- 1Then 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.
- 6Now 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.
- 14 And 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.
- 19 And 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.
- 35And 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.
KING JAMES VERSION
ACTS 16
Read the chapter, follow a linked verse, and continue into related Watchman 33 teaching.
CHAPTER VISUAL
Acts 16 — Led into Macedonia, Paul and Silas suffer for the gospel yet sing in prison, and the shaken jailer and his household believe and are baptized.
About this illustration
The opened prison, loosed bands, prevented suicide, and household’s later joy are combined in one continuous night scene. Lydia’s riverside conversion occurs earlier and is not compressed into the prison setting.
Scripture basis: Acts 16:1–40King James Version · Standardized 1769 text with Strong’s numbering · Public domain outside the United Kingdom
EXPLORE THE MESSAGE
Related Watchman 33 Resources
Archaeological Evidence
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEArchitecture
First–second centuries AD
The Roman Forum and Bema at Philippi
Philippi's forum, monumental civic core, and judicial installations reveal the colonial setting in which Acts places Paul and Silas before magistrates, although the surviving bema cannot be identified as the exact platform used in their hearing.
Acts 16:19–24
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEInscription
AD 157
The Inscription Identifying Derbe
Michael Ballance's AD 157 civic dedication by Derbe's council and people securely locates the ancient city's territory near Kerti Höyük, while later topographic revision leaves the precise relationship between the inscription, mound, and nearby settlement centers open.
Acts 14:20–23 · Acts 16:1–2
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEInscription
First–third centuries AD
Lystra's Roman Colony and Cult Inscriptions
Lystra's colonial coins and inscriptions document a Roman civic identity alongside Anatolian religious practice, while recent scholarship warns that a famous Zeus–Hermes inscription was neither securely found at Lystra nor a direct parallel to Acts 14.
Acts 14:8–20 · Acts 16:1–3
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEArchaeological site
Hellenistic–Roman periods
The Harbor of Alexandria Troas
Survey reconstructs Alexandria Troas's Augustan outer and inner harbor at the meeting of Aegean and Dardanelles routes, materially explaining the repeated sea crossings in Acts while preserving no vessel or quay securely associated with Paul.
Acts 16:8–11 · Acts 20:5–12
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEInscription
Roman imperial period, chiefly second–third centuries AD
The Trade-Guild Inscriptions of Thyatira
Thyatira's inscriptions preserve an unusually varied world of occupational associations, giving concrete shape to Lydia's textile trade and the economic pressures behind Revelation without proving that every guild imposed the same cultic demands.
Acts 16:14–15 · Revelation 2:18–29
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEManuscript
5th Century
Papyrus P127: Acts 10–12 and 15–17 in a Greek Codex
P.Oxy. LXXIV 4968, Gregory-Aland P127, comprises remains of eight fifth-century papyrus leaves of Acts and preserves a distinctive text often compared with Codex Bezae.
Acts 10:32–35 · Acts 10:40–45 · Acts 11:2–5
View all 8 archaeology resources
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