¹⁹ But when her masters saw that their hope of ^(A)profit was suddenly gone, they seized ^(B)Paul and Silas and ^(C)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 ^(D)are proclaiming customs that are not lawful for us to accept or to practice, since we are ^(E)Romans.”

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

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

²⁵ Now about midnight ^(I)Paul and Silas were praying and ^(J)singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; ²⁶ and suddenly ^(K)there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately ^(L)all the doors were opened, and everyone’s ^(M)chains were unfastened. ²⁷ When ^(N)the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about ^(O)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 ^(P)Paul and Silas; ³⁰ and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, ^(Q)what must I do to be saved?”

The Jailer Converted

³¹ They said, “^(R)Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and ^(S)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 ^(T)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 ^[e]food before them, and was ^[f]overjoyed, since he had become a believer in God together with ^(U)his whole household.

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