Paul and Silas in Prison at Philippi

In Philippi, in Macedonia, the Lord opens the heart of Lydia, a seller of purple, who is baptized with her household. But Paul casts out, in the name of Jesus Christ, a spirit of divination from a slave girl who earned her masters a great deal of money. Deprived of their profit, they drag Paul and Silas before the magistrates: beaten with rods, the two are thrown into the inner prison with their feet fastened in the stocks. About midnight, they pray and sing hymns to God. Suddenly a great earthquake shakes the prison: the doors fly open and everyone’s chains come loose. The jailer is about to kill himself, but Paul cries out, “Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.” Trembling, the jailer asks, “What must I do to be saved?” — “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” That very night, he washes their wounds and is baptized with his whole household.