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Acts 16
Worldwide English (New Testament)
Acts 16
Worldwide English (New Testament)
16 Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. A disciple named Timothy was there. His mother was a Jew, a believer, and his father was a Greek.
2 The Christian brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke very well of Timothy.
3 Paul wanted him to go with him. He circumcised him because all the Jews in those places knew that his father was a Greek.
4-5 hey went from town to town and talked to the people. They told them what the apostles and church leaders at Jerusalem had said should be done. So the church people became stronger in what they believed. Every day more people joined the church.
6 Paul and Silas went through the district of Phrygia and Galatia. The Holy Spirit said they should not tell God's word in the country of Asia Minor.
7 After they came to the district of Mysia, they wanted to go to the country of Bithynia but the Holy Spirit did not allow them.
8 So they went by Mysia and came to the city of Troas.
9 In the night Paul had a vision: he saw a picture like a dream. He saw a man of Macedonia standing and calling to him, `Come over into Macedonia and help us.'
10 After Paul had seen the vision, we tried to leave for Macedonia right away. We believed that the Lord had called us to tell the people there the good news.
11 So we left Troas in a boat and went straight across the water to the town of Samothrace. The next day we went to Neapolis.
12 From there we went to Philippi. This was the big city of the district of Macedonia. It was a free city. We stayed there for some time.
13 On the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the river. We thought this was a place where people met to talk with God. So we sat down and talked to the women who had come there.
14 One woman named Lydia listened to us. She was from the city of Thyatira, and she sold red cloth. She worshipped God. He worked in her heart and she believed what Paul said.
15 She and all the people in her house were baptised. Then she begged us and said, `If you really feel that I believe in the Lord, come and stay at my house.' And she would not allow us to say no.
16 One day we were going to the meeting place where people talked with God. We met a girl who had a bad spirit. She used to tell people what was going to happen. Her masters received much money when she did this.
17 This girl kept on following Paul and us. She was shouting, `These men are servants of the High God. They are telling us how to be saved.'
18 She did this for many days. This troubled Paul. He turned and said to the spirit in her, `In the name of Jesus Christ, I say to you, come out of her!' And the spirit came out at once.
19 Her masters saw that they had lost this way of getting money. They caught Paul and Silas and took them by force to the rulers in the court.
20 When they had brought them before the judges, they said, `These men are Jews. And they are making much trouble in our city.
21 They are teaching people laws which we may not obey because we are Roman people.'
22 All the people standing around were against Paul and Silas. The judges tore off the clothes of Paul and Silas. They gave orders that they should be beaten.
23 They beat them very hard. Then they put them in prison. `Take care,' they said to the prison guard. `Be sure that these prisoners do not run away.'
24 And so the guard put them in the back room in the prison. They locked their feet in holes cut in heavy pieces of wood.
25 At midnight, Paul and Silas were talking with God. They were singing and praising God. The other prisoners were listening to them.
26 Then all of a sudden the earth shook very much. Even the floor of the prison was shaking. All the doors came wide open. The things that held the prisoners all came off.
27 The prison guard woke up. He saw all the prison doors open. So he took a long knife and was going to kill himself. He thought that all the prisoners had run away.
28 Paul shouted, `Stop! Do not hurt yourself. We are all here!'
29 The guard called for a light and went in quickly. He kneeled down before Paul and Silas, trembling with fear.
30 He brought them out of the prison and said, `Sirs, what must I do to be saved?'
31 They replied, `Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. All the people in your house must do the same.'
32 They talked to him and all the people in the house. They told them the word of the Lord.
33 Paul and Silas had sores from the beating in prison. So that same hour of the night the guard washed them. Then he and all the people of his house were baptised.
34 He took Paul and Silas to his home and gave them food to eat. He and all the people in his house were very happy. They now believed in God.
35 In the morning the judges sent soldiers to the guard with a message. `Let those men go free,' they said.
36 The guard told Paul. He said, `The judges have sent a message that you may go free. So now, come out and go on your way. You will have no more trouble.'
37 But Paul said, `We are Romans. And they have beaten us outside where people can see. They have put us in prison without proving we have done wrong. Now, are they going to take us out of prison secretly? No, they themselves must come and take us out.'
38 The soldiers told this to the judges. They were very much afraid when they heard that Paul and Silas were Romans.
39 So they came to Paul and Silas. They said they were sorry for what they had done. They brought them out of prison and asked them to leave the city.
40 When Paul and Silas came out of prison, they went back to Lydia's house. They saw their Christian brothers and talked to them. This helped the Christians to believe more strongly. Then Paul and Silas went on their way.
Acts 16
New American Standard Bible
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
King James Version
Acts 16
King James Version
16 Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek:
2 Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium.
3 Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.
4 And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.
5 And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.
6 Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,
7 After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.
8 And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas.
9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.
10 And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.
11 Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis;
12 And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days.
13 And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.
14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
15 And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.
16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
19 And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,
20 And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,
21 And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.
22 And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.
23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:
24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.
27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
34 And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.
35 And when it was day, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, Let those men go.
36 And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace.
37 But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out.
38 And the serjeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans.
39 And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city.
40 And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.
Acts 16
New International Version
Acts 16
New International Version
Timothy Joins Paul and Silas
16 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra,(A) where a disciple named Timothy(B) lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer(C) but whose father was a Greek. 2 The believers(D) at Lystra and Iconium(E) spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.(F) 4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders(G) in Jerusalem(H) for the people to obey.(I) 5 So the churches were strengthened(J) in the faith and grew daily in numbers.(K)
Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia
6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia(L) and Galatia,(M) having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.(N) 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus(O) would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.(P) 9 During the night Paul had a vision(Q) of a man of Macedonia(R) standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we(S) got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel(T) to them.
Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi
11 From Troas(U) we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi,(V) a Roman colony and the leading city of that district[a] of Macedonia.(W) And we stayed there several days.
13 On the Sabbath(X) we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira(Y) named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart(Z) to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household(AA) were baptized,(AB) she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
Paul and Silas in Prison
16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer,(AC) we were met by a female slave who had a spirit(AD) 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,(AE) 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.(AF)
19 When her owners realized that their hope of making money(AG) was gone, they seized Paul and Silas(AH) and dragged(AI) 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(AJ) 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans(AK) to accept or practice.”(AL)
22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.(AM) 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer(AN) 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.(AO)
25 About midnight(AP) Paul and Silas(AQ) were praying and singing hymns(AR) 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.(AS) At once all the prison doors flew open,(AT) and everyone’s chains came loose.(AU) 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.(AV) 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.(AW) 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”(AX)
31 They replied, “Believe(AY) in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved(AZ)—you and your household.”(BA) 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(BB) the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized.(BC) 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he(BD) 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(BE) told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”(BF)
37 But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens,(BG) 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.(BH) 39 They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city.(BI) 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house,(BJ) where they met with the brothers and sisters(BK) and encouraged them. Then they left.
Footnotes
- Acts 16:12 The text and meaning of the Greek for the leading city of that district are uncertain.
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