Acts 16:20 (DRB)

Passage

And presenting them to the magistrates, they said: These men disturb our city, being Jews:

Nearby Context

Acts 16:18 And this she did many days. But Paul being grieved, turned and said to the spirit: I command thee, in the name of Jesus Christ, to go from her. And he went out the same hour.

Acts 16:19 But her masters, seeing that the hope of their gain was gone, apprehending Paul and Silas, brought them into the market place to the rulers.

Acts 16:20 And presenting them to the magistrates, they said: These men disturb our city, being Jews:

Acts 16:21 And preach a fashion which it is not lawful for us to receive nor observe, being Romans.

Acts 16:22 And the people ran together against them: and the magistrates, rending off their clothes, commanded them to be beaten with rods.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "presenting", "magistrates", "said", "disturb", "city", and "jews". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "presenting" and "magistrates", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "But her masters seeing that the hope..." into verse 21's "And preach a fashion which it is...", so "presenting" and "magistrates" belong inside that flow. In Acts context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "presenting" and "magistrates" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.