Acts 16
New American Standard Bible
The Macedonian Vision
16 Now Paul also came to (A)Derbe and to (B)Lystra. And a disciple was there, named (C)Timothy, the son of a (D)Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, 2 and he was well spoken of by (E)the brothers and sisters who were in (F)Lystra and (G)Iconium. 3 Paul wanted this man to leave with him; and he (H)took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering (I)the ordinances for them to follow which had been determined by (J)the apostles and (K)elders in Jerusalem. 5 So (L)the churches were being strengthened [a]in the faith, and were (M)increasing in number daily.
6 They passed through the [b](N)Phrygian and (O)Galatian region, after being forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in [c](P)Asia; 7 and after they came to (Q)Mysia, they were trying to go into (R)Bithynia, and the (S)Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; 8 and passing by (T)Mysia, they went down to (U)Troas. 9 (V)And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of (W)Macedonia was standing and pleading with him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 When he had seen (X)the vision, (Y)we immediately sought to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to (Z)preach the gospel to them.
11 So after setting sail from (AA)Troas, we ran (AB)a straight course to Samothrace, and on the following day to Neapolis; 12 and from there to (AC)Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of (AD)Macedonia, (AE)a Roman colony; and we were spending some days in this city. 13 And on (AF)the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were thinking that there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled.
First Convert in Europe
14 A woman named Lydia was listening; she was a seller of purple fabrics from the city of (AG)Thyatira, and (AH)a worshiper of God. [d]The Lord (AI)opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. 15 Now when she and (AJ)her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
16 It happened that as we were going to (AK)the place of prayer, a slave woman who had (AL)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 (AM)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 (AN)in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out at that very [e]moment.
19 But when her masters saw that their hope of (AO)profit was suddenly gone, they seized (AP)Paul and Silas and (AQ)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 (AR)are proclaiming customs that are not lawful for us to accept or to practice, since we are (AS)Romans.”
Paul and Silas Imprisoned
22 The crowd joined in an attack against them, and the chief magistrates tore their [f]robes off them and proceeded to order [g]them to be (AT)beaten with rods. 23 When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding (AU)the jailer to guard them securely; 24 [h]and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in (AV)the [i]stocks.
25 Now about midnight (AW)Paul and Silas were praying and (AX)singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; 26 and suddenly (AY)there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately (AZ)all the doors were opened, and everyone’s (BA)chains were unfastened. 27 When (BB)the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about (BC)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 (BD)Paul and Silas; 30 and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, (BE)what must I do to be saved?”
The Jailer Converted
31 They said, “(BF)Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and (BG)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 (BH)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 [j]food before them, and was [k]overjoyed, since he had become a believer in God together with (BI)his whole household.
35 Now when day came, the chief magistrates sent their officers, saying, “Release those men.” 36 And (BJ)the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The chief magistrates have sent word that you be released. So come out now and go (BK)in peace.” 37 But Paul said to them, “After beating us in public without due process—(BL)men who are Romans—they threw us into prison; and now they are releasing us secretly? No indeed! On the contrary, let them come [l]in person and lead us out.” 38 The officers reported these words to the chief magistrates. (BM)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 (BN)to leave the city. 40 They left the prison and entered the house of (BO)Lydia, and when they saw (BP)the brothers and sisters, they [m]encouraged them and departed.
Footnotes
- Acts 16:5 Or in faith
- Acts 16:6 Or Phrygia and the Galatian region
- Acts 16:6 I.e., west coast province of Asia Minor
- Acts 16:14 Lit Whose heart the Lord opened
- Acts 16:18 Lit hour
- Acts 16:22 Or outer garments
- Acts 16:22 Lit to beat with rods
- Acts 16:24 Lit who
- Acts 16:24 Lit wood
- Acts 16:34 Lit a table
- Acts 16:34 Or overjoyed together with his whole household, since...God
- Acts 16:37 Lit themselves
- Acts 16:40 Or exhorted
Acts 16
New King James Version
Timothy Joins Paul and Silas
16 Then he came to (A)Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, (B)named Timothy, (C)the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he (D)took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek. 4 And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the (E)decrees to keep, (F)which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. 5 (G)So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.
The Macedonian Call
6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of (H)Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in [a]Asia. 7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the [b]Spirit did not permit them. 8 So passing by Mysia, they (I)came down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A (J)man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go (K)to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Lydia Baptized at Philippi
11 Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, 12 and from there to (L)Philippi, which is the [c]foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. 14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of (M)Thyatira, who worshiped God. (N)The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So (O)she persuaded us.
