Timothy Joins Paul and Silas
1Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. 2The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.
Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia
6Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi
11From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district16:12 The text and meaning of the Greek for the leading city of that district are uncertain. of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
13On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
Paul and Silas in Prison
16Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.
19When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”
22The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”
29The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. 34The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.
35When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” 36The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”
37But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”
38The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. 39They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. 40After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.
提摩太加入福音事工
1保罗来到特庇，然后又到路司得。那里有个门徒名叫提摩太，母亲是信主的犹太人，父亲是希腊人。 2路司得和以哥念的弟兄姊妹都称赞提摩太。 3保罗打算带提摩太同行。因为当地的犹太人都知道提摩太的父亲是希腊人，保罗就给提摩太行了割礼。 4他们走遍各城，把耶路撒冷的使徒和长老所定下的规条教导当地的门徒遵守。 5这样，众教会在信仰上得到坚固，人数天天都在增加。
马其顿人的呼求
6由于圣灵禁止他们到亚细亚传福音，他们便经过弗吕迦和加拉太地区， 7来到每西亚的边界，正要进入庇推尼地区，耶稣的灵还是不许。 8他们就越过每西亚，下到特罗亚。 9当晚，保罗在异象中看见一个马其顿人站在那里恳求他：“请到马其顿来帮助我们！”
10保罗见了这个异象，确定是上帝呼召我们16:10 本书作者路加此时加入保罗的行列，故改用第一人称复数“我们”。到马其顿去传福音，就立刻准备动身。 11我们从特罗亚启航，直接驶往撒摩特喇，第二天抵达尼亚坡里， 12再从那里来到腓立比。腓立比是马其顿的主要城市，是罗马的殖民地。我们在那里住了几天。 13安息日那天，我们到城外的河边，知道那里有一个祷告的地方，就坐下来，向已经聚集的妇女讲道。 14听众中有个卖紫色布匹的妇人名叫吕底亚，是推雅推喇城的人，向来敬拜上帝。上帝开启她的心，她便留心听保罗讲道。 15吕底亚和家人接受洗礼之后，极力邀请我们，说：“如果你们认为我是真心信主的话，请来我家住。”于是强留我们住下。
保罗和西拉入狱
16一天，我们又去河边那个祷告的地方，途中遇到一个被巫鬼附身的女奴。她用占卜为她的主人们赚了不少钱。 17她跟着保罗和我们，大喊大叫：“这些人是至高上帝的奴仆，是来向你们宣讲得救之道的。” 18一连几天，她都这样喊叫。保罗不胜其烦，就转过身来斥责那鬼：“我奉耶稣基督的名命令你从她身上出来！”那鬼立刻从她身上出去了。
19她的主人们眼见财路断绝了，就把保罗和西拉揪住，拖到广场去见官长。 20他们在官长面前控告保罗和西拉，说：“这些是犹太人，竟扰乱我们的城市， 21宣扬我们罗马人不可接受或实行的风俗。” 22于是，民众一起攻击他们，官长下令剥掉他们的衣服，杖打他们。 23他们被毒打一顿，又被关进监狱，官长命狱卒严加看守。 24狱卒接到命令后把他们关进内牢，双脚上了枷锁。
25半夜，保罗和西拉祷告、唱圣诗赞美上帝，其他囚犯都侧耳倾听。 26突然间发生大地震，整座监狱的地基都摇动起来，牢门立刻全开了，囚犯的锁链也都松开了。 27狱卒惊醒后，看见牢门尽开，以为囚犯已经逃走了，就要拔刀自杀。 28保罗见状大声喝止：“不要伤害自己，我们都在这里！”
29狱卒叫人拿灯过来，冲进内牢，战战兢兢地俯伏在保罗和西拉面前。 30狱卒领他们出来后问道：“两位先生，我该怎样做才能得救？”
31他们说：“要信主耶稣，你和你一家就必定得救。” 32于是保罗和西拉向狱卒和他全家传讲主的道。 33当晚，狱卒把二人带去，为他们清洗伤口。他一家老小都接受了洗礼。 34他请二人到家里并为他们摆上饭食，他和全家人充满了喜乐，因为都信了上帝。
35第二天早上，官长派差役来，说：“把他们放了。” 36狱卒转告保罗说：“官长下令释放你们，现在你们可以平安地走了。” 37保罗却说：“我们是罗马公民，他们未经审讯就当众打我们，又把我们关进牢里，现在却想偷偷打发掉我们吗？这样不行，叫他们亲自来领我们出去！”
38差役回报官长。官长得知保罗和西拉都是罗马公民，非常害怕， 39连忙到狱中向他们道歉，领他们出监，一再央求他们离开腓立比。 40二人离开监狱，来到吕底亚家中，见了弟兄姊妹，劝勉一番之后，便离开了那里。
