Paul and Silas Are Thrown Into Prison

16  Now as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit that enabled her to foretell the future by supernatural means. She brought her owners a great profit by fortune-telling. 17  She followed behind Paul and us and kept crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.” 18  She continued to do this for many days. But Paul became greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out of her at once. 19  But when her owners saw their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. 20  When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion. They are Jews 21  and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us to accept or practice, since we are Romans.”

22  The crowd joined the attack against them, and the magistrates tore the clothes off Paul and Silas and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23  After they had beaten them severely, they threw them into prison and commanded the jailer to guard them securely. 24  Receiving such orders, he threw them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

25  About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the rest of the prisoners were listening to them. 26  Suddenly a great earthquake occurred, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. Immediately all the doors flew open, and the bonds of all the prisoners came loose. 27  When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison standing open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, because he assumed the prisoners had escaped. 28  But Paul called out loudly, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” 29  Calling for lights, the jailer rushed in and fell down trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. 30  Then he brought them outside and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31  They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32  Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him, along with all those who were in his house. 33  At that hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and all his family were baptized right away. 34  The jailer brought them into his house and set food before them, and he rejoiced greatly that he had come to believe in God, together with his entire household. 35  At daybreak the magistrates sent their police officers, saying, “Release those men.” 36  The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent orders to release you. So come out now and go in peace.” 37  But Paul said to the police officers, “They had us beaten in public without a proper trial – even though we are Roman citizens – and they threw us in prison. And now they want to send us away secretly? Absolutely not! They themselves must come and escort us out!” 38  The police officers reported these words to the magistrates. They were frightened when they heard Paul and Silas were Roman citizens 39  and came and apologized to them. After they brought them out, they asked them repeatedly to leave the city. 40  When they came out of the prison, they entered Lydia’s house, and when they saw the brothers, they encouraged them and then departed.

17  After they traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2  Paul went to the Jews in the synagogue, as he customarily did, and on three Sabbath days he addressed them from the scriptures, 3  explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead, saying, “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.” 4  Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large group of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women. 5  But the Jews became jealous, and gathering together some worthless men from the rabble in the marketplace, they formed a mob and set the city in an uproar. They attacked Jason’s house, trying to find Paul and Silas to bring them out to the assembly. 6  When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, screaming, “These people who have stirred up trouble throughout the world have come here too, 7  and Jason has welcomed them as guests! They are all acting against Caesar’s decrees, saying there is another king named Jesus!” 8  They caused confusion among the crowd and the city officials who heard these things. 9  After the city officials had received bail from Jason and the others, they released them.