Lydia, the Seller of Purple

At Troas, Paul has a vision in the night: a man of Macedonia pleads with him, “Come over into Macedonia, and help us.” Concluding that the Lord has called them, Paul and his companions set sail and arrive at Philippi, the chief city of that part of Macedonia and a Roman colony. On the Sabbath, they go outside the city, to a riverside where they expect to find a place of prayer, and speak to the women gathered there. One of them, Lydia, a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, worships God and listens. “Whose heart the Lord opened,” so that she paid attention to what Paul said. She is baptized with her household, then urges the missionaries, “If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there.” Later, after their release from prison, Paul and Silas will return to her house to see the brothers before leaving.