Paul and Silas in Prison
Singing at midnight, with their feet in the stocks
This story includes a slave girl used by her owners for money, a public beating, and a jailer who is about to kill himself until Paul stops him. It is told plainly, without graphic detail.
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Story
What happened?
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The whole story, in shortWhat happens, start to finish. Open it if you want the ending first.
Paul and Silas crossed the sea to Philippi, where a businesswoman named Lydia believed and was baptized. After Paul commanded a fortune-telling spirit to leave a slave girl, her owners had Paul and Silas beaten and jailed, but at midnight they sang hymns, an earthquake opened the doors, and Paul stopped the jailer from killing himself. The jailer and his household believed in Jesus and were baptized that night, and a new church began meeting in Lydia's home.
Where it is in the Bible: Acts 16:6-40
Who’s who and what came beforePeople, places, and the story so far. Open it anytime.
Scene Card
Cast
- Paul: A follower of Jesus who once attacked the church. Jesus met him on the road to Damascus. Now he travels from city to city, telling people about Jesus.
- Silas: A leader in the church in Jerusalem (15:22). Paul chose him as his travel partner (15:40).
- The writer, Luke: Church tradition says Luke wrote Acts. In this story the writer starts to say "we." One likely reason: he was there.
- Lydia: A businesswoman who sold expensive purple cloth. She came from the city of Thyatira and worshiped Israel's God.
- A slave girl: A girl owned by men who made money from her fortune-telling.
- The jailer: The man in charge of the prison in Philippi.
Setting
- Philippi, a Roman city in northern Greece. A river outside the city gate. The marketplace. Then a prison, and the jailer's house.
When
- Almost 20 years after Jesus rose from the dead, around AD 49 or 50.
Before the Story
Paul has a new partner. Paul and his old partner, Barnabas, disagreed so sharply that they went separate ways (15:39). Paul chose Silas instead (15:40).
A young man joins them. In the town of Lystra, a young believer named Timothy joined Paul and Silas (16:1-3).
They are far from home, and not sure where to go. Twice they tried to go one way, and God's Spirit stopped them (16:6-7).
Here's what you know that almost nobody in this story knows: Paul and Silas are Roman citizens (16:37). The officials in this story are about to beat them without a trial.
Map of the Story
| Scene | Verses | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. A Man from Macedonia | 16:6-10 | Paul sees a vision, and they set sail |
| 2. By the River | 16:11-15 | Lydia believes and opens her home |
| 3. The Slave Girl | 16:16-18 | Paul commands a spirit to leave a girl |
| 4. Beaten and Jailed | 16:19-24 | Her owners drag Paul and Silas to court |
| 5. Songs at Midnight | 16:25-26 | Paul and Silas sing, and the prison shakes |
| 6. "Do Not Harm Yourself!" | 16:27-30 | Paul stops the jailer from killing himself |
| 7. The Jailer's House | 16:31-34 | The jailer and his household believe and are baptized |
| 8. Out in Public | 16:35-40 | Paul asks the officials to come themselves |
Plain Retelling
Scene 1 of 8A Man from Macedonia
Paul and Silas had a plan. They would go into the province of Asia, in what is now western Turkey, and tell people about Jesus. But the Holy Spirit stopped them.
So they tried to go north instead. Again, "the Spirit of Jesus would not permit them" (16:7). The Bible doesn't say how the Spirit stopped them.
They ended up in Troas, a port city by the sea.
That night, Paul had a vision. A vision is something God lets a person see that others usually cannot see. Paul saw a man from Macedonia, across the sea in northern Greece. The man was pleading with him: "Come over to Macedonia and help us" (16:9).
Right away, they got ready to go. They were sure God had called them to tell the good news there.
Notice the word "we" in verse 10. The writer starts telling the story as someone who was there. Many Christians believe the writer was Luke.
Scene 2 of 8By the River
They sailed from Troas, stopped at an island, and landed at a port town the next day. From there they walked inland to Philippi.
Philippi was a Roman colony, a city of Roman citizens far from Rome. It was the leading city in that part of Macedonia. They stayed there several days.
On the Sabbath, the Jewish day of rest, they went outside the city gate to a river. They expected to find a place of prayer there. They sat down and spoke with the women who had gathered.
One of the women was named Lydia. She sold purple cloth, and she came from Thyatira, a city across the sea. Most likely she was not Jewish, but she worshiped Israel's God.
"The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message" (16:14). Notice who opened her heart. It was the Lord.
Lydia and her household were baptized. Then she invited Paul and his friends to stay at her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house" (16:15). She urged them, and they agreed.
Scene 3 of 8The Slave Girl
One day, on the way to the place of prayer, they met a slave girl. The Bible says she had "a spirit of divination" (16:16). Divination means telling the future.
Her owners made a lot of money from her fortune-telling.
The girl began following Paul and the others. She kept shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!" (16:17).
What she shouted was true. But she kept it up for many days.
At last Paul was so upset that he turned around. He spoke to the spirit, not to the girl. "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" (16:18). The spirit left her at that very moment.
