Acts 16

King James Version

Full text for Acts Chapter 16

1¶ Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father [was] a Greek:

2Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium.

3Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.

4And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.

5And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.

6¶ Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,

7After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.

8And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas.

9And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.

10And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.

11Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next [day] to Neapolis;

12And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, [and] a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days.

13And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted [thither].

14And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard [us]: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.

15And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought [us], saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide [there]. And she constrained us.

16¶ And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:

17The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.

18And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

19And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew [them] into the marketplace unto the rulers,

20And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,

21And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.

22And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat [them].

23And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast [them] into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:

24Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.

25¶ And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

26And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

27And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

28But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

29Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,

30And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

31And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

32And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

33And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed [their] stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

34And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.

35¶ And when it was day, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, Let those men go.

36And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace.

37But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast [us] into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out.

38And the serjeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans.

39And they came and besought them, and brought [them] out, and desired [them] to depart out of the city.

40And they went out of the prison, and entered into [the house of] Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Paul and Silas begin their second missionary journey, joined by Timothy, and are divinely guided to Macedonia after a vision. In Philippi, Lydia and her household convert, and Paul casts out a spirit of divination, leading to his and Silas's unjust imprisonment. A miraculous earthquake frees them, resulting in the jailor's conversion and baptism, before they are honorably released by the magistrates.

Medium Summary

Paul and Silas travel to Derbe and Lystra, where Timothy, a well-regarded disciple, joins them after Paul circumcises him to accommodate local Jewish sensitivities. They deliver the Jerusalem decrees, strengthening the churches. Forbidden by the Holy Ghost from preaching in Asia and Bithynia, they are led to Troas, where Paul receives a vision of a Macedonian man, prompting their journey to Philippi. There, Lydia, a seller of purple, and her household are converted and baptized, offering them hospitality. Later, Paul casts out a spirit of divination from a slave girl, angering her masters who profit from her soothsaying. This leads to Paul and Silas being seized, beaten, and imprisoned. At midnight, an earthquake opens the prison doors and loosens their bonds, leading the despairing jailor to inquire about salvation. After hearing the gospel, he and his household are baptized, and the next day, Paul asserts his Roman citizenship, leading to the magistrates' fearful and honorable release of the apostles.

Long Summary

Paul and Silas commence their second missionary journey, arriving in Derbe and Lystra, where they encounter Timothy, a respected disciple with a Jewish mother and Greek father. Paul circumcises Timothy, not as a requirement for salvation, but for the sake of the Jews in those regions, to avoid giving offense. As they travel through cities, they deliver the decrees from the Jerusalem council, which serves to establish the churches in faith and increase their numbers daily. The Holy Ghost actively directs their path, forbidding them from preaching in Asia and Bithynia, and instead guiding them to Troas. In Troas, Paul experiences a night vision of a man from Macedonia pleading for help, which they interpret as a divine call to preach the gospel there. They immediately set sail, arriving in Philippi, a significant Roman colony. On the Sabbath, they go to a place of prayer by a riverside, where they meet women, including Lydia, a wealthy seller of purple from Thyatira, who worships God. The Lord opens Lydia's heart to attend to Paul's message, resulting in her baptism and that of her entire household, after which she earnestly persuades them to stay at her home. Later, they encounter a slave girl possessed by a spirit of divination, who repeatedly proclaims Paul and Silas as servants of the most high God. Paul, grieved by this, commands the spirit to depart in the name of Jesus Christ, and it leaves her immediately. Her masters, enraged by the loss of their profitable soothsaying, seize Paul and Silas, dragging them before the magistrates in the marketplace. They accuse the apostles of troubling the city and teaching unlawful customs for Romans. The multitude turns against them, and the magistrates order them to be stripped, severely beaten with many stripes, and then cast into the inner prison, with their feet secured in stocks. Despite their suffering, at midnight, Paul and Silas pray and sing praises to God, audible to the other prisoners. Suddenly, a great earthquake shakes the prison, opening all doors and loosening everyone's bonds. The jailor, awakening and seeing the open doors, assumes the prisoners have escaped and prepares to take his own life, but Paul calls out, assuring him they are all present. Trembling, the jailor brings them out and asks, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Paul and Silas instruct him to "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ," and that same hour, he and his household are baptized after their wounds are tended. The next morning, the magistrates send word for their release, but Paul asserts his Roman citizenship, demanding that the magistrates themselves come to release them, as they had been beaten publicly and unlawfully. Fearing their Roman status, the magistrates comply, bringing them out and requesting their departure from the city. Paul and Silas then visit Lydia's house to comfort the brethren before leaving Philippi.

Core Concepts

  • Guidance of the Holy SpiritThe Holy Spirit actively directs Paul's missionary journey, forbidding him from preaching in certain regions and leading him to Macedonia through a vision.
  • Circumcision for ExpediencyPaul circumcises Timothy, not as a requirement for salvation, but to remove a potential stumbling block for the Jews in the areas they intended to visit.
  • Conversion of LydiaThe Lord opens the heart of Lydia, a prominent businesswoman, leading to her and her household's baptism and the establishment of a base for the apostles in Philippi.
  • Conflict with Demonic PowersPaul confronts and casts out a spirit of divination from a slave girl, demonstrating the power of Christ over evil spirits, which directly incites persecution.
  • Persecution and Divine DeliverancePaul and Silas endure unjust beating and imprisonment for their ministry, but God intervenes with an earthquake, leading to their miraculous release and the jailor's conversion.
  • Roman CitizenshipPaul leverages his Roman citizenship to challenge the unlawful actions of the magistrates, securing a more honorable release and demonstrating the legal rights available even to those persecuted.
  • The Philippian Jailor's ConversionA dramatic conversion experience where a desperate jailor, witnessing divine intervention, asks about salvation and is immediately baptized with his household upon believing in Jesus Christ.