Moff by section ACTs 16:1

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Acts 16

16 He also came down to Derbe and Lystra, where there was a disciple called Timotheus, the son of a believing Jewess and a Greek father. 2 He had a good reputation among the brothers at Lystra and Iconium; 3 so, as Paul wished him to go abroad with him, he took and circumcised him on account of the local Jews, all of whom knew his father had been a Greek.

4 As they travelled on from town to town, they handed over to the people the resolutions which the apostles and the presbyters in Jerusalem had decided were to be obeyed; 5 and the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in numbers day by day. 6 They crossed Phrygia and the country of Galatia, the holy Spirit having stopped them from preaching the word in Asia; 7 when they got as far as Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them, 8 and so they passed Mysia by and went down to Troas.

9 A vision appeared to Paul by night, the vision of a Macedonian standing and appealing to him with the words, 'Cross to Macedonia and help us.' 10 As soon as he saw the vision, we made efforts to start for Macedonia, inferring that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. 11 Setting sail then from Troas we ran straight to Samothrace and on the following day to Neapolis. 12 We then came to the Roman colony of Philippi, which is the foremost town of the district of Macedonia. In this town we spent some days. 13 On the sabbath we went outside the gate to the bank of the river, where as usual there was a place of prayer; we sat down and talked to the women who had gathered. 14 Among the listeners there was a woman called Lydia, a dealer in purple who belonged to the town of Thyatira. She reverenced God, and the Lord opened her heart to attend to what Paul said. 15 When she was baptized, along with her household, she begged us, saying, 'If you are convinced I am a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.' She compelled us to come.

16 Now it happened as we went to the place of prayer that a slave-girl met us, possessed by a spirit of ventriloquism, and a source of great profit to her owners by her power of fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shrieking, 'These men are servants of the Most High God, they proclaim to you the way of salvation!' 18 She did this for a number of days. Then Paul turned in annoyance and told the spirit, 'In the name of Jesus Christ I order you out of her!' And it left her that very moment. 19 But when her owners saw their chance of profit was gone, they caught hold of Paul and Silas and dragged them before the magistrates in the forum. 20 Bringing them before the praetors they declared, 'These fellows are Jews who are making an agitation in our town; 21 they are proclaiming customs which as Romans we are not allowed to accept or observe!' 22 The crowd also joined in the attack upon them, while the praetors, after having them stripped and after ordering them to be flogged with rods, 23 had many lashes inflicted on them and put them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safe. 24 On receiving so strict a charge, he put them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks.

25 But about midnight, as Paul and Silas were praying and singing to God, while the prisoners listened, 26 all of a sudden there was a great earthquake which shook the very foundations of the prison; the doors all flew open in an instant and the fetters of all the prisoners were unfastened. 27 When the jailer started from his sleep and saw the prison-doors open, he drew his sword and was on the point of killing himself, supposing the prisoners had made their escape; 28 but Paul shouted aloud, 'Do not harm yourself, we are all here!' 29 So calling for lights he rushed in, fell in terror before Paul and Silas, 30 and brought them out (after securing the other prisoners). 'Sirs,' he said, 'what must I do to be saved?' 31 'Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,' they said, 'and then you will be saved, you and your household as well.' 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all in his house. 33 Then he took them at that very hour of the night and washed their wounds and got baptized instantly, he and all his family. 34 He took them up to his house and put food before them, overjoyed like all his household at having believed in God.

35 When day broke, the praetors sent the lictors with the message, 'Release these men.' 36 The jailer repeated this to Paul. 'The praetors,' he said, 'have sent to release you. So come out and go in peace?' 37 But Paul replied, 'They flogged us in public and without a trial, flogged Roman citizens! They put us in prison, and now they are going to get rid of us secretly! No indeed! Let them come here themselves and take us out!' 38 The lictors reported this to the praetors, who, on hearing the men were Roman citizens, became alarmed; 39 they went to appease them and after taking them out of prison begged them to leave the town. 40 So they left the prison and went to Lydia's house, where they saw the brothers and encouraged them; then they departed.

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