Paul and Silas Imprisoned

As the missionaries go to the place of prayer, a slave girl with a spirit of divination follows them, crying out that they are servants of the Most High God and proclaim the way of salvation. After many days Paul turns and commands the spirit to come out in the name of Jesus Christ, and it leaves at once.

O¹⁶ne day as we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl with a spirit of divination, who earned a large income for her masters by fortune-telling. ¹⁷This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!” ¹⁸She continued this for many days. Eventually Paul grew so aggravated that he turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” And the spirit left her at that very moment.

When the girl's owners realize their hope of profit is gone, they seize Paul and Silas, accuse them before the magistrates of troubling the city and promoting unlawful customs, and draw the crowd into the attack. The magistrates have them stripped, beaten, and imprisoned, and the jailer puts them in the inner cell with their feet fastened in stocks.

¹⁹When the girl’s owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the marketplace. ²⁰They brought them to the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews and are throwing our city into turmoil ²¹by promoting customs that are unlawful for us Romans to adopt or practice.” ²²The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered that they be stripped and beaten with rods. ²³And after striking them with many blows, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to guard them securely. ²⁴On receiving this order, he placed them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.