Acts 16
English Standard Version
Timothy Joins Paul and Silas
16 Paul[a] came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named (A)Timothy, (B)the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by (C)the brothers[b] at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he (D)took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance (E)the decisions (F)that had been reached by (G)the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. 5 (H)So the churches were strengthened in (I)the faith, and they increased in numbers (J)daily.
The Macedonian Call
6 And (K)they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but (L)the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. 8 So, passing by Mysia, they went down (M)to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 And when Paul[c] had seen the vision, immediately (N)we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
The Conversion of Lydia
11 So, setting sail from Troas, we (O)made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to (P)Philippi, which is a leading city of the[d] district of Macedonia and (Q)a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. 13 And (R)on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate (S)to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we (T)sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, (U)who was a worshiper of God. The Lord (V)opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 And after she was baptized, (W)and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she (X)prevailed upon us.
Paul and Silas in Prison
16 As we were going to (Y)the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had (Z)a spirit of (AA)divination and (AB)brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and us, (AC)crying out, “These men are (AD)servants of (AE)the Most High God, who proclaim to you (AF)the way of salvation.” 18 And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, (AG)“I command you (AH)in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And (AI)it came out that very hour.
19 But (AJ)when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and (AK)dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. 20 And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. 21 They (AL)advocate customs that are not lawful for us (AM)as Romans to accept or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders (AN)to beat them with rods. 23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Having received this order, he put them into the inner (AO)prison and fastened their feet in (AP)the stocks.
The Philippian Jailer Converted
25 (AQ)About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26 and suddenly (AR)there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately (AS)all the doors were opened, and (AT)everyone's bonds were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and (AU)was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 And the jailer[e] called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he (AV)fell down before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, (AW)what must I do to be (AX)saved?” 31 And they said, (AY)“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you (AZ)and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them (BA)the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he (BB)was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he (BC)rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.
35 But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.” 36 And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” 37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, (BD)uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” 38 The police reported these words to the magistrates, and (BE)they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. 39 So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and (BF)asked them to leave the city. 40 So they went out of the prison and visited (BG)Lydia. And when they had seen (BH)the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.
Footnotes
- Acts 16:1 Greek He
- Acts 16:2 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 40
- Acts 16:10 Greek he
- Acts 16:12 Or that
- Acts 16:29 Greek he
Acts 16
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Paul Selects Timothy
16 Then he went on to Derbe and Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy,(A) the son of a believing Jewish woman,(B) but his father was a Greek. 2 The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him.(C) 3 Paul wanted Timothy[a] to go with him, so he took him and circumcised(D) him because of the Jews who were in those places, since they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled through the towns, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem for them to observe.(E) 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in number daily.(F)
Evangelization of Europe
6 They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia and were prevented by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message in Asia.(G) 7 When they came to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus(H) did not allow them. 8 So, bypassing Mysia, they came down to Troas.(I) 9 During the night a vision appeared to Paul: A Macedonian man was standing and pleading with him, “Cross over to Macedonia and help us!”(J) 10 After(K) he had seen the vision, we[b] immediately made efforts to set out for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to evangelize them.
Lydia’s Conversion
11 Then, setting sail from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, the next day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi,(L) a Roman colony, which is a leading city of that district of Macedonia. We stayed in that city for a number of days. 13 On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate by the river, where we thought there was a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women gathered there. 14 A woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was spoken by Paul.(M) 15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.”(N) And she persuaded us.
Paul and Silas in Prison
16 Once, as we were on our way to prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit of prediction.[c](O) She made a large profit for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 As she followed Paul and us she cried out, “These men, who are proclaiming to you[d] the way of salvation, are the slaves of the Most High God.” 18 And she did this for many days.
