Acts 16:23-35

²³The soldiers hit Paul and Silas really hard with sticks and then they put them in the jail. They told the boss of that jail, “Make sure Paul and Silas don’t get away.”

²⁴So the boss of that jail put them in a room that was right in the middle of that jail, and he made them sit down on the ground, then he locked their ankles between 2 big logs so that Paul and Silas couldn’t move their legs.

²⁵Later, in the middle of the night, Paul and Silas were praying aloud to God and saying that he is really good, and they were singing songs to God. The other prisoners were listening to them.

²⁶Suddenly there was a very big earthquake. It shook the jail, and even the cement underneath it, and all the doors of the jail swung open, and all the chains fell off the arms and legs of the prisoners.

²⁷The jail boss woke up and saw that the doors of the jail were open, and he thought, “Those prisoners have all run away. I’m in big trouble.” So he got his big knife to kill himself.

²⁸Paul saw the jail boss and shouted to him, “Don’t hurt yourself. We are all here.”

²⁹The jail boss told somebody to bring some lights, then he ran into the jail and got down in front of Paul and Silas, to show them respect. He was very afraid. He was shaking.

³⁰Then he took Paul and Silas out of the jail and asked, “Sirs, what can I do so that God will save me?”

³¹They said, “Believe in Jesus, and God will save you. And he will do the same for your family too.”

³²Then the jail boss took Paul and Silas into his house, and washed the sores on their backs, and gave them some food to eat. And Paul and Silas told the message about Jesus to the jail boss and to his family. They all believed in Jesus, and Paul and Silas baptised them. They were all very happy.

³⁵The next morning the Roman town bosses said to some policemen, “Go and tell the jail boss, ‘You can let those 2 prisoners go now.’” Then the policemen told that message to the jail boss.