Book of Common Prayer

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.

²⁷ `Now my heart is very sad. Shall I say, "Father, save me from this time of trouble"? No, I have come to this time just so that I might go through it.

²⁸ Father, do what will make your name great.' Then a voice from the sky said, `I have already done that and I will do it again.'

²⁹ Some people were standing near. When they heard the voice, they said, `It is thundering.' Other people said, `An angel talked to him.'

³⁰ Jesus answered them, `This voice did not come for my sake, but it came for your sake.

³¹ It is time now for the world to be judged. The ruler of this world will be put out.

³² And as for me, if they lift me up from the earth, I will draw all people to me.'

³³ He said this to show how he would die.

³⁴ The people answered him, `Our law book tells us that Christ will stay here for ever. Why do you say, "The Son of Man will be raised up from the earth"? Tell us who this Son of Man is.'

³⁵ Then Jesus said to them, `You have light for a short time longer. Walk while you have the light so that you will not need to walk in the dark. The person who walks in the dark cannot see where he is going.

³⁶ Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may be a people who have the light in you.' When Jesus had said this, he left them. They did not know where he was.