But Paul was greatly aggravated and turning to the spirit, said, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out right away.[e](P)
19 When her owners saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas(Q) and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. 20 Bringing them before the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are seriously disturbing our city. They are Jews 21 and are promoting customs that are not legal for us as Romans to adopt or practice.”(R)
22 Then the mob joined in the attack against them, and the chief magistrates stripped off their clothes and ordered them to be beaten with rods.(S) 23 After they had inflicted many blows on them, they threw them in jail, ordering the jailer to keep them securely guarded. 24 Receiving such an order, he put them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks.(T)
A Midnight Deliverance
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose.(U) 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison open, he drew his sword and was going to kill himself, since he thought the prisoners had escaped.
28 But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Don’t harm yourself, because all of us are here!”
29 Then the jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he escorted them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”(V)
31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”(W) 32 Then they spoke the message of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house. 33 He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his family were baptized. 34 He brought them into his house, set a meal before them, and rejoiced because he had believed God with his entire household.(X)
An Official Apology
35 When daylight came, the chief magistrates sent the police to say, “Release those men!”
36 The jailer reported these words to Paul: “The magistrates have sent orders for you to be released. So come out now and go in peace.”(Y)
37 But Paul said to them, “They beat us in public without a trial, although we are Roman citizens, and threw us in jail. And now are they going to smuggle us out secretly? Certainly not! On the contrary, let them come themselves and escort us out!”(Z)
38 Then the police reported these words to the magistrates. They were afraid when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. 39 So they came and apologized to them, and escorting them out, they urged them to leave town. 40 After leaving the jail, they came to Lydia’s house where they saw and encouraged the brothers, and departed.(AA)
Footnotes
- Acts 16:3 Lit wanted this one
- Acts 16:10 The use of we in this passage probably indicates that the author Luke is joining Paul’s missionary team here.
- Acts 16:16 Or a spirit by which she predicted the future
- Acts 16:17 Other mss read us
- Acts 16:18 Lit out this hour
Acts 16
Modern English Version
Timothy Accompanies Paul and Silas
16 Then he came to Derbe and then to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewess who believed, but his father was a Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by the brothers who were at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted him to travel with him. So he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to observe, that were set forth by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.
Paul’s Vision of the Macedonian
6 They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia and were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 When they came near Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not allow them. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night a vision appeared to Paul: A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.
The Conversion of Lydia
11 From Troas we set sail on a straight course to Samothrace and the next day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is the main city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony. We stayed in this city several days.
13 On the Sabbath we went out of the city to a riverside, where prayer was customarily offered. And we sat down and spoke to the women who had assembled. 14 A woman named Lydia, a seller of purple fabric of the city of Thyatira, who worshipped God, heard us. The Lord opened her heart to acknowledge what Paul said. 15 When she and her household were baptized, she entreated us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and remain there.” And she persuaded us.
The Imprisonment in Philippi
16 On one occasion, as we went to the place of prayer, a servant girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” 18 She did this for many days. But becoming greatly troubled, Paul turned to the spirit and said, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out at that moment.
19 When her masters saw that the hope of their profits was gone, they seized Paul and Silas, and dragged them into the marketplace to the rulers. 20 And they brought them to the magistrates, saying, “These men, being Jews, greatly trouble our city 21 and teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.”
22 The crowd rose up together against them. And the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them. 23 After they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely. 24 Having received such an order, he threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25 At midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s shackles were loosened. 27 When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”
29 He called for lights and rushed in, trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas. 30 He then led them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you and your household will be saved.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his household. 33 In that hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds. And immediately he and his entire household were baptized. 34 Then he brought them up to his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced with his entire household believing in God.
35 When it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, “Release those men.” 36 The prison guard reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to release you. Now therefore depart, and go in peace.”
37 But Paul said to them, “They have publicly beaten us, who are uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they secretly throw us out? Certainly not! Let them come themselves and bring us out.”
38 The sergeants reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans. 39 So they came and entreated them. And they brought them out, asking them to leave the city. 40 They went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia. When they had seen the brothers, they exhorted them and departed.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.