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Venerdi, 29 marzo 2024 - Santi Simplicio e Costantino ( Letture di oggi)

Acts of the Apostles 16


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1From there he went to Derbe, and then on to Lystra, where there was a disciple cal ed Timothy, whosemother was Jewish and had become a believer; but his father was a Greek.2The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke wel of him,3and Paul, who wanted to have him as a travel ing companion, had him circumcised. This was onaccount of the Jews in the locality where everyone knew his father was a Greek.4As they visited one town after another, they passed on the decisions reached by the apostles andelders in Jerusalem, with instructions to observe them.5So the churches grew strong in the faith, as well as growing daily in numbers.6They travel ed through Phrygia and the Galatian country, because they had been told by the Holy Spiritnot to preach the word in Asia.7When they reached the frontier of Mysia they tried to go into Bithynia, but as the Spirit of Jesus wouldnot al ow them,8they went through Mysia and came down to Troas.9One night Paul had a vision: a Macedonian appeared and kept urging him in these words, 'Comeacross to Macedonia and help us.'10Once he had seen this vision we lost no time in arranging a passage to Macedonia, convinced thatGod had cal ed us to bring them the good news.11Sailing from Troas we made a straight run for Samothrace; the next day for Neapolis,12and from there for Philippi, a Roman colony and the principal city of that district of Macedonia.13After a few days in this city we went outside the gates beside a river as it was the Sabbath and thiswas a customary place for prayer. We sat down and preached to the women who had come to the meeting.14One of these women was called Lydia, a woman from the town of Thyatira who was in the purple-dyetrade, and who revered God. She listened to us, and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying.15After she and her household had been baptised she kept urging us, 'If you judge me a true believer in the Lord,' she said, 'come and stay with us.' And she would take no refusal.16It happened one day that as we were going to prayer, we were met by a slave-girl who was asoothsayer and made a lot of money for her masters by foretel ing the future.17This girl started fol owing Paul and the rest of us and shouting, 'Here are the servants of the MostHigh God; they have come to tel you how to be saved!'18She did this day after day until Paul was exasperated and turned round and said to the spirit, 'I orderyou in the name of Jesus Christ to leave that woman.' The spirit went out of her then and there.19When her masters saw that there was no hope of making any more money out of her, they seizedPaul and Silas and dragged them into the market place before the authorities.20Taking them before the magistrates they said, 'These people are causing a disturbance in our city.They are Jews21and are advocating practices which it is unlawful for us as Romans to accept or fol ow.'22The crowd joined in and showed its hostility to them, so the magistrates had them stripped andordered them to be flogged.23They were given many lashes and then thrown into prison, and the gaoler was told to keep a closewatch on them.24So, fol owing such instructions, he threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in thestocks.25In the middle of the night Paul and Silas were praying and singing God's praises, while the otherprisoners listened.26Suddenly there was an earthquake that shook the prison to its foundations. Al the doors flew openand the chains fel from al the prisoners.27When the gaoler woke and saw the doors wide open he drew his sword and was about to commitsuicide, presuming that the prisoners had escaped.28But Paul shouted at the top of his voice, 'Do yourself no harm; we are al here.'29He cal ed for lights, then rushed in, threw himself trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas,30and escorted them out, saying, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?'31They told him, 'Become a believer in the Lord Jesus, and you wil be saved, and your household too.'32Then they preached the word of the Lord to him and to al his household.33Late as it was, he took them to wash their wounds, and was baptised then and there with al hishousehold.34Afterwards he took them into his house and gave them a meal, and the whole household celebratedtheir conversion to belief in God.35When it was daylight the magistrates sent the lictors with the order: 'Release those men.'36The gaoler reported the message to Paul, 'The magistrates have sent an order for your release; youcan go now and be on your way.'37'What!' Paul replied. 'Without trial they gave us a public flogging, though we are Roman citizens, andthrew us into prison, and now they want to send us away on the quiet! Oh no! They must come and escort us outthemselves.'38The lictors reported this to the magistrates, who were terrified when they heard they were Romancitizens.39They came and urged them to leave the town.40From the prison they went to Lydia's house where they saw all the brothers and gave them someencouragement; then they left.