Daily Readings - 12/05/2026

^16:22 The crowd joined in and showed their hostility to them, so the magistrates had them stripped and ordered them to be flogged.

^16:23 They were given many lashes and then thrown into prison, and the gaoler was told to keep a close watch on them.

^16:24 So, following his instructions, he threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

^16:25 Late that night Paul and Silas were praying and singing God’s praises, while the other prisoners listened.

^16:26 Suddenly there was an earthquake that shook the prison to its foundations. All the doors flew open and the chains fell from all the prisoners.

^16:27 When the gaoler woke and saw the doors wide open he drew his sword and was about to commit suicide, presuming that the prisoners had escaped.

^16:28 But Paul shouted at the top of his voice, ‘Don’t do yourself any harm; we are all here’.

^16:29 The gaoler called for lights, then rushed in, threw himself trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas,

^16:30 and escorted them out, saying, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’

^16:31 They told him, ‘Become a believer in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, and your household too’.

^16:32 Then they preached the word of the Lord to him and to all his family.

^16:33 Late as it was, he took them to wash their wounds, and was baptised then and there with all his household.

^16:34 Afterwards he took them home and gave them a meal, and the whole family celebrated their conversion to belief in God.

^137:1 Beside the streams of Babylon we sat and wept at the memory of Zion,

^137:2 leaving our harps hanging on the poplars there.

^137:3 For we had been asked to sing to our captors, to entertain those who had carried us off: ‘Sing’ they said ‘some hymns of Zion’.

^137:4 How could we sing one of Yahweh’s hymns in a pagan country?

^137:5 Jerusalem, if I forget you, may my right hand wither!

^137:6 May I never speak again, if I forget you! If I do not count Jerusalem the greatest of my joys!

^137:7 Yahweh, remember what the Sons of Edom did on the day of Jerusalem,[*a] how they said, ‘Down with her! Raze her to the ground!’

^137:8 Destructive Daughter of Babel, a blessing on the man who treats you as you have treated us,

^137:9 a blessing on him who takes and dashes your babies against the rock!

^16:5 but now I am going to the one who sent me. Not one of you has asked, “Where are you going?”

^16:6 Yet you are sad at heart because I have told you this.

^16:7 Still, I must tell you the truth: it is for your own good that I am going because unless I go, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I do go, I will send him to you.

^16:8 And when he comes, he will show the world how wrong it was, about sin, and about who was in the right, and about judgement:

^16:9 about sin: proved by their refusal to believe in me;

^16:10 about who was in the right: proved by my going to the Father and your seeing me no more;

^16:11 about judgement: proved by the prince of this world being already condemned.