Acts 16
16
1Now Paul came to Derbe and Lystra. There was a disciple there named Timothy, son of a woman who was a Jewish believer and a Greek father,
2who was well-spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium.
3Paul wanted this man to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him for the sake of the Jewish people in those places—for they all knew that his father was Greek.
4As they were traveling through the cities, they were handing down the rulings that had been decided upon by the emissaries and elders in Jerusalem, for them to keep.
5So Messiah’s communities were strengthened in the faith and kept increasing daily in number.
Going West to Macedonia
6They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Ruach ha-Kodesh to speak the word in Asia.
7When they came to Mysia, they were trying to proceed into Bithynia, but the Ruach of Yeshua would not allow them.
8So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.
9Now a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man from Macedonia was standing and pleading with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!”
10As soon as he had seen the vision, immediately we tried to go to Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the Good News to them.
11So we put out to sea from Troas and made a straight course for Samothrace, the next day on to Neapolis,
12and from there to Philippi—which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia as well as a Roman colony. We stayed in this city for several days.
13On Yom Shabbat, we went outside the gate to the river, where we expected a place of prayer to be. We sat down and began speaking with the women who had gathered.
14A woman named Lydia—a seller of purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, a God-fearer—was listening. The Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul was saying.
15When she was immersed, along with her household, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my house.” And she insisted.
16It so happened that as we were going to prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit of divination, who was bringing her masters much profit from her fortune-telling.
17Following after Paul and us, she kept shouting, saying, “These men are servants of El Elyon, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.”
18She kept doing this for many days. But Paul was irritated and turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Messiah Yeshua to come out of her!” And it came out of her that very moment.
19But when her masters saw that the hope of profit was gone, they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities.
20And when they brought them to the chief authorities, they said, “These men are throwing our city into an uproar! Being Jewish,
21they advocate customs which are not permitted for us to accept or practice, being Romans.”
22Then the crowd joined in the attack on them. So the chief authorities ripped their clothes off them and commanded them to be beaten with rods.
23After inflicting many blows on them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to guard them securely.
24Having received this charge, he threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
Salvation for a Jailer’s Household
25But about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
26Suddenly there was such a great earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. Immediately all the doors were unlocked, and everyone’s chains came loose.
27When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing the prisoners had escaped.
28But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Don’t harm yourself! We’re all here!”
29The jailer called for lights and rushed in; and trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas.
30After he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31They said, “Put your trust in the Lord Yeshua and you will be saved—you and your household!”
32Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him, along with everyone in his household.
33He took them that very hour and washed their wounds, and at once he was immersed—he and all his household.
34The jailer brought them to his house and set food before them, and he was overjoyed that he with his entire household had put their trust in God.
35When day came, the chief authorities sent their police officers, saying, “Release those men.”
36But the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The chief authorities have sent orders to release you. So come out now, and go in shalom.”
37But Paul said to the officers, “They have beaten us publicly without a trial—men who are Roman citizens—and have thrown us into prison. And now they are sending us away secretly? No! Let them come themselves and lead us out!”
38The police officers reported these words to the chief authorities. They became afraid when they heard they were Romans,
39so they came and apologized to them. After they escorted them out, they kept begging them to leave the city.
40When Paul and Silas went out of the prison, they visited Lydia’s house. And when they saw the brothers, they encouraged them and then departed.
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Acts 16: TLV
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