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The Blue Letter Bible

Acts 16 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

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Paul’s Second Missionary Journey

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:1

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:1 - Paul went first to Derbe and then to Lystra, where there was a young disciple named Timothy. His mother was a Jewish believer, but his father was a Greek.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:2

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:2 - Timothy was well thought of by the believers[fn] in Lystra and Iconium,

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:3

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:3 - so Paul wanted him to join them on their journey. In deference to the Jews of the area, he arranged for Timothy to be circumcised before they left, for everyone knew that his father was a Greek.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:4

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:4 - Then they went from town to town, instructing the believers to follow the decisions made by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:5

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:5 - So the churches were strengthened in their faith and grew larger every day.
A Call from Macedonia

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:6

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:6 - Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:7

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:7 - Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia,[fn] but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:8

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:8 - So instead, they went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:9

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:9 - That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!”

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:10

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:10 - So we[fn] decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.
Lydia of Philippi Believes in Jesus

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:11

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:11 - We boarded a boat at Troas and sailed straight across to the island of Samothrace, and the next day we landed at Neapolis.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:12

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:12 - From there we reached Philippi, a major city of that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. And we stayed there several days.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:13

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:13 - On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we thought people would be meeting for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had gathered there.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:14

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:14 - One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:15

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:15 - She was baptized along with other members of her household, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we agreed.
Paul and Silas in Prison

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:16

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:16 - One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a demon-possessed slave girl. She was a fortune-teller who earned a lot of money for her masters.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:17

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:17 - She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:18

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:18 - This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:19

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:19 - Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:20

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:20 - “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:21

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:21 - “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:22

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:22 - A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:23

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:23 - They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:24

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:24 - So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:25

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:25 - Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:26

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:26 - Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:27

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:27 - The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:28

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:28 - But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:29

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:29 - The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:30

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:30 - Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:31

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:31 - They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:32

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:32 - And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:33

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:33 - Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:34

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:34 - He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:35

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:35 - The next morning the city officials sent the police to tell the jailer, “Let those men go!”

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:36

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:36 - So the jailer told Paul, “The city officials have said you and Silas are free to leave. Go in peace.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:37

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:37 - But Paul replied, “They have publicly beaten us without a trial and put us in prison—and we are Roman citizens. So now they want us to leave secretly? Certainly not! Let them come themselves to release us!”

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:38

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:38 - When the police reported this, the city officials were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:39

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:39 - So they came to the jail and apologized to them. Then they brought them out and begged them to leave the city.

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Unchecked Copy Box Act 16:40

Unchecked Copy BoxAct 16:40 - When Paul and Silas left the prison, they returned to the home of Lydia. There they met with the believers and encouraged them once more. Then they left town.
See the NLT Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).
NLT Footnotes
Greek brothers; also in 16:40.
Phrygia, Galatia, Asia, Mysia, and Bithynia were all districts in what is now Turkey.
Phrygia, Galatia, Asia, Mysia, and Bithynia were all districts in what is now Turkey.
Luke, the writer of this book, here joined Paul and accompanied him on his journey.
NLT

Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Full copyright information is provided here. Visit the New Living Translation website.

For more information on this translation, see the NLT Preface.

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Acts Chapter 16 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New King James Version New International Version English Standard Version Christian Standard Bible New American Standard Bible 2020 New American Standard Bible 1995 Legacy Standard Bible Amplified Bible New English Translation Revised Standard Version American Standard Version Young's Literal Translation Darby Translation Webster's Bible Hebrew Names Version Latin Vulgate Morphological Greek New Testament Textus Receptus Smith Van Dyck Arabic Bible Open New Arabic Version Reina Valera 1909 Reina-Valera 1960 Bible in Basic English Chinese Traditional Union Espanol Moderno Korean Holy Bible Louis Segond German Luther Russian Synodal Translation Sagradas Escrituras