And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
Parallel translations
- WEB 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?”
- NKJV And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
- NASB and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
- NLT Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
He brought them out and asked, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?'
Overview
His question reaches beyond escaping legal trouble to the deeper need of his soul. It is the central question of Acts and of every awakened sinner. The events of that night, under God's hand, had pressed the jailer to seek the salvation that only Christ can give.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- John 6:27–29Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
- Acts 2:37Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
- Acts 22:10And I said, What shall I do, LORD? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.
- Luke 3:10And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
- Jas 2:13For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
- Acts 14:15And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:
- Isa 58:9Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
- Matt 3:8Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
- Job 25:4How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?
- Acts 9:6And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
- Acts 16:17The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
- Acts 16:24Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
- Isa 58:6Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
- Job 34:32That which I see not teach thou me: if I have done iniquity, I will do no more.
- Isa 1:16–17Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
- Matt 5:7Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.
How Acts 16:30 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.