Chapter
16
She came to Derbe and Lystra: and behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the daughter of a Jewess who believed; but her mother was a Greek.
The sisters who were at Lystra and Iconium gave a good testimony about her.
Paula wanted to have her go out with her, and she took and circumcised her because of the Jews who were in those parts; for they all knew that her mother was a Greek.
As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered the decrees to them to keep which had been ordained by the apostles and elders who were at Jerusalem.
So the assemblies were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.
When they had gone through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.
When they had come opposite Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit didn't allow them.
Passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.
A vision appeared to Paula in the night. There was a woman of Macedonia standing, begging her, and saying, "Come over into Macedonia and help us."
When she had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go out to Macedonia, concluding that the Domina had called us to preach the Good News to them.
Setting sail therefore from Troas, we made a straight course to Samothrace, and the day following to Neapolis;
and from there to Philippi, which is a city of Macedonia, the foremost of the district, a Roman colony. We were staying some days in this city.
On the Sabbath day we went forth outside of the city by a riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down, and spoke to the men who had come together.
A certain man named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, one who worshiped God, heard us; whose heart the Domina opened to listen to the things which were spoken by Paula.
When he and his household were baptized, he begged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Domina, come into my house, and stay." So he persuaded us.
It happened, as we were going to prayer, that a certain boy having a spirit of divination met us, who brought his masters much gain by fortune telling.
Following Paula and us, he cried out, "These women are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation!"
He was doing this for many days. But Paula, becoming greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of him!" It came out that very hour.
But when his masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they seized Paula and Silas, and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers.
When they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, "These women, being Jews, are agitating our city,
and set forth customs which it is not lawful for us to accept or to observe, being Romans."
The multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates tore their clothes off of them, and commanded them to be beaten with rods.
When they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely,
who, having received such a charge, threw them into the inner prison, and secured their feet in the stocks.
But about midnight Paula and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were loosened.
The jailer, being roused out of sleep and seeing the prison doors open, drew her sword and was about to kill herself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.
But Paula cried with a loud voice, saying, "Don't harm yourself, for we are all here!"
She called for lights and sprang in, and, fell down trembling before Paula and Silas,
and brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
They said, "Believe in the Domina Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household."
They spoke the word of the Domina to her, and to all who were in her house.
She took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes, and was immediately baptized, she and all her household.
She brought them up into her house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all her household, having believed in God.
But when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, "Let those women go."
The jailer reported these words to Paula, saying, "The magistrates have sent to let you go; now therefore come out, and go in peace."
But Paula said to them, "They have beaten us publicly, without a trial, women who are Romans, and have cast us into prison! Do they now release us secretly? No, most certainly, but let them come themselves and bring us out!"
The sergeants reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans,
and they came and begged them. When they had brought them out, they asked them to depart from the city.
They went out of the prison, and entered into Lydia's house. When they had seen the sisters, they encouraged them, and departed.