1 Chegou também a Derbe e Listra. E eis que estava ali certo discípulo por nome Timóteo, filho de uma judia crente, mas de pai grego;
2 do qual davam bom testemunho os irmãos em Listra e Icônio.
3 Paulo quis que este fosse com ele e, tomando-o, o circuncidou por causa dos judeus que estavam naqueles lugares; porque todos sabiam que seu pai era grego.
4 Quando iam passando pelas cidades, entregavam aos irmãos, para serem observadas, as decisões que haviam sido tomadas pelos apóstolos e anciãos em Jerusalém.
5 Assim as igrejas eram confirmadas na fé, e dia a dia cresciam em número.
6 Atravessaram a região frígio-gálata, tendo sido impedidos pelo Espírito Santo de anunciar a palavra na Ásia;
7 e tendo chegado diante da Mísia, tentavam ir para Bitínia, mas o Espírito de Jesus não lho permitiu.
8 Então, passando pela Mísia, desceram a Trôade.
9 De noite apareceu a Paulo esta visão: estava ali em pé um homem da Macedônia, que lhe rogava: Passa à Macedônia e ajuda-nos.
10 E quando ele teve esta visão, procurávamos logo partir para a Macedônia, concluindo que Deus nos havia chamado para lhes anunciarmos o evangelho.
11 Navegando, pois, de Trôade, fomos em direitura a Samotrácia, e no dia seguinte a Neápolis;
12 e dali para Filipos, que é a primeira cidade desse distrito da Macedônia, e colônia romana; e estivemos alguns dias nessa cidade.
13 No sábado saímos portas afora para a beira do rio, onde julgávamos haver um lugar de oração e, sentados, falávamos às mulheres ali reunidas.
14 E certa mulher chamada Lídia, vendedora de púrpura, da cidade de Tiatira, e que temia a Deus, nos escutava e o Senhor lhe abriu o coração para atender às coisas que Paulo dizia.
15 Depois que foi batizada, ela e a sua casa, rogou-nos, dizendo: Se haveis julgado que eu sou fiel ao Senhor, entrai em minha casa, e ficai ali. E nos constrangeu a isso.
16 Ora, aconteceu que quando íamos ao lugar de oração, nos veio ao encontro uma jovem que tinha um espírito adivinhador, e que, adivinhando, dava grande lucro a seus senhores.
17 Ela, seguindo a Paulo e a nós, clamava, dizendo: São servos do Deus Altíssimo estes homens que vos anunciam um caminho de salvação.
18 E fazia isto por muitos dias. Mas Paulo, perturbado, voltou-se e disse ao espírito: Eu te ordeno em nome de Jesus Cristo que saias dela. E na mesma hora saiu.
19 Ora, vendo seus senhores que a esperança do seu lucro havia desaparecido, prenderam a Paulo e Silas, e os arrastaram para uma praça à presença dos magistrados.
20 E, apresentando-os aos magistrados, disseram: Estes homens, sendo judeus, estão perturbando muito a nossa cidade,
21 e pregam costumes que não nos é lícito receber nem praticar, sendo nós romanos.
22 A multidão levantou-se à uma contra eles, e os magistrados, rasgando-lhes os vestidos, mandaram açoitá-los com varas.
23 E, havendo-lhes dado muitos açoites, os lançaram na prisão, mandando ao carcereiro que os guardasse com segurança.
24 Ele, tendo recebido tal ordem, os lançou na prisão interior e lhes segurou os pés no tronco.
25 Pela meia-noite Paulo e Silas oravam e cantavam hinos a Deus, enquanto os presos os escutavam.
26 De repente houve um tão grande terremoto que foram abalados os alicerces do cárcere, e logo se abriram todas as portas e foram soltos os grilhões de todos.
27 Ora, o carcereiro, tendo acordado e vendo abertas as portas da prisão, tirou a espada e ia suicidar-se, supondo que os presos tivessem fugido.
28 Mas Paulo bradou em alta voz, dizendo: Não te faças nenhum mal, porque todos aqui estamos.
29 Tendo ele pedido luz, saltou dentro e, todo trêmulo, se prostrou ante Paulo e Silas
30 e, tirando-os para fora, disse: Senhores, que me é necessário fazer para me salvar?
31 Responderam eles: Crê no Senhor Jesus e serás salvo, tu e tua casa.
32 Então lhe pregaram a palavra de Deus, e a todos os que estavam em sua casa.
33 Tomando-os ele consigo naquela mesma hora da noite, lavou-lhes as feridas; e logo foi batizado, ele e todos os seus.
34 Então os fez subir para sua casa, pôs-lhes a mesa e alegrou-se muito com toda a sua casa, por ter crido em Deus.
35 Quando amanheceu, os magistrados mandaram quadrilheiros a dizer: Soltai aqueles homens.
36 E o carcereiro transmitiu a Paulo estas palavras, dizendo: Os magistrados mandaram que fosseis soltos; agora, pois, saí e ide em paz.
37 Mas Paulo respondeu-lhes: Açoitaram-nos publicamente sem sermos condenados, sendo cidadãos romanos, e nos lançaram na prisão, e agora encobertamente nos lançam fora? De modo nenhum será assim; mas venham eles mesmos e nos tirem.
38 E os quadrilheiros foram dizer aos magistrados estas palavras, e estes temeram quando ouviram que eles eram romanos;
39 vieram, pediram-lhes desculpas e, tirando-os para fora, rogavam que se retirassem da cidade.
40 Então eles saíram da prisão, entraram em casa de Lídia, e, vendo os irmãos, os confortaram, e partiram.
1 Paul 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.
2 The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.
3 Paul 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.
4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.
5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.
6 Paul 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.
7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.
9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
10 After 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.
11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis.
12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district "of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
13 On 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.
14 One 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.
15 When 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.
16 Once 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.
17 She 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."
18 She 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.
19 When 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.
20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar
21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice."
22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.
23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.
24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
26 Suddenly 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.
27 The 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.
28 But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"
29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.
30 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved —you and your household."
32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.
33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized.
34 The 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.
35 When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: "Release those men."
36 The jailer told Paul, "The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace."
37 But 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."
38 The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed.
39 They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city.
40 After 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.