Atos 16

Prison

16 Now it happened, as we were going to prayer, that a certain slave girl having a spirit of divination met us, who brought considerable profit to her owners by divination. 17 Following Paul and Silas*I follow the best line of transmission in reading ‘Silas’; some 60% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘us’, as in most versions. Luke, who was there, is focusing the account on the two who were put in prison. this girl kept calling out, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to us the way of salvation!"*I find it to be curious that what the demon said was precisely true! So why did that truth not result in many conversions? Presumably because the Holy Spirit did not apply it, coming from a demon. Instead of "to us", perhaps 20% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘to you’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). Did the demon have the girl include herself, or not? 18 She kept this up for many days!*The ‘hour of prayer’ was observed every day by God-fearing Jews. So the apostles would pass at a predictable time each day. So Paul, becoming increasingly annoyed,*But Paul, she was giving you free advertising! Evidently he didn’t want advertising from the enemy, and in this he followed the Lord’s example (Mark 3:11-12). turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!" And it came out that very hour.