¹⁶ It happened that as we were going to ^(A)the place of prayer, a slave-girl having ^(B)a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortune-telling.

¹⁹ But when her masters saw that their hope of ^(A)profit was ^[a]gone, they seized ^(B)Paul and Silas and ^(C)dragged them into the market place before the authorities, ²⁰ and when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion, being Jews, ²¹ and ^(D)are proclaiming customs which it is not lawful for us to accept or to observe, being ^(E)Romans.”

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

²² The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their ^[b]robes off them and proceeded to order ^[c]them to be ^(F)beaten with rods. ²³ When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding ^(G)the jailer to guard them securely; ^24 [d]and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in ^(H)the ^[e]stocks.

²⁵ But about midnight ^(I)Paul and Silas were praying and ^(J)singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; ²⁶ and suddenly ^(K)there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately ^(L)all the doors were opened and everyone’s ^(M)chains were unfastened. ²⁷ When ^(N)the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about ^(O)to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” ²⁹ And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before ^(P)Paul and Silas, ³⁰ and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, ^(Q)what must I do to be saved?”

The Jailer Converted

³¹ They said, “^(R)Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and ^(S)your household.” ³² And they spoke the word of ^[f]the Lord to him together with all who were in his house. ³³ And he took them ^(T)that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. ³⁴ And he brought them into his house and set ^[g]food before them, and rejoiced ^[h]greatly, having believed in God with ^(U)his whole household.

³⁵ Now when day came, the chief magistrates sent their policemen, saying, “Release those men.” ³⁶ And ^(V)the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The chief magistrates have sent to release you. Therefore come out now and go ^(W)in peace.” ³⁷ But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us in public without trial, ^(X)men who are Romans, and have thrown us into prison; and now are they sending us away secretly? No indeed! But let them come themselves and bring us out.” ³⁸ The policemen reported these words to the chief magistrates. ^(Y)They were afraid when they heard that they were Romans, ³⁹ and they came and appealed to them, and when they had brought them out, they kept begging them ^(Z)to leave the city. ⁴⁰ They went out of the prison and entered the house of ^(AA)Lydia, and when they saw ^(AB)the brethren, they ^[i]encouraged them and departed.