The Bible doesn't say why Paul waited so long, or what happened to the girl afterward.
Scene 4 of 8Beaten and Jailed
The girl's owners saw that their money was gone. They grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them to the marketplace, where the city officials were.
The owners said nothing about the girl, and nothing about the money. They said, "These men are Jews and are throwing our city into turmoil" (16:20). Turmoil means trouble and confusion.
They said Paul and Silas were teaching customs that Romans weren't allowed to follow.
The crowd joined in. The officials had Paul and Silas stripped and beaten with rods.
After many blows, Paul and Silas were thrown into prison. The officials told the jailer to guard them carefully.
So the jailer put them in the inner cell, the deepest part of the prison. He locked their feet in the stocks. Stocks are heavy wooden blocks with holes that hold a prisoner's feet so they can't move.
Halfway thereThis is a good place for a break. Your spot is saved on this device.
Scene 5 of 8Songs at Midnight
It was about midnight. Paul and Silas were hurt and locked in the dark. "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them" (16:25).
Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the prison, right down to its foundations. All at once, every door flew open. Everyone's chains came loose.
Scene 6 of 8"Do Not Harm Yourself!"
The jailer woke up. He saw the prison doors standing open. He thought the prisoners had escaped.
He drew his sword. He was about to kill himself.
Acts gives the reason: he thought the prisoners were gone. Remember what that could mean. In Acts 12, King Herod had guards executed after a prisoner escaped (12:19). One likely reason for what he did: the jailer expected to die for this anyway.
Then Paul shouted in a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself! We are all here!" (16:28).
Paul had been beaten, then locked in this man's stocks. And the first thing Paul did was stop him from hurting himself.
The jailer called for lights. He rushed in and fell down, trembling, in front of Paul and Silas.
Then he brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (16:30).
Scene 7 of 8The Jailer's House
They answered, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household" (16:31).
Then Paul and Silas told the good news about Jesus to him and to everyone in his house.
At that same hour of the night, the jailer washed their wounds. The man who had locked them up now cared for them.
Right away, he and his whole household were baptized.
Then he brought them into his home and set a meal in front of them. He and his whole household were full of joy, because they had come to believe in God.
Scene 8 of 8Out in Public
In the morning, the officials sent officers with an order: "Release those men" (16:35).
The jailer told Paul the good news. They could leave, and go in peace.
But Paul told the officers no. The officials had beaten Paul and Silas in public, without a trial. They had thrown them in prison. And Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. Now the officials wanted to send them away secretly? "Absolutely not! Let them come themselves and escort us out!" (16:37).
The officers told the officials. The officials were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.
So they came in person. They tried to calm Paul and Silas down. They led them out of the prison and asked them to leave the city.
Paul and Silas went back to Lydia's house. There they met with the believers and encouraged them. Then they left Philippi.
When Paul and Silas arrived, Acts names no believers in Philippi. Now there were brothers and sisters meeting in Lydia's home, and a jailer's family who believed.
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "The Spirit of Jesus would not permit them" (16:7) | God closed a door. The Bible doesn't say how. Then God opened a different one. |
| "Come over to Macedonia and help us" (16:9) | This is the first time Acts shows Paul preaching in Europe. |
| "A worshiper of God" (16:14) | Most likely Lydia was not Jewish, but she worshiped Israel's God. |
| "The Lord opened her heart" (16:14) | Faith was God's gift to Lydia. She didn't make it happen herself. |
| "A spirit of divination" (16:16) | A spirit that let the girl tell fortunes. See Back Then below. |
| "The Most High God" (16:17) | A name for the one true God, above all others. |
| "Fastened their feet in the stocks" (16:24) | Their feet were locked in heavy wooden blocks, so they couldn't move or rest. |
| "What must I do to be saved?" (16:30) | The jailer asked what he had to do. The answer was to trust Jesus. |
| "You and your household" (16:31) | A household meant a whole family, often with servants too. |
| "He and all his household were baptized" (16:33) | In one night, the jailer washed Paul and Silas's wounds, and God washed him and his family in Baptism. |
| "We are Roman citizens" (16:37) | Roman citizens had rights. The officials broke the law when they beat them without a trial. |
Back Then
Philippi. Philippi was named for Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great. It became a Roman colony (16:12). (Easton's Bible Dictionary, "Philippi")
Purple cloth. Purple dye was rare and costly, so purple cloth was a sign of wealth. Thyatira, Lydia's hometown, was known for dyeing cloth. (Easton's Bible Dictionary, "Purple" and "Thyatira")
A spirit of divination. In Greek, Luke calls it a "python" spirit. People connected the python with the fortune-telling at the famous temple of Apollo at Delphi. (Smith's Bible Dictionary, "Divination")
Roman citizens. Beating a Roman citizen without a trial was against the law. The officials here were alarmed when they found out (16:38), and so was a Roman commander later (22:29). Paul asked a Roman officer, "Is it lawful for you to flog a Roman citizen without a trial?" (22:25).
