¹⁹ When her owners realized that their hope of making money^(A) was gone, they seized Paul and Silas^(B) and dragged^(C) 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^{(D) 21} by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans^(E) to accept or practice.”^(F)

²² The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.^{(G) 23} After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer^(H) 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.^(I)

²⁵ About midnight^(J) Paul and Silas^(K) were praying and singing hymns^(L) 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.^(M) At once all the prison doors flew open,^(N) and everyone’s chains came loose.^{(O) 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.^{(P) 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.^{(Q) 30} He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”^(R)

³¹ They replied, “Believe^(S) in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved^(T)—you and your household.”^{(U) 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^(V) the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized.^{(W) 34} The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he^(X) 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^(Y) told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”^(Z)

³⁷ But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens,^(AA) 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.^{(AB) 39} They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city.^{(AC) 40} After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house,^(AD) where they met with the brothers and sisters^(AE) and encouraged them. Then they left.

Paul Arrested

²⁷ When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him,^{(A) 28} shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.”^{(B) 29} (They had previously seen Trophimus^(C) the Ephesian^(D) in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple.)

³⁰ The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul,^(E) they dragged him^(F) from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. ³¹ While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. ³² He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.^(G)

³³ The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound^(H) with two^(I) chains.^(J) Then he asked who he was and what he had done. ³⁴ Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another,^(K) and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks.^{(L) 35} When Paul reached the steps,^(M) the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers. ³⁶ The crowd that followed kept shouting, “Get rid of him!”^(N)

Paul Speaks to the Crowd^(O)

³⁷ As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks,^(P) he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?”

“Do you speak Greek?” he replied. ³⁸ “Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness^(Q) some time ago?”^(R)

³⁹ Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus^(S) in Cilicia,^(T) a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.”

⁴⁰ After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned^(U) to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic^[a]:^(V)