己，我們都在這裡！” 29 獄吏叫人拿了燈來，就衝進去，戰戰兢兢地俯伏在保羅和西拉面前， 30 隨後領他們出來，說：“先生，我應該作甚麼才可以得救？” 31 他們說：“當信主耶穌，你和你一家人都必定得救。” 32 他們就把主的道，講給他和所有在他家裡的人聽。 33 就在當夜的那個時候，獄吏領他們去洗傷，獄吏和他家人都受了洗， 34 就帶他們到家裡，擺上飯食，他和全家因信了 神就大大喜樂。
35 到了天亮，裁判官派法警來，說：“放了這些人！” 36 獄吏就把這話告訴保羅，說：“裁判官派人來釋放你們，現在可以出來，平平安安地去吧！” 37 保羅對他們說：“我們是羅馬人，還沒有定罪，他們就公開打我們，又放在監裡；現在要私下趕我們出去嗎？不行！他們應當親自來，領我們出去！” 38 法警把這番話回報裁判官，裁判官聽說他們是羅馬人，就害怕起來， 39 於是來請求他們，領他們出監之後，就請他們離開那城。 40 兩人出了監，就到呂底亞的家裡去，見了弟兄們，勸勉他們一番，就離開了。
Acts 16
New King James Version
Timothy Joins Paul and Silas
16 Then he came to (A)Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, (B)named Timothy, (C)the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he (D)took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek. 4 And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the (E)decrees to keep, (F)which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. 5 (G)So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.
The Macedonian Call
6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of (H)Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in [a]Asia. 7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the [b]Spirit did not permit them. 8 So passing by Mysia, they (I)came down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A (J)man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go (K)to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Lydia Baptized at Philippi
11 Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, 12 and from there to (L)Philippi, which is the [c]foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. 14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of (M)Thyatira, who worshiped God. (N)The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So (O)she persuaded us.
Paul and Silas Imprisoned
16 Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl (P)possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters (Q)much profit by fortune-telling. 17 This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” 18 And this she did for many days.
But Paul, (R)greatly [d]annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” (S)And he came out that very hour. 19 But (T)when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and (U)dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.
20 And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, (V)exceedingly trouble our city; 21 and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.” 22 Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes (W)and commanded them to be beaten with rods. 23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
The Philippian Jailer Saved
25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 (X)Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately (Y)all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”
29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, (Z)“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 So they said, (AA)“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 Now when he had brought them into his house, (AB)he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.
Paul Refuses to Depart Secretly
35 And when it was day, the magistrates sent the [e]officers, saying, “Let those men go.”
36 So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace.”
37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us openly, uncondemned (AC)Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out.”
38 And the officers told these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans. 39 Then they came and pleaded with them and brought them out, and (AD)asked them to depart from the city. 40 So they went out of the prison (AE)and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.
Footnotes
- Acts 16:6 The Roman province of Asia
- Acts 16:7 NU adds of Jesus
- Acts 16:12 Lit. first
- Acts 16:18 distressed
- Acts 16:35 lictors, lit. rod bearers
Acts 16
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 16
Paul in Lycaonia: Timothy. 1 He reached [also] Derbe and Lystra where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek.(A) 2 The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him,(B) 3 and Paul wanted him to come along with him. On account of the Jews of that region, Paul had him circumcised,[a] for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled from city to city, they handed on to the people for observance the decisions reached by the apostles and presbyters in Jerusalem. 5 Day after day the churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number.
Through Asia Minor. 6 They traveled through the Phrygian and Galatian territory because they had been prevented by the holy Spirit from preaching the message in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to Mysia, they tried to go on into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus[b] did not allow them, 8 so they crossed through Mysia and came down to Troas. 9 During [the] night Paul had a vision. A Macedonian stood before him and implored him with these words, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 When he had seen the vision, we[c] sought passage to Macedonia at once, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.
Into Europe. 11 [d]We set sail from Troas, making a straight run for Samothrace, and on the next day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, a leading city in that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We spent some time in that city. 13 On the sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river where we thought there would be a place of prayer. We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there. 14 One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God,[e] listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. 15 After she and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home,” and she prevailed on us.
Imprisonment at Philippi. 16 As we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl with an oracular spirit,[f] who used to bring a large profit to her owners through her fortune-telling. 17 She began to follow Paul and us, shouting, “These people are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.” 18 She did this for many days. Paul became annoyed, turned, and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” Then it came out at that moment.
19 When her owners saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them to the public square before the local authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates[g] and said, “These people are Jews and are disturbing our city 21 and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us Romans to adopt or practice.” 22 (C)The crowd joined in the attack on them, and the magistrates had them stripped and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After inflicting many blows on them, they threw them into prison and instructed the jailer to guard them securely. 24 When he received these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and secured their feet to a stake.
Deliverance from Prison. 25 About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened, 26 there was suddenly such a severe earthquake that the foundations of the jail shook; all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew [his] sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted out in a loud voice, “Do no harm to yourself; we are all here.” 29 He asked for a light and rushed in and, trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved.” 32 So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house. 33 He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds; then he and all his family were baptized at once. 34 He brought them up into his house and provided a meal and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God.
35 But when it was day, the magistrates sent the lictors[h] with the order, “Release those men.” 36 The jailer reported the[se] words to Paul, “The magistrates have sent orders that you be released. Now, then, come out and go in peace.” 37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, even though we are Roman citizens and have not been tried, and have thrown us into prison.(D) And now, are they going to release us secretly? By no means. Let them come themselves and lead us out.”[i] 38 The lictors reported these words to the magistrates, and they became alarmed when they heard that they were Roman citizens.(E) 39 So they came and placated them, and led them out and asked that they leave the city. 40 When they had come out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house where they saw and encouraged the brothers, and then they left.
Footnotes
- 16:3 Paul had him circumcised: he did this in order that Timothy might be able to associate with the Jews and so perform a ministry among them. Paul did not object to the Jewish Christians’ adherence to the law. But he insisted that the law could not be imposed on the Gentiles. Paul himself lived in accordance with the law, or as exempt from the law, according to particular circumstances (see 1 Cor 9:19–23).
- 16:7 The Spirit of Jesus: this is an unusual formulation in Luke’s writings. The parallelism with Acts 16:6 indicates its meaning, the holy Spirit.
- 16:10–17 This is the first of the so-called “we-sections” in Acts, where Luke writes as one of Paul’s companions. The other passages are Acts 20:5–15; 21:1–18; 27:1–28:16. Scholars debate whether Luke may not have used the first person plural simply as a literary device to lend color to the narrative. The realism of the narrative, however, lends weight to the argument that the “we” includes Luke or another companion of Paul whose data Luke used as a source.
- 16:11–40 The church at Philippi became a flourishing community to which Paul addressed one of his letters (see Introduction to the Letter to the Philippians).
- 16:14 A worshiper of God: a “God-fearer.” See note on Acts 8:26–40.
- 16:16 With an oracular spirit: literally, “with a Python spirit.” The Python was the serpent or dragon that guarded the Delphic oracle. It later came to designate a “spirit that pronounced oracles” and also a ventriloquist who, it was thought, had such a spirit in the belly.
- 16:20 Magistrates: in Greek, stratēgoi, the popular designation of the duoviri, the highest officials of the Roman colony of Philippi.
- 16:35 The lictors: the equivalent of police officers, among whose duties were the apprehension and punishment of criminals.
- 16:37 Paul’s Roman citizenship granted him special privileges in regard to criminal process. Roman law forbade under severe penalty the beating of Roman citizens (see also Acts 22:25).
Chinese New Version (CNV). Copyright © 1976, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2005 by Worldwide Bible Society.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.