¹³ On the Sabbath^(A) we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. ¹⁴ One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira^(B) named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart^(C) to respond to Paul’s message. ¹⁵ When she and the members of her household^(D) were baptized,^(E) she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

Paul and Silas in Prison

¹⁶ Once when we were going to the place of prayer,^(F) we were met by a female slave who had a spirit^(G) by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God,^(H) who are telling you the way to be saved.” ¹⁸ She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.^(I)

¹⁹ When her owners realized that their hope of making money^(J) was gone, they seized Paul and Silas^(K) and dragged^(L) them into the marketplace to face the authorities. ²⁰ They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar^{(M) 21} by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans^(N) to accept or practice.”^(O)