Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹⁶ As we were going to the place of prayer we were met by a girl who had a spirit of divination. She and her oracles made a good living for her owners. ¹⁷ She followed Paul and the rest of us.

“These men are servants of God Most High!” she would shout out. “They are declaring to you the way of salvation!”

¹⁸ She did this for many days. Eventually, Paul got fed up with it. He turned round and addressed the spirit.

“I command you in the name of Jesus the Messiah,” he said, “come out of her!”

And it came out then and there.

¹⁹ When the girl’s owners saw that their hope of profit had vanished, they seized Paul and Silas, dragged them into the public square before the authorities, ²⁰ and presented them to the magistrates.

“These men,” they said, “are throwing our city into an uproar! They are Jews, ²¹ and they are teaching customs which it’s illegal for us Romans to accept or practice!”

²² The crowd joined in the attack on them, and the magistrates had their clothes torn off them and gave orders for them to be beaten with rods. ²³ When they had thoroughly beaten them, they threw them into prison, and gave orders to the jailer to guard them securely. ²⁴ With that instruction, he put them into the innermost part of the prison, and fastened their feet in the stocks.

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.

¹² “Look! I am coming soon. I will bring my reward with me, and I will pay everyone back according to what they have done. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

¹⁴ God’s blessing on those who wash their clothes, so that they may have the right to eat from the tree of life and may enter the city by its gates.

¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am David’s root and offspring; I am the bright morning star.”

¹⁷ The spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let anyone who hears say, “Come!” Let the thirsty come; let anyone who wants the water of life take it freely.

²⁰ The one who gives this testimony says, “Yes, I am coming soon!”

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus.

²¹ The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all.

That they may be one

²⁰ “I’m not praying simply for them. I’m praying, too, for the people who will come to believe in me because of their word. ²¹ I am praying that they may all be one—just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they too may be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me.

²² “I have given them the glory which you have given to me, so that they may be one, just as we are one. ²³ I in them, and you in me; yes, they must be completely one, so that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them just as you loved me.

²⁴ “Father, I want the ones you’ve given me to be with me where I am. I want them to see my glory, the glory which you’ve given me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

²⁵ “Righteous Father, even the world didn’t know you. But I have known you, and these ones have known that you sent me. ²⁶ I made your name known to them—yes, and I will make it known; so that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them.”