Acts 16:16-40

American Standard Version

¹⁶ And it came to pass, as we were going to the place of prayer, that a certain maid having ^[a]a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much gain by soothsaying. ¹⁷ The same following after Paul and us cried out, saying, These men are ^[b]servants of the Most High God, who proclaim unto you ^[c]the way of salvation. ¹⁸ And this she did for many days. But Paul, being sore troubled, turned and said to the spirit, I charge thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And it came out that very hour.

¹⁹ But when her masters saw that the hope of their gain was ^[d]gone, they laid hold on Paul and Silas, and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers, ²⁰ and when they had brought them unto the ^[e]magistrates, they said, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, ²¹ and set forth customs which it is not lawful for us to receive, or to observe, being Romans. ²² And the multitude rose up together against them: and the ^[f]magistrates rent their garments off them, and commanded to beat them with rods. ²³ And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: ²⁴ who, having received such a charge, cast them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. ²⁵ But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns unto God, and the prisoners were listening to them; ²⁶ and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison-house were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened; and every one’s bands were loosed. ²⁷ And the jailor, being roused out of sleep and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. ²⁹ And he called for lights and sprang in, and, trembling for fear, fell down before Paul and Silas, ³⁰ and brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? ³¹ And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house. ³² And they spake the word of ^[g]the Lord unto him, with all that were in his house. ³³ And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, immediately. ³⁴ And he brought them up into his house, and set ^[h]food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his house, ^[i]having believed in God.

³⁵ But when it was day, the ^[j]magistrates sent the ^[k]serjeants, saying, Let those men go. ³⁶ And the jailor reported the words to Paul, saying, The ^[l]magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore come forth, and go in peace. ³⁷ But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men that are Romans, and have cast us into prison; and do they now cast us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and bring us out. ³⁸ And the ^[m]serjeants reported these words unto the ^[n]magistrates: and they feared when they heard that they were Romans; ³⁹ and they came and besought them; and when they had brought them out, they asked them to go away from the city. ⁴⁰ And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they ^[o]comforted them, and departed.