Acts 16:25-40

New American Standard Bible

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

The Jailer Converted

³¹ They said, “^(J)Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and ^(K)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 ^(L)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 ^[a]food before them, and was ^[b]overjoyed, since he had become a believer in God together with ^(M)his whole household.

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