Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

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.