Acts 16 THEY came to Derbe and Lystra. At Lystra there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman, who was a believer, and of a Greek father.

Riverside⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ THEY came to Derbe and Lystra. At Lystra there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman, who was a believer, and of a Greek father. ² He had a good reputation among the brethren in Lystra and Iconium. ³ Paul wished to have Timothy go with him. So he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts. For they all knew that his father was a Greek. ⁴ Thus they traveled through the cities and delivered to the disciples for observance the rules that had been decided on by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. ⁵ So the churches grew firmer in faith and increased in numbers from day to day. ⁶ They went through Phrygia and the Galatian country, the Holy Spirit having prevented their speaking the message in Asia. ⁷ Upon reaching Mysia they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the spirit of Jesus did not allow them. ⁸ Passing by Mysia they came down to Troas. ⁹ There a vision appeared to Paul in the night — a Macedonian man was standing and begging him saying, "Come over into Macedonia and help us." ¹⁰ After Paul had seen the vision, we at once tried to go out to Macedonia, inferring that God had called on us to tell the good news to the people there. ¹¹ Sailing away from Troas we made a straight run to Samothrace, and on the next day to Neapolis. ¹² From there we went to Philippi, which is the first city of that part of Macedonia and is a Roman colony. We remained in that city for a number of days. ¹³ On the Sabbath day we went outside of the gate to a place on the riverside where it was customary to go for prayer, and we sat down and talked with the women who had gathered there. ¹⁴ One woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple, from the city of Thyatira, who reverenced God, was listening. God opened her heart to receive what was said by Paul. ¹⁵ When she had been baptized along with her household, she begged us, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay," and she insisted on our doing so. ¹⁶ It so happened that as we were going to the place of prayer a certain slave girl who had a spirit of divination met us. She was bringing great gain to her masters by divining. ¹⁷ She followed Paul and us and kept calling out, "These men are servants of God Most High, and they are teaching you the way of salvation." ¹⁸ This she kept doing for many days. Paul was annoyed, and turning he said to the spirit, "I tell you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her," and it came out at that very moment. ¹⁹ When her masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they laid hold of Paul and Silas and dragged them into the public square before the authorities. ²⁰ Bringing them in, they said to the magistrates, "These men, who are Jews, are disturbing our city ²¹ and teaching customs which it is not proper for us, who are Romans, to receive or practice." ²² The crowd joined in the attack upon them, and the magistrates tore off their clothes and ordered them to be beaten with rods. ²³ After laying many stripes upon them they cast them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them securely. ²⁴ He on receiving such an order thrust them into the inner prison and made their feet secure in the stocks. ²⁵ But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. ²⁶ Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. Immediately all the doors were opened and every one's fetters were loosed. ²⁷ The jailer, waking from sleep and seeing the doors of the prison open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul said with a loud voice, "Do no harm to yourself, for we are all here." ²⁹ Calling for a light he sprang in and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas, ³⁰ and led them out and said, "Men, what must I do to be saved?" ³¹ They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, and your household," ³² and they told the message of God to him and to all who were in his house. ³³ He took them at that hour of the night and washed their stripes. Then he was baptized, he and all of his household, immediately. ³⁴ He brought them into his house and spread the table for them, and rejoiced with his whole family because he had believed in God. ³⁵ When morning came the magistrates sent their orderlies to say, "Set those men at liberty." ³⁶ The jailer told this order to Paul, "The magistrates have sent to have you set at liberty. Now go out and proceed on your journey in peace." ³⁷ But Paul said to them, "After beating us publicly and without a trial, although we are Romans, they cast us into prison. And are they now sending us out secretly? No, let them come themselves and lead us out." ³⁸ The orderlies reported these words to the magistrates. When they heard that they were Romans they were alarmed, ³⁹ and came and begged them, and after leading them out requested them to leave the city. ⁴⁰ They came out of the prison and went into Lydia's house, and after seeing and encouraging the brethren they departed.