w that the hope of their gain was gone, they laid
hold of Paul and Silas, and dragged them into the marketplace before the
rulers, and when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said,
"These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, and set forth
customs which it is not lawful for us to receive, or to observe, being
Romans."

And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates
tore their garments off them, and commanded to beat them with rods. And
when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison,
charging the jailor to keep them safely: who, having received such a
charge, cast them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the
stocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns
unto God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there
was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were
shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened; and everyone's bands
were loosed. And the jailor being roused out of sleep, and seeing the
prison doors open, drew his sword, and was about to kill himself,
supposing that the prisoners had escaped.

{400}

But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, "Do thyself no harm: for we
are all here."

And he called for lights, and sprang in, and, trembling for fear, fell
down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out and said, "Sirs, what
must I do to be saved?"

And they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou
and thy house."

And they spoke the word of the Lord unto him, with all that were in his
house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their
stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, immediately. And he brought
them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly,
with all his house, having believed in God.

But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, "Let those
men go." And the jailor reported the words to Paul, saying, "The
magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore come forth, and go in
peace." But Paul said unto them, "They have beaten us publicly,
uncondemned, men who are Romans, and have cast us into prison; and do
they now cast us out secretly? nay verily; let them come themselves and
bring us out."

And the police reported these words unto the magistrates: and they
feared, when they heard that they were Romans; and they came and
besought them; and when they had brought