9 During the night Paul had a vision in which a Macedonian man was standing and pleading with him, “Cross over to Macedonia and help us!”q 10 Afterr he had seen the vision, we immediately made efforts to set out for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

LYDIA’S CONVERSION

11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, the next day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi,s a Roman colony and a leading city of the district of Macedonia. We stayed in that city for several days. 13 On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate by the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women gathered there. 14 A God-fearing woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul was saying.t 15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.”u And she persuaded us.

PAUL AND SILAS IN PRISON

16 Once, as we were on our way to prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit by which she predicted the future.v She made a large profit for her owners by fortune-telling.