Book of Common Prayer

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.

⁴⁷ In the evening the boat was far out on the water. Jesus was alone on the land.

⁴⁸ He saw the disciples working hard rowing the boat. The wind was blowing the wrong way. When it was almost morning, Jesus came to the disciples. He was walking on the water. He was going to pass by them.

⁴⁹ But when they saw him walking on the water, they thought it was a spirit. They shouted loudly.

⁵⁰ They all saw him and were very much afraid. He spoke to them right away. He said, `Be glad! It is I. Do not fear.'

⁵¹ Then he got in the boat with them. The wind stopped. They were very much surprised and did not know what to say.

⁵² They did not understand the lesson about the bread because their minds were too slow.

⁵³ They crossed over the sea and came to the land at Gennesaret. They came to shore.

⁵⁴ As soon as he got out of the boat, the people knew him.

⁵⁵ They went quickly to all the country around. They brought sick people in their beds to the place where they heard Jesus was.

⁵⁶ They laid sick people by the road in villages, towns, and farms and every place he went. They begged him to let them touch his clothes. And all the people who touched him were healed.