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St. John’s Basilica, Selcuk, Turkey
16:11 In the description of Paul’s second missionary journey, the narrative suddenly switches into rst-person. This could be a literary device to lend greater immediacy to the account of the journey, but it is more likely that Luke actually accompanied Paul on the journey or drew on a rst-hand account by another companion of Paul.
16:14 Lydia is a prominent member of the community at Thyatira, a businesswoman, dealing in “purple cloth”—very expensive goods, since purple dye was rare. She provides invaluable support to Paul on his journey.
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THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 
Into Europe. 11* We set sail from Troas, making a straight run for Samothrace, and on the next day to Neapolis, 12and from there to Philippi, a leading city in that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We spent some time in that city. 13On the sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river where we thought there would be a place of prayer. We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there. 14One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God,* listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. 15After she and her household had been baptized, she o ered us an invitation, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home,” and she prevailed on us.
Imprisonment at Philippi. 16As we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl with an oracular spirit,* who used to bring a large pro t to her owners
through her fortune-telling. 17She began to follow Paul and us, shouting, “These people are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.” 18She did this for many days. Paul became annoyed, turned, and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.”Then it came out at that moment.
19When her owners saw that their hope of pro t was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them to the public square before the local authorities. 20They brought them before the magistrates* and said, “These people are Jews and are disturbing our city 21and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us Romans to adopt or practice.” 22c The crowd joined in the attack on them, and the magistrates had them stripped and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23After in icting many blows on them, they threw them into prison and instructed the jailer to guard them securely. 24When he received these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and secured their feet to a stake.
Deliverance from Prison. 25About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened, 26there was suddenly such a severe earthquake that the foundations of the jail shook; all the doors ew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose. 27When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew [his] sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. 28But Paul shouted out in a loud voice, “Do no harm to yourself; we are all here.” 29He asked for a light and rushed in and, trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas. 30Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will
* [16:11–40] The church at Philippi became a ourishing community to which Paul addressed one of his letters (see Introduction to the Letter to the Philippians).
* [16:14] A worshiper of God: a “God-fearer.” See note on Acts 8:26–40.
* [16:16] With an oracular spirit: literally,“with a Python spirit.”The Python was the serpent or dragon that guarded the Delphic oracle. It later came to designate a “spirit that pronounced
oracles” and also a ventriloquist who, it was thought, had such a spirit in the belly.
* [16:20] Magistrates: in Greek, stratēgoi, the popular designation of the duoviri, the highest
o cials of the Roman colony of Philippi.
c. [16:22–23] 2 Cor 11:25; Phil 1:30; 1 Thes 2:2.