Atos 16

10 And when he had seen the vision, *16:10 At this point Luke (the writer) apparently joined the journey and includes himself in the narrative, speaking in the first person.we (including Luke) tried to go on into Macedonia at once, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

11 So setting sail from Troas, we ran a direct course to Samothrace, and the next day [went on] to Neapolis; 12 and from there [we came] to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia, a Roman colony. We stayed on in this city for several days; 13 and on the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate to the bank of the [Gangites] river, where we thought there would be a *16:13 Apparently there were not enough Jews living in Philippi to establish a synagogue.place of prayer, and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had come there.

First Convert in Europe

14 A woman named *16:14 The first recorded believer in Europe.Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a dealer in *16:14 This was an important and valuable fabric, having great demand, being used on the official toga in Rome and its colonies.purple fabrics who was [already] a worshiper of God, listened to us; and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention and to respond to the things said by Paul. 15 And when she was baptized, along with her household, she pleaded with us, saying, "If you have judged me and decided that I am faithful to the Lord [a true believer], come to my house and stay." And she persuaded us.

16 It happened that as we were on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave-girl who had *16:16 Lit a python spirit. In Greek mythology, Python the earth-dragon (serpent goddess), was associated with the oracle at Delphi.a spirit of divination [that is, a demonic spirit claiming to foretell the future and discover hidden knowledge], and she brought her owners a good profit by fortune-telling. 17 She followed after Paul and us and kept screaming and shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God! They are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!"