¹⁶ “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.^(A) Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.^{(B) 17} Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils^(C) and be flogged in the synagogues.^{(D) 18} On my account you will be brought before governors and kings^(E) as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹ But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it.^(F) At that time you will be given what to say, ²⁰ for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father^(G) speaking through you.

²¹ “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents^(H) and have them put to death.^{(I) 22} You will be hated by everyone because of me,^(J) but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.^{(K) 23} When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.^(L)

²⁴ “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master.^{(M) 25} It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul,^(N) how much more the members of his household!

²⁶ “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.^{(O) 27} What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. ²⁸ Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One^(P) who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.^{[a] 30} And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.^{(Q) 31} So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.^(R)

³² “Whoever acknowledges me before others,^(S) I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. ³³ But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.^(T)

³⁴ “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to turn

³⁷ “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.^{(W) 38} Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.^{(X) 39} Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.^(Y)

⁴⁰ “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me,^(Z) and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.^{(AA) 41} Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. ⁴² And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”^(AB)

Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi

¹¹ From Troas^(A) 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,^(B) a Roman colony and the leading city of that district^[a] of Macedonia.^(C) And we stayed there several days.

¹³ On the Sabbath^(D) 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^(E) named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart^(F) to respond to Paul’s message. ¹⁵ When she and the members of her household^(G) were baptized,^(H) 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,^(I) we were met by a female slave who had a spirit^(J) 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,^(K) 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.^(L)

¹⁹ When her owners realized that their hope of making money^(M) was gone, they seized Paul and Silas^(N) and dragged^(O) 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^{(P) 21} by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans^(Q) to accept or practice.”^(R)

²² The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.^{(S) 23} After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer^(T) 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.^(U)

²⁵ About midnight^(V) Paul and Silas^(W) were praying and singing hymns^(X) 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.^(Y) At once all the prison doors flew open,^(Z) and everyone’s chains came loose.^{(AA) 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.^{(AB) 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.^{(AC) 30} He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”^(AD)

³¹ They replied, “Believe^(AE) in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved^(AF)—you and your household.”^{(AG) 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^(AH) the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized.^{(AI) 34} The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he^(AJ) 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^(AK) told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”^(AL)

³⁷ But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens,^(AM) 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.^{(AN) 39} They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city.^{(AO) 40} After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house,^(AP) where they met with the brothers and sisters^(AQ) and encouraged them. Then they left.