Paul and Silas Imprisoned
16 Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl (P)possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters (Q)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, (R)greatly [d]annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” (S)And he came out that very hour. 19 But (T)when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and (U)dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.
20 And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, (V)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 (W)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 (X)Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately (Y)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, (Z)“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 So they said, (AA)“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, (AB)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 [e]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 (AC)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 (AD)asked them to depart from the city. 40 So they went out of the prison (AE)and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.
Footnotes
- Acts 16:6 The Roman province of Asia
- Acts 16:7 NU adds of Jesus
- Acts 16:12 Lit. first
- Acts 16:18 distressed
- Acts 16:35 lictors, lit. rod bearers
Acts 16
Common English Bible
Paul adds Timothy
16 Paul reached Derbe, and then Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy. He was the son of a believing Jewish woman and a Greek father. 2 The brothers and sisters in Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take Timothy with him, so he circumcised him. This was because of the Jews who lived in those areas, for they all knew Timothy’s father was Greek. 4 As Paul and his companions traveled through the cities, they instructed Gentile believers to keep the regulations put in place by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and every day their numbers flourished.
Vision of the Macedonian
6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the regions of Phrygia and Galatia because the Holy Spirit kept them from speaking the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they approached the province of Mysia, they tried to enter the province of Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus wouldn’t let them. 8 Passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas instead. 9 A vision of a man from Macedonia came to Paul during the night. He stood urging Paul, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” 10 Immediately after he saw the vision, we prepared to leave for the province of Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.
Lydia’s conversion
11 We sailed from Troas straight for Samothrace and came to Neapolis the following day. 12 From there we went to Philippi, a city of Macedonia’s first district and a Roman colony. We stayed in that city several days. 13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the riverbank, where we thought there might be a place for prayer. We sat down and began to talk with the women who had gathered. 14 One of those women was Lydia, a Gentile God-worshipper from the city of Thyatira, a dealer in purple cloth. As she listened, the Lord enabled her to embrace Paul’s message. 15 Once she and her household were baptized, she urged, “Now that you have decided that I am a believer in the Lord, come and stay in my house.” And she persuaded us.
Paul and Silas in prison
16 One day, when we were on the way to the place for prayer, we met a slave woman. She had a spirit that enabled her to predict the future. She made a lot of money for her owners through fortune-telling. 17 She began following Paul and us, shouting, “These people are servants of the Most High God! They are proclaiming a way of salvation to you!” 18 She did this for many days.
This annoyed Paul so much that he finally turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to leave her!” It left her at that very moment.
19 Her owners realized that their hope for making money was gone. They grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the officials in the city center. 20 When her owners approached the legal authorities, they said, “These people are causing an uproar in our city. They are Jews 21 who promote customs that we Romans can’t accept or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in the attacks against Paul and Silas, so the authorities ordered that they be stripped of their clothes and beaten with a rod. 23 When Paul and Silas had been severely beaten, the authorities threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to secure them with great care. 24 When he received these instructions, he threw them into the innermost cell and secured their feet in stocks.
25 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 All at once there was such a violent earthquake that it shook the prison’s foundations. The doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 When the jailer awoke and saw the open doors of the prison, he thought the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul shouted loudly, “Don’t harm yourself! We’re all here!”
29 The jailer called for some lights, rushed in, and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He led them outside and asked, “Honorable masters, what must I do to be rescued?”
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your entire household.” 32 They spoke the Lord’s word to him and everyone else in his house. 33 Right then, in the middle of the night, the jailer welcomed them and washed their wounds. He and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. 34 He brought them into his home and gave them a meal. He was overjoyed because he and everyone in his household had come to believe in God.
35 The next morning the legal authorities sent the police to the jailer with the order “Release those people.”
36 So the jailer reported this to Paul, informing him, “The authorities sent word that you both are to be released. You can leave now. Go in peace.”
37 Paul told the police, “Even though we are Roman citizens, they beat us publicly without first finding us guilty of a crime, and they threw us into prison. And now they want to send us away secretly? No way! They themselves will have to come and escort us out.” 38 The police reported this to the legal authorities, who were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. 39 They came and consoled Paul and Silas, escorting them out of prison and begging them to leave the city.
40 Paul and Silas left the prison and made their way to Lydia’s house where they encouraged the brothers and sisters. Then they left Philippi.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible