Acts 16:31

Mace New Testament

believe, said they, on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you, and your family.

Parallel Translations

Simplified Cowboy Version
They put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and said, "Believe in Jesus who died in your place. Then you and your whole family will be saved."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

Legacy Standard Bible
And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your house."

Bible in Basic English
And they said, Have faith in the Lord Jesus, and you and your family will have salvation.

Darby Translation
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house.

New King James Version
So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household."

Christian Standard Bible®
So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household."

World English Bible
They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your house."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And they said, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved and thy houshold.

Weymouth's New Testament
"Believe on the Lord Jesus," they replied, "and both you and your household will be saved."

King James Version (1611)
And they saide, Beleeue on the Lord Iesus Christ, and thou shalt be saued, and thy house.

Literal Translation
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
They sayde: Beleue on the LORDE Iesus, and so shalt thou and thy housholde be saued.

Amplified Bible
And they answered, "Believe in the Lord Jesus [as your personal Savior and entrust yourself to Him] and you will be saved, you and your household [if they also believe]."

American Standard Version
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house.

Revised Standard Version
And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And they sayde: beleve on the Lorde Iesus and thou shalt be saved and thy housholde.

Update Bible Version
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your house.

Webster's Bible Translation
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Young's Literal Translation
and they said, `Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved -- thou and thy house;'

New Century Version
They said to him, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved—you and all the people in your house."

New English Translation
They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household."

Berean Standard Bible
They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household."

Contemporary English Version
They replied, "Have faith in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved! This is also true for everyone who lives in your home."

Complete Jewish Bible
They said, "Trust in the Lord Yeshua, and you will be saved — you and your household!"

English Standard Version
And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

Geneva Bible (1587)
And they saide, Beleeue in the Lorde Iesus Christ, and thou shalt be saued, & thine houshold.

George Lamsa Translation
And they said to him, Believe in our LORD Jesus Christ, and both you and your household will be saved.

Hebrew Names Version
They said, "Believe in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah, and you will be saved, you and your household."

International Standard Version
They answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you and your family will be saved."John 3:16,36; 6:47; 1 John 5:10;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
And they said to him, Believe in our Lord Jeshu Meshiha, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Murdock Translation
And they said to him: Believe on the name of our Lord Jesus Messiah, and thou wilt have life, thou and thy house.

New Living Translation
They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household."

New Life Bible
They said, "Put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and you and your family will be saved from the punishment of sin."

English Revised Version
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house.

New Revised Standard
They answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, they, said - Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou, and thy house.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But they said: believe in the Lord Jesus: and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

King James Version
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Lexham English Bible
And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household!"

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And they sayde: beleue on the Lorde Iesus Christe, and thou shalt be saued, and thy householde.

Easy-to-Read Version
They said to him, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved—you and all who live in your house."

New American Standard Bible
They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

Good News Translation
They answered, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your family."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thei seiden, Bileue thou in the Lord Jhesu, and thou schalt be saaf, and thin hous.

Contextual Overview

²⁵ At midnight Paul and Silas went to prayers, and sang praises to God, which the other prisoners heard: ²⁶ when all of a sudden there was such a great earthquake, that the foundations of the prison were shaken: immediately all the doors opened, and the setters dropp'd from the prisoners. ²⁷ the jayler waking, and seeing the prison-doors open, drew his sword, designing to dispatch himself from the apprehension that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ but Paul call'd to him aloud, and said, do thy self no harm, for we are all here. ²⁹ then having called for a light, he ran in, and with trembling fell down before Paul and Silas; ³⁰ and bringing them out, he said, sirs, what must I do to be saved? ³¹ believe, said they, on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you, and your family. ³² then they declared the word of the Lord to him, and to all his family. ³³ at the same time of night he washed their stripes, and immediately he was baptized, he, and all that belong'd to him. ³⁴ then he conducted them to his house, and gave them an entertainment; and he and his family were affected with joy, for having believed in God.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Believe: Acts 2:38, Acts 2:39, Acts 4:12, Acts 8:37, Acts 11:13, Acts 11:14, Acts 13:38, Acts 13:39, Acts 15:11, Isaiah 45:22, Habakkuk 2:4, Mark 16:16, John 1:12, John 3:15, John 3:16, John 3:36, John 6:40, John 6:47, John 7:37, John 7:38, John 11:25, John 11:26, John 20:31, Romans 5:1, Romans 5:2, Romans 10:9, Romans 10:10, Galatians 3:22, Galatians 3:26, Ephesians 2:7, Ephesians 2:8, 1 John 5:10-13

and thy: Acts 16:15, Acts 16:32, Acts 2:39, Acts 18:8, Genesis 17:7, Genesis 18:19, Jeremiah 32:39, Romans 11:16, Galatians 3:14

Reciprocal: Matthew 12:50 - do Mark 10:26 - Who Luke 10:25 - Master Luke 23:42 - Lord John 6:29 - This Acts 2:41 - gladly Acts 8:12 - they believed Acts 16:17 - the way Acts 20:21 - faith Acts 24:24 - the faith Romans 10:8 - the word of faith Galatians 3:27 - as many 2 Timothy 4:2 - in Hebrews 10:39 - but 1 John 3:23 - his commandment

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they said, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,.... Not with a bare historical faith, as only to believe that he was the Son of God, and the Messiah, and that he was come in the flesh, and had suffered, and died, and rose again, and was now in heaven at the right hand of God, and would come again to judge both quick and dead, for there may be such a faith and no salvation; but so as to look unto him alone for life and salvation, to rely upon him, and trust in him; to commit himself, and the care of his immortal soul unto him, and to expect peace, pardon, righteousness, and eternal life from him; the answer is much the same our Lord returned to the Jews, when they asked, though not with the same affection and sincerity as this man, what they must do to work the works of God, John 6:28.

And thou shalt be saved; from sin, and all its miserable effects and consequences; from the curses of the law, from the power of Satan, from the evil of the world, from the wrath of God, hell and damnation: this is to be understood of a spiritual and eternal salvation; for it is said, after that the jailer was inquiring about it, being terrified in his conscience with a sense of sin and wrath; and between believing in Christ, and being saved with an everlasting salvation, there is a strict and inseparable connection, Mark 16:16 though not faith, but Christ is the cause and author of salvation; faith spies salvation in Christ, goes to him for it, receives it from him, and believes unto it:

and thy house; or family, provided they believe in Christ also, as they did, Acts 16:34 or otherwise there can be no salvation, for he that believeth not shall be damned.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ - This was a simple, a plain, and an effectual direction. They did not direct him to use the means of grace, to pray, or to continue to seek for salvation. They did not advise him to delay, or to wait for the mercy of God. They told him to believe at once; to commit his agitated, and guilty, and troubled spirit to the Saviour, with the assurance that he should find peace. They presumed that he would understand what it was to believe, and they commanded him to do the thing. And this was the uniform direction which the early preachers gave to those inquiring the way to life. See the notes on Matthew 16:16. Compare the notes on Acts 8:22.

And thy house - And thy family. That is, the same salvation is equally adapted to, and offered to your family. It does not mean that his family would be saved simply by his believing, but that the offers had reference to them as well as to himself; that they might be saved as well as he. His attention was thus called at once, as every man’s should be, to his family. He was reminded that they needed salvation, and he was presented with the assurance that they might unite with him in the peace and joy of redeeming mercy. Compare the notes on Acts 2:39. It may be implied here that the faith of a father may be expected to be the means of the salvation of his family. It often is so in fact; but the direct meaning is, that salvation was offered to his family as well as himself, implying that if they believed they should also be saved.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 31. Believe on the Lord Jesus — Receive the religion of Christ, which we preach, and let thy household also receive it, and ye shall be all placed in the sure way to final salvation.