A Spirit of Divination

A slave girl follows Paul and the others for many days, announcing that they are servants of the Most High God. Her words are true, but she is controlled by a spirit and exploited by owners who profit from her fortune-telling. Paul becomes distressed and commands the spirit to leave in Jesus' name.

In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!

When the owners realize their income is gone, they drag Paul and Silas before the authorities. The accusation hides their financial loss behind claims that the missionaries are disturbing the city. They are beaten and placed in the inner cell, their feet fastened in stocks.

The slave girl follows Paul and the others for many days, shouting that they are servants of the Most High God who proclaim a way of salvation. Her words sound religiously accurate, but the spirit within her is not a harmless advertising voice. Paul becomes greatly annoyed and commands the spirit in the name of Jesus Christ to come out. It does so immediately.

Her owners see that their hope of profit has disappeared. They seize Paul and Silas, drag them into the marketplace, and accuse them before the magistrates of troubling the city and advocating customs Romans cannot accept. The charge hides the real motive: the men are angry because liberation has cost them money.

The crowd joins the attack, the magistrates order the men beaten with rods, and the jailer places them in the inner prison with their feet fastened in stocks. The gospel has reached Lydia's home, but it has also exposed an exploitative business. The same city contains a welcoming household, a profitable oppression, and officials willing to act without a proper hearing.