Paul and Silas Imprisoned

16 Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl (A)possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters (B)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, (C)greatly [a]annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” (D)And he came out that very hour. 19 But (E)when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and (F)dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.

20 And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, (G)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 (H)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 (I)Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately (J)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, (K)“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

31 So they said, (L)“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, (M)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 [b]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 (N)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 (O)asked them to depart from the city. 40 So they went out of the prison (P)and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.

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Notas al pie

  1. Acts 16:18 distressed
  2. Acts 16:35 lictors, lit. rod bearers

16 It happened that as we were going to (A)the place of prayer, a slave woman who had (B)a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing great profit to her masters by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and us and cried out repeatedly, saying, “These men are bond-servants of (C)the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you a way of salvation.” 18 Now she continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and he turned and said to the spirit, “I command you (D)in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out at that very [a]moment.

19 But when her masters saw that their hope of (E)profit was suddenly gone, they seized (F)Paul and Silas and (G)dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities, 20 and when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, “These men, Jews as they are, are causing our city trouble, 21 and they (H)are proclaiming customs that are not lawful for us to accept or to practice, since we are (I)Romans.”

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

22 The crowd joined in an attack against them, and the chief magistrates tore their [b]robes off them and proceeded to order [c]them to be (J)beaten with rods. 23 When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding (K)the jailer to guard them securely; 24 [d]and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in (L)the [e]stocks.

25 Now about midnight (M)Paul and Silas were praying and (N)singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; 26 and suddenly (O)there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately (P)all the doors were opened, and everyone’s (Q)chains were unfastened. 27 When (R)the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about (S)to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul called out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” 29 And the jailer asked for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear, he fell down before (T)Paul and Silas; 30 and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, (U)what must I do to be saved?”

The Jailer Converted

31 They said, “(V)Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and (W)your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of God to him together with all who were in his house. 33 And he took them (X)that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. 34 And he brought them into his house and set [f]food before them, and was [g]overjoyed, since he had become a believer in God together with (Y)his whole household.

35 Now when day came, the chief magistrates sent their officers, saying, “Release those men.” 36 And (Z)the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The chief magistrates have sent word that you be released. So come out now and go (AA)in peace.” 37 But Paul said to them, “After beating us in public without due process—(AB)men who are Romans—they threw us into prison; and now they are releasing us secretly? No indeed! On the contrary, let them come [h]in person and lead us out.” 38 The officers reported these words to the chief magistrates. (AC)And they became fearful when they heard that they were Romans, 39 and they came and pleaded with them, and when they had led them out, they repeatedly asked them (AD)to leave the city. 40 They left the prison and entered the house of (AE)Lydia, and when they saw (AF)the brothers and sisters, they [i]encouraged them and departed.

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Notas al pie

  1. Acts 16:18 Lit hour
  2. Acts 16:22 Or outer garments
  3. Acts 16:22 Lit to beat with rods
  4. Acts 16:24 Lit who
  5. Acts 16:24 Lit wood
  6. Acts 16:34 Lit a table
  7. Acts 16:34 Or overjoyed together with his whole household, since...God
  8. Acts 16:37 Lit themselves
  9. Acts 16:40 Or exhorted

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) 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans(I) to accept or practice.”(J)

22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.(K) 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer(L) was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.(M)

25 About midnight(N) Paul and Silas(O) were praying and singing hymns(P) to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken.(Q) At once all the prison doors flew open,(R) and everyone’s chains came loose.(S) 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.(T) 28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.(U) 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”(V)

31 They replied, “Believe(W) in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved(X)—you and your household.”(Y) 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night(Z) the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized.(AA) 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he(AB) was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

35 When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” 36 The jailer(AC) told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”(AD)

37 But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens,(AE) and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”

38 The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed.(AF) 39 They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city.(AG) 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house,(AH) where they met with the brothers and sisters(AI) and encouraged them. Then they left.

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Paul and Silas in Prison

16 One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.”

18 This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her.

19 Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. 20 “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. 21 “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.”

22 A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. 23 They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. 24 So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.

25 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. 26 Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! 27 The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. 28 But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”

29 The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” 32 And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. 33 Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. 34 He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.

35 The next morning the city officials sent the police to tell the jailer, “Let those men go!” 36 So the jailer told Paul, “The city officials have said you and Silas are free to leave. Go in peace.”

37 But Paul replied, “They have publicly beaten us without a trial and put us in prison—and we are Roman citizens. So now they want us to leave secretly? Certainly not! Let them come themselves to release us!”

38 When the police reported this, the city officials were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. 39 So they came to the jail and apologized to them. Then they brought them out and begged them to leave the city. 40 When Paul and Silas left the prison, they returned to the home of Lydia. There they met with the believers and encouraged them once more. Then they left town.

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