I, their jailer, heard them sing and pray,
And felt the awful earthquake shake them free;
The blame, the Roman blame, for their escape
Must fall on me.
I seized the sword to end my hated life,
But in the darkness felt Paul's hand.
"Harm not thyself," he said. "We all are here;
With God we stand."
I who had thrust these men in cruel bonds,
I who had bound them as my captured foe,
Fell trembling down before them now
And cried to know—
Cried out to know how I could save my soul.
Then they who lifted me away from fear
Told me of Him and how they found and knew
His presence here.
This—even to me! I brought a light; I begged
That I might wash the wounds made by the rod.
They smiled. I saw what I had never seen before—
The love of God.