Guards and prisoners. A guard who lost a prisoner could be punished severely. In Acts 12, King Herod had the guards put to death after Peter escaped (12:19). On Paul's shipwreck, soldiers planned to kill the prisoners so none would escape (27:42).
Literal Reader Alert
The jailer was about to kill himself. What does this story say about that? It says plainly that he was about to, and that Paul stopped him with a shout: "Do not harm yourself!" (16:28). The jailer thought there was no way out. He was wrong. Before the night was over, he and his family were full of joy (16:34). If you are thinking about ending your life, please tell someone today. In the United States, you can call or text 988 any time. If you are in danger, call 911 or your local emergency number. Outside the United States, findahelpline.com lists free helplines.
Why was Paul upset when the girl said something true? The Bible doesn't say why. But remember, the words came from a spirit, and her owners made money from it. One likely reason: Paul didn't want the good news about Jesus mixed up with fortune-telling. It's okay to notice things like this. Careful readers have asked about it for centuries.
What happened to the slave girl? The Bible doesn't say. Her owners cared only about the money they lost (16:19). Luke doesn't tell us her name or what happened to her. It's okay to wish we knew.
The owners said, "These men are Jews." Why does that matter? They left out the money. Instead, they pointed to the fact that Paul and Silas were Jewish (16:20). One likely reason: they knew the crowd would turn on outsiders. Luke shows that the charge was a cover for the money they lost (16:19).
Was Paul being proud when he refused to leave quietly? The Bible doesn't say why he did it. One likely reason: to protect the new believers he was leaving behind. If the officials admitted in public that they were wrong, Lydia and the jailer would be safer.
Were babies baptized in the jailer's household? The text doesn't say who was in the household. Lutherans and many other Christians baptize babies. The main reason is God's promise. Peter said it is for you and your children (Acts 2:38-39). Lutherans also point to whole households being baptized in Acts, like Lydia's and the jailer's. Some Christians read these households differently.
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Paul | Upset | The girl kept following them and shouting for many days (16:18) |
| The girl's owners | Angry | Their money was gone (16:19) |
| Paul and Silas | Hopeful in the dark | They sang hymns at midnight in the stocks (16:25) |
| The jailer | Hopeless, then terrified | He thought the prisoners had escaped (16:27), then fell down trembling (16:29) |
| The jailer's household | Joyful | They had come to believe in God (16:34) |
| The officials | Alarmed | They had beaten Roman citizens without a trial (16:38) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
Where are you in this story today? Tap one.
In the dark, like Paul and Silas
They were hurt and locked up, and they prayed and sang. Their song didn't mean the pain was fake. It meant God was still with them. He is with you too.
Like the jailer, with no way out
The jailer thought his life was over. Someone called out, "Do not harm yourself!" Please hear that for yourself today. Tell someone you trust. In the U.S., call or text 988.
Looking for what to do
The jailer asked, "What must I do?" The answer wasn't a list. It was, "Believe in the Lord Jesus" (16:31). Trust him. He does the saving.
Like Lydia, opening my home
Lydia's home became the first place the believers met in Philippi. God still uses ordinary homes and open doors.
It's really bad right now
Please tell someone you trust today. In the U.S., call or text 988. If you are in danger, call 911 or your local emergency number. Outside the U.S., findahelpline.com lists free helplines.
You Might Have Heard
"If you praise God in your hard times, God will set you free."
What's true: Paul and Silas did pray and sing in prison, and God did shake the doors open.
What the story is mainly about: Their singing didn't earn the earthquake. And when the doors opened, they didn't run. The biggest rescue that night wasn't for Paul and Silas. It was for the jailer and his family. God's people are not always set free right away. Paul later wrote a letter to this same church from chains (Philippians 1:13).
Where Jesus is: In the jail, at midnight. The jailer heard about Jesus from two men with wounds. That's the way of the cross. God works through weakness.
Good News
The jailer asked the question people have always asked: "What must I do to be saved?" (16:30).
The answer was not a list of things to do. It was a person to trust. "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved" (16:31).
That same night, the jailer and his family were baptized. The man who had locked up God's servants was washed and welcomed into God's family, not because of anything he had done.
Some years later, Paul wrote this church a letter full of joy. You can read it in four short parts, starting with Philippians 1.
Jesus saves people who have nothing to bring but their need, like a jailer at midnight with nowhere left to turn.
Big Idea
God met a jailer at midnight, through an earthquake and two beaten prisoners who stayed, and saved him and his whole household.
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
In the Small Catechism (1529), Luther asks what Baptism gives. He answers that Baptism brings forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe it, as God's words and promise say. The jailer's household heard the promise and were baptized the same night.
In Church
Many churches follow a reading plan called the Revised Common Lectionary. It reads Acts 16:9-15, about Lydia, on the Sixth Sunday of Easter in Year C. It reads Acts 16:16-34, about the prison and the jailer, on the Seventh Sunday of Easter in Year C.
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.
How did that feel?