1 Chegou também a Derbe e a Listra. Achava-se ali um discípulo chamado Timóteo, filho de uma judia crente, mas de pai grego;

2 dele davam bom testemunho os irmãos em Listra e Icônio.

3 Paulo quis que ele fosse em sua companhia e, tomando-o, circuncidou-o por causa dos judeus daqueles lugares; pois todos sabiam que seu pai era grego.

4 Quando iam passando pelas cidades, entregavam-lhes para serem observadas as decisões que haviam sido tomadas pelos apóstolos e presbíteros em Jerusalém.

5 Assim as igrejas eram fortalecidas na fé e aumentavam em número cada dia.

6 Atravessaram a região frígio-gálata, tendo sido impedidos pelo Espírito Santo de anunciar a palavra na Ásia.

7 Tendo viajado na direção de Mísia, tentavam seguir para Bitínia, mas o Espírito de Jesus não o permitiu;

8 e tendo passado ao lado de Mísia, desceram a Trôade.

9 De noite apareceu a Paulo esta visão: Um homem da Macedônia achava-se em pé, rogando-lhe: Passa à Macedônia e ajuda-nos.

10 Depois desta visão, procuramos logo partir para a Macedônia, concluindo que Deus nos havia chamado para aí pregarmos o Evangelho.

11 Tendo, pois, navegado de Trôade, fomos em direitura a Samotrácia, no dia seguinte a Neápolis,

12 e dali a Filipos, cidade da Macedônia, primeira do distrito, e colônia. Nesta cidade ficamos alguns dias.

13 No sábado saímos fora da porta para junto de um rio, onde julgávamos haver um lugar de oração e, sentados, falávamos às mulheres que ali haviam concorrido.

14 Uma mulher chamada Lídia, vendedora de púrpura, da cidade de Tiatira, e que temia a Deus, nos escutava; e o Senhor abriu-lhe o coração para atender às coisas que Paulo dizia.

15 Depois de serem batizadas, ela e sua casa, fez-nos este pedido: Se julgais que sou crente no Senhor, entrai em minha casa e ficai nela; e constrangeu-nos a isso.

16 Enquanto íamos ao lugar de oração, veio-nos ao encontro uma moça que tinha um espírito adivinhador, a qual com as suas adivinhações dava muito lucro aos amos.

17 Ela, seguindo a Paulo e a nós clamava: Estes homens que vos anunciam o caminho da salvação, são servos do Deus Altíssimo.

18 E fazia isto por muitos dias. Mas Paulo, enfadado, virou-se para ela e disse ao espírito: Eu te ordeno em nome de Jesus Cristo que saias dela; e na mesma hora saiu.

19 Vendo os seus amos que se lhes havia acabado a esperança do lucro, pegaram em Paulo e Silas e arrastaram-nos para a praça à presença das autoridades

20 e, apresentando-os aos pretores, disseram: Estes judeus estão perturbando muito a nossa cidade,

21 e anunciam costumes que não nos é lícito receber nem praticar, sendo nós romanos.

22 A multidão levantou-se à uma contra eles, e os pretores, rasgando-lhes os vestidos, mandaram açoitá-los com varas

23 e, depois de lhes darem muitos açoites, lançaram-nos numa prisão, mandando ao carcereiro que os guardasse com segurança.

24 Ele, tendo recebido tal ordem, lançou-os na prisão interior e apertou-lhes os pés no tronco.

25 Mas pela meia-noite Paulo e Silas oravam e cantavam hinos a Deus, e os presos escutavam-nos.

26 Subitamente houve um grande terremoto, de modo que foram abalados os alicerces do cárcere; logo se abriram todas as portas, e foram soltas as correntes de todos.

27 Tendo acordado o carcereiro, e vendo abertas as portas da prisão, tirou da espada e ia suicidar-se, supondo que os presos haviam fugido.

28 Mas Paulo bradou em alta voz: Não te faças nenhum mal, porque todos estamos aqui.

29 O carcereiro, tendo pedido uma luz, saltou dentro da prisão e, tremendo, lançou-se aos pés de Paulo e de Silas

30 e, tirando-os para fora, perguntou-lhes: Senhores, que me é necessário fazer para me salvar?

31 Responderam eles: Crê no Senhor Jesus e serás salvo, tu e a tua casa.

32 Anunciaram-lhe a palavra de Deus, e a todos os que estavam em sua casa.

33 Ele, naquela mesma hora da noite, tomando-os consigo, lavou-lhes as feridas, e foi logo batizado, ele e todos os seus.

34 Fazendo-os subir para sua casa, deu-lhes de comer e alegrou-se muito com toda a sua casa, por haver crido em Deus.

35 Quando amanheceu, os pretores enviaram lictores a dizer-lhe: Solta esses homens.

36 O carcereiro referiu estas palavras a Paulo, dizendo: Os pretores mandaram soltar-vos. Agora, pois, saí e ide em paz.

37 Mas Paulo disse aos lictores: Açoitaram-nos publicamente sem sermos condenados, sendo romanos, e lançaram-nos na prisão; e agora nos lançam fora secretamente? Pois não há de ser assim, mas venham eles mesmos e tirem-nos.

38 Os lictores deram parte disto aos pretores. Estes temeram, ao saber que eles eram romanos

39 e, vindo, procuraram conciliá-los; e tirando-os para fora, pediam-lhes que se retirassem da cidade.

40 Eles, saindo da prisão, entraram na casa de Lídia e, vendo os irmãos, consolaram-nos e partiram.

1 He came to Derbe and Lystra; and behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewess who believed, but his father was a Greek. 2 The brothers who were at Lystra and Iconium gave a good testimony about him. 3 Paul wanted to have him go out with him, and he took and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 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. 5 So the assemblies were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.

6 When they had gone through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 When they had come opposite Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit didn’t allow them. 8 Passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9 A vision appeared to Paul in the night. There was a man of Macedonia standing, begging him and saying, "Come over into Macedonia and help us." 10 When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go out to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the Good News to them. 11 Setting sail therefore from Troas, we made a straight course to Samothrace, and the day following to Neapolis; 12 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.

13 On the Sabbath day we went outside of the city by a riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 14 A certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, one who worshiped God, heard us. The Lord opened her heart to listen to the things which were spoken by Paul. 15 When she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay." So she persuaded us.

16 As we were going to prayer, a certain girl having a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much gain by fortune telling. 17 Following Paul and us, she cried out, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us a way of salvation!" 18 She was doing this for many days.

But Paul, becoming greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!" It came out that very hour. 19 But when her masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. 20 When they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, "These men, being Jews, are agitating our city 21 and advocate customs which it is not lawful for us to accept or to observe, being Romans."

22 The multitude rose up together against them and the magistrates tore their clothes from them, then commanded them to be beaten with rods. 23 When they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Having received such a command, he threw them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks.

25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 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. 27 The jailer, being roused out of sleep and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, "Don’t harm yourself, for we are all here!"

29 He called for lights, sprang in, fell down trembling before Paul and Silas, 30 brought them out, and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

31 They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." 32 They spoke the word of the Lord to him, and to all who were in his house.

33 He took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes, and was immediately baptized, he and all his household. 34 He brought them up into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly with all his household, having believed in God.

35 But when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, "Let those men go."

36 The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, "The magistrates have sent to let you go; now therefore come out and go in peace."

37 But Paul said to them, "They have beaten us publicly without a trial, men 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!"

38 The sergeants reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans, 39 and they came and begged them. When they had brought them out, they asked them to depart from the city. 40 They went out of the prison and entered into Lydia’s house. When they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them, then departed.