Book of Common Prayer
Earthquake and salvation
25 Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a huge earthquake, which shook the foundations of the prison. At once all the doors flew open, and everyone’s chains became loose. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted at the top of his voice, “Don’t harm yourself! We’re all still here!”
29 The jailer called for lights and rushed in. Trembling all over, he fell down before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them outside.
“Gentlemen,” he said, “will you please tell me how I can get out of this mess?”
31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus,” they replied, “and you will be rescued—you and your household.”
32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him, with everyone who was in his house. 33 He took them, at that very hour of the night, and washed their wounds. Then at once he was baptized, and all his household with him. 34 Then he took them into his house, put food on the table, and rejoiced with his whole house that he had believed in God.
Publicly vindicated
35 When day broke, the magistrates sent their officers with the message, “Let those men go.” 36 The jailer passed on what they said to Paul.
“The magistrates have sent word that you should be released,” he said. “So now you can leave and go in peace.”
37 But Paul objected.
“We are Roman citizens!” he said. “They beat us in public without a trial, they threw us into prison, and now they are sending us away secretly? No way! Let them come themselves and take us out.”
38 The officers reported these words to the magistrates. When they heard that they were Roman citizens, they were afraid. 39 They went and apologized, brought them out of the prison, and requested that they leave the city. 40 So when they had left the prison they went to Lydia’s house. There they saw and encouraged the brothers and sisters, and then they went on their way.
The hour has come
27 “Now my heart is troubled,” Jesus went on. “What am I going to say: ‘Father, save me from this moment’? No! It was because of this that I came to this moment. 28 Father, glorify your name!”
“I have glorified it,” came a voice from heaven, “and I will glorify it again.”
29 “That was thunder!” said the crowd, standing there listening.
“No,” said others. “It was an angel, talking to him.”
30 “That voice came for your sake, not mine,” replied Jesus. 31 “Now comes the judgment of this world! Now this world’s ruler is going to be thrown out! 32 And when I’ve been lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.”
33 He said this in order to point to the kind of death he was going to die.
34 So the crowd spoke to him again.
“We heard in the law,” they said, “that the Messiah will last forever. How can you say that the son of man must be lifted up? Who is this ‘son of man’?”
35 “The light is among you a little while longer,” replied Jesus. “Keep walking while you have the light, in case the darkness overcomes you. People who walk in the dark don’t know where they’re going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may be children of light.”
With these words, Jesus went away and was hidden from them.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.