Bible Gateway passage: Acts 16:11-40 - New International Version (2024)

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Listen to Acts 16:11-40

Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi

¹¹From Troas^(A) we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. ¹²From there we traveled to Philippi,^(B) a Roman colony and the leading city of that district^[a] of Macedonia.^(C) And we stayed there several days.

¹³On the Sabbath^(D) we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. ¹⁴One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira^(E) named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart^(F) to respond to Paul’s message. ¹⁵When she and the members of her household^(G) were baptized,^(H) she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

Paul and Silas in Prison

¹⁶Once when we were going to the place of prayer,^(I) we were met by a female slave who had a spirit^(J) by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. ¹⁷She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God,^(K) who are telling you the way to be saved.” ¹⁸She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.^(L)

¹⁹When her owners realized that their hope of making money^(M) was gone, they seized Paul and Silas^(N) and dragged^(O) them into the marketplace to face the authorities. ²⁰They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar^(P) ²¹by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans^(Q) to accept or practice.”^(R)

²²The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.^(S) ²³After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer^(T) was commanded to guard them carefully. ²⁴When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.^(U)

²⁵About midnight^(V) Paul and Silas^(W) were praying and singing hymns^(X) to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken.^(Y) At once all the prison doors flew open,^(Z) and everyone’s chains came loose.^(AA) ²⁷The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.^(AB) ²⁸But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

²⁹The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.^(AC) ³⁰He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”^(AD)

³¹They replied, “Believe^(AE) in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved^(AF)—you and your household.”^(AG) ³²Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. ³³At that hour of the night^(AH) the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized.^(AI) ³⁴The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he^(AJ) was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

³⁵When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” ³⁶The jailer^(AK) told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”^(AL)

³⁷But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens,^(AM) and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”

³⁸The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed.^(AN) ³⁹They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city.^(AO) ⁴⁰After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house,^(AP) where they met with the brothers and sisters^(AQ) and encouraged them. Then they left.