¹⁹ When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them to the authorities in the public square. ²⁰ In front of the Roman officials, they said, “These men are stirring up a lot of trouble in our city. They’re Jews, ²¹ and they’re advocating customs that we can’t accept or practice as Roman citizens.”

²² The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas. Then the officials tore the clothes off Paul and Silas and ordered ⌞the guards⌟ to beat them with sticks. ²³ After they had hit Paul and Silas many times, they threw them in jail and ordered the jailer to keep them under tight security. ²⁴ So the jailer followed these orders and put Paul and Silas into solitary confinement with their feet in leg irons.

²⁵ Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God. The other prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶ Suddenly, a violent earthquake shook the foundations of the jail. All the doors immediately flew open, and all the prisoners’ chains came loose.

²⁷ The jailer woke up and saw the prison doors open. Thinking the prisoners had escaped, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself. ²⁸ But Paul shouted as loudly as he could, “Don’t hurt yourself! We’re all here!”

²⁹ The jailer asked for torches and rushed into the jail. He was trembling as he knelt in front of Paul and Silas. ³⁰ Then he took Paul and Silas outside and asked, “Sirs, what do I have to do to be saved?”

³¹ They answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you and your family will be saved.” ³² They spoke the Lord’s word to the jailer and everyone in his home.

³³ At that hour of the night, the jailer washed Paul and Silas’ wounds. The jailer and his entire family were baptized immediately. ³⁴ He took Paul and Silas upstairs into his home and gave them something to eat. He and his family were thrilled to be believers in God.

³⁵ In the morning the Roman officials sent guards who told the jailer, “You can release those men now.”

³⁶ The jailer reported this order to Paul by saying, “The officials have sent word to release you. So you can leave peacefully now.”

³⁷ But Paul told the guards, “Roman officials have had us beaten publicly without a trial and have thrown us in jail, even though we’re Roman citizens. Now are they going to throw us out secretly? There’s no way they’re going to get away with that! Have them escort us out!”

³⁸ The guards reported to the officials what Paul had said. When the Roman officials heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were afraid. ³⁹ So the officials went to the jail and apologized to Paul and Silas. As the officials escorted Paul and Silas out of the jail, they asked them to leave the city.

⁴⁰ After Paul and Silas left the jail, they went to Lydia’s house. They met with the believers, encouraged them, and then left.

Paul and Silas in Thessalonica

17 Paul and Silas traveled through the cities of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to the city of Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue. ² As usual, Paul went into the synagogue. On three consecutive days of rest—holy days, he had discussions about Scripture with the synagogue members. ³ He explained and showed them that the Messiah had to suffer, die, and come back to life, and that Jesus, the person he talked about, was this Messiah.

⁴ Some of the Jews were persuaded to join Paul and Silas, especially a large group of Greeks who had converted to Judaism and the wives of many prominent men.

⁵ Then the Jews became jealous. They took some low-class characters who hung around the public square, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. They attacked Jason’s home and searched it for Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. ⁶ When they didn’t find Paul and Silas, they dragged Jason and some other believers in front of the city officials. They shouted, “Those men who have made trouble all over the world are now here in Thessalonica, ⁷ and Jason has welcomed them as his guests. All of them oppose the emperor’s decrees by saying that there is another king, whose name is Jesus.”

⁸ The crowd and the officials were upset when they heard this. ⁹ But after they had made Jason and the others post bond, they let them go.

¹⁰ Immediately when night came, the believers sent Paul and Silas to the city of Berea.

Paul and Silas in Berea

When Paul and Silas arrived in the city of Berea, they entered the synagogue. ¹¹ The people of Berea were more open-minded than the people of Thessalonica. They were very willing to receive God’s message, and every day they carefully examined the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was true. ¹² Many of them became believers, and quite a number of them were prominent Greek men and women.

¹³ But when the Jews in Thessalonica found out that Paul was also spreading God’s word in Berea, they went there to upset and confuse the people. ¹⁴ The believers immediately sent Paul to the seacoast, but Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea.

Paul in Athens

¹⁵ The men who escorted Paul took him all the way to the city of Athens. When the men left Athens, they took instructions back to Silas and Timothy to join Paul as soon as possible.