Paul and Silas in Prison

¹⁶ Once when we were going to the place of prayer,^(A) we were met by a female slave who had a spirit^(B) 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,^(C) 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.^(D)

¹⁹ When her owners realized that their hope of making money^(E) was gone, they seized Paul and Silas^(F) and dragged^(G) 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^(H)

¹⁷ For this reason I have sent to you^(A) Timothy,^(B) my son^(C) whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.^(D)

¹⁰ But by the grace^(A) of God I am what I am, and his grace to me^(B) was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them^(C)—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.^{(D) 11} Whether, then, it is I or they,^(E) this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God^(A) our Savior^(B) and of Christ Jesus our hope,^(C)

² To Timothy^(D) my true son^(E) in the faith:

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.^(F)

Timothy Charged to Oppose False Teachers

³ As I urged you when I went into Macedonia,^(G) stay there in Ephesus^(H) so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines^(I) any longer ⁴ or to devote themselves to myths^(J) and endless genealogies.^(K) Such things promote controversial speculations^(L) rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith.