16:16 後來，我們往那禱告的地方去。有一個使女迎著面來，她被巫鬼所附，用法術，叫她主人們大得財利。
16:17 她跟隨保羅和我們，喊著說：「這些人是至高上帝的僕人，對你們傳說救人的道。」
16:18 她一連多日這樣喊叫，保羅就心中厭煩，轉身對那鬼說：「我奉耶穌基督的名，吩咐你從她身上出來！」那鬼當時就出來了。
16:19 使女的主人們見得利的指望沒有了，便揪住保羅和西拉，拉他們到市上去見首領；
16:20 又帶到官長面前說：「這些人原是猶太人，竟騷擾我們的城，
16:21 傳我們羅馬人所不可受不可行的規矩。」
16:22 眾人就一同起來攻擊他們。官長吩咐剝了他們的衣裳，用棍打；
16:23 打了許多棍，便將他們下在監裡，囑咐禁卒嚴緊看守。
16:24 禁卒領了這樣的命，就把他們下在內監裡，兩腳上了木狗。
16:25 約在半夜，保羅和西拉禱告，唱詩讚美上帝，眾囚犯也側耳而聽。
16:26 忽然，地大震動，甚至監牢的地基都搖動了，監門立刻全開，眾囚犯的鎖鍊也都鬆開了。
16:27 禁卒一醒，看見監門全開，以為囚犯已經逃走，就拔刀要自殺。
16:28 保羅大聲呼叫說：「不要傷害自己！我們都在這裡。」
16:29 禁卒叫人拿燈來，就跳進去，戰戰兢兢地俯伏在保羅、西拉面前；
16:30 又領他們出來，說：「二位先生，我當怎樣行才可以得救？」
16:31 他們說：「當信主耶穌，你和你一家都必得救。」
16:32 他們就把主的道講給他和他全家的人聽。
16:33 當夜，就在那時候，禁卒把他們帶去，洗他們的傷；他和屬乎他的人立時都受了洗。
16:34 於是禁卒領他們上自己家裡去，給他們擺上飯。他和全家，因為信了上帝，都很喜樂。
16:35 到了天亮，官長打發差役來，說：「釋放那兩個人吧。」
16:36 禁卒就把這話告訴保羅說：「官長打發人來叫釋放你們，如今可以出監，平平安安地去吧。」
16:37 保羅卻說：「我們是羅馬人，並沒有定罪，他們就在眾人面前打了我們，又把我們下在監裡，現在要私下攆我們出去嗎？這是不行的。叫他們自己來領我們出去吧！」
16:38 差役把這話回稟官長。官長聽見他們是羅馬人，就害怕了，
16:39 於是來勸他們，領他們出來，請他們離開那城。
16:40 二人出了監，往呂底亞家裡去，見了弟兄們，勸慰他們一番，就走了。
16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.
19 When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged 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 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”
22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer 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.
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns 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. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. 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. 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. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 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 the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he 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 told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”
37 But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, 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. 39 They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.
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保羅和西拉外了傳福音下到監理，但是他們心中仍然喜樂，唱詩美上帝，於是感動了獄卒一家人信主！
福音有時候是隨著我們受苦時傳揚出去，因為上帝奇妙的作為超越我們的想像，我們只要將我們的生命交託在上帝手中，上帝的榮耀就因此彰顯出來！
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