25Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of worship — formal praise directed to God — and the prisoners were listening to them. [16:26] Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's chains were unfastened. [16:27] The jailer, woken from sleep and seeing the doors of the prison standing open, drew his sword and was about to take his own life — to end it — supposing the prisoners had escaped. [16:28] But Paul called out in a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!" [16:29] The jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. [16:30] And having brought them out, he said, "Sirs" — addressing them as masters and those of superior standing — "what must I do to be saved?" [16:31] They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your household." [16:32] And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all in his house. [16:33] And he took them in that same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized immediately, he and all his people. [16:34] Then he brought them up into his house and set a table before them and rejoiced with his whole household — a collective, communal celebration — having believed in God.
ACT 16:25-34
The Conversion of the Jailer
In the world it was spoken into
In the Roman world, jailers held significant responsibility for their prisoners, often facing severe punishment, including execution, if prisoners escaped. The earthquake described here would have been understood as a divine intervention, a sign of the gods’ power, which would have deeply unsettled the jailer. His immediate reaction—drawing his sword to kill himself—reflects the Roman honor code, where suicide was preferable to the shame and punishment of failing one’s duty. Paul’s intervention, calling out to prevent the jailer’s death, would have been startling, as Roman prisoners typically had no concern for their captors’ welfare. The jailer’s question, 'What must I do to be saved?' reflects a broader Greco-Roman anxiety about salvation, often tied to divine favor or protection. The inclusion of his entire household in the rejoicing aligns with the Roman household structure, where the paterfamilias’s decisions affected the entire familia. The washing of wounds and baptism signify a radical shift in allegiance, marking the jailer’s household as part of a new community.
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How other translations render this
ACT 16:25
- KJV
- And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
- BSB
- About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
- Koinōnos
- Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of worship — formal praise directed to God — and the prisoners were listening to them.
ACT 16:26
- KJV
- And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.
- BSB
- Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. At once all the doors flew open and everyoneʼs chains came loose.
- Koinōnos
- Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's chains were unfastened.
ACT 16:27
- KJV
- And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
- BSB
- When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, presuming that the prisoners had escaped.
- Koinōnos
- The jailer, woken from sleep and seeing the doors of the prison standing open, drew his sword and was about to take his own life — to end it — supposing the prisoners had escaped.
ACT 16:28
- KJV
- But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
- BSB
- But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself! We are all here!”
- Koinōnos
- But Paul called out in a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!
ACT 16:29
- KJV
- Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
- BSB
- Calling for lights, the jailer rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.
- Koinōnos
- The jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas.
ACT 16:30
- KJV
- And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
- BSB
- Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
- Koinōnos
- And having brought them out, he said, "Sirs" — addressing them as masters and those of superior standing — "what must I do to be saved?
ACT 16:31
- KJV
- And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
- BSB
- They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.”
- Koinōnos
- They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your household.
ACT 16:32
- KJV
- And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
- BSB
- Then Paul and Silas spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house.
- Koinōnos
- And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all in his house.
ACT 16:33
- KJV
- And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
- BSB
- At that hour of the night, the jailer took them and washed their wounds. And without delay, he and all his household were baptized.
- Koinōnos
- And he took them in that same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized immediately, he and all his people.
ACT 16:34
- KJV
- And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.
- BSB
- Then he brought them into his home and set a meal before them. So he and all his household rejoiced that they had come to believe in God.
- Koinōnos
- Then he brought them up into his house and set a table before them and rejoiced with his whole household — a collective, communal celebration — having believed in God.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Translator's notes
ACT 16:25
- they were singing praises to:The word translated 'singing praises to' implies a formal act of worship, often with hymns or songs directed specifically to a deity, not just general singing.
ACT 16:27
- to execute:The term used here for 'execute' literally means to 'take up' or 'take away,' and in this context, it refers to taking one's own life, or being put to death.
ACT 16:30
- Sirs,:The address 'Sirs' here is a respectful but also deferential term, acknowledging the authority or superior status of those being addressed, similar to 'masters' or 'lords.'
ACT 16:34
- rejoiced:The word translated 'rejoiced' indicates that his joy was shared by his entire household, emphasizing a collective and communal celebration.