1While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road to Ephesus. When he arrived, he found some believers there.2He asked them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?’ ‘No’, they answered. ‘We haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’3So Paul asked, ‘Then what baptism did you receive?’ ‘John’s baptism,’ they replied.4Paul said, ‘John baptised people, calling them to turn away from their sins. He told them to believe in the one who was coming after him. Jesus is that one.’5After hearing this, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus.6Paul placed his hands on them. Then the Holy Spirit came on them. They spoke in languages they had not known before. They also prophesied.7There were about 12 men in all.8Paul entered the synagogue. There he spoke boldly for three months. He gave good reasons for believing the truth about God’s kingdom.9But some of them wouldn’t listen. They refused to believe. In public they said evil things about the Way of Jesus. So Paul left them. He took the believers with him. Each day he talked with people in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.10This went on for two years. So all the Jews and Greeks who lived in Asia Minor heard the word of the Lord.11God did amazing miracles through Paul.12Even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to those who were ill. When this happened, their diseases were healed and evil spirits left them.13Some Jews went around driving out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus to set free those who were controlled by demons. They said, ‘In Jesus’ name I command you to come out. He is the Jesus that Paul is preaching about.’14Seven sons of Sceva were doing this. Sceva was a Jewish chief priest.15One day the evil spirit answered them, ‘I know Jesus. And I know about Paul. But who are you?’16Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on Sceva’s sons. He overpowered them all. He gave them a terrible beating. They ran out of the house naked and bleeding.17The Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus heard about this. They were all overcome with fear. They held the name of the Lord Jesus in high honour.18Many who believed now came and openly admitted what they had done.19A number of those who had practised evil magic brought their scrolls together. They set them on fire out in the open. They added up the value of the scrolls. The scrolls were worth more than someone could earn in two lifetimes.20The word of the Lord spread everywhere. It became more and more powerful.21After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem. He went through Macedonia and Achaia. ‘After I have been to Jerusalem,’ he said, ‘I must visit Rome also.’22He sent Timothy and Erastus, two of his helpers, to Macedonia. But he stayed a little longer in Asia Minor.
Trouble in Ephesus
23At that time many people became very upset about the Way of Jesus.24There was a man named Demetrius who made things out of silver. He made silver models of the temple of the goddess Artemis. He brought in a lot of business for the other skilled workers there.25One day he called them together. He also called others who were in the same kind of business. ‘My friends’, he said, ‘you know that we make good money from our work.26You have seen and heard what this fellow Paul is doing. He has talked to large numbers of people here in Ephesus. Almost everywhere in Asia Minor he has led people away from our gods. He says that the gods made by human hands are not gods at all.27Our work is in danger of losing its good name. People’s faith in the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be weakened. Now she is worshipped all over Asia Minor and the whole world. But soon she will be robbed of her greatness.’28When they heard this, they became very angry. They began shouting, ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’29Soon people were making trouble in the whole city. They all rushed into the theatre. They dragged Gaius and Aristarchus along with them. These two men had come with Paul from Macedonia.30Paul wanted to appear in front of the crowd. But the believers wouldn’t let him.31Some of the officials in Asia Minor were friends of Paul. They sent him a message, begging him not to go into the theatre.32The crowd didn’t know what was going on. Some were shouting one thing and some another. Most of the people didn’t even know why they were there.33The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front. They tried to tell him what to say. But he motioned for them to be quiet. He was about to give the people reasons for his actions.34But then they realised that he was a Jew. So they all shouted the same thing for about two hours. ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’ they yelled.35The city clerk quietened the crowd down. ‘People of Ephesus!’ he said. ‘The city of Ephesus guards the temple of the great Artemis. The whole world knows this. They know that Ephesus guards her statue, which fell from heaven.36These facts can’t be questioned. So calm down. Don’t do anything foolish.37These men haven’t robbed any temples. They haven’t said evil things against our goddess. But you have brought them here anyhow.38Demetrius and the other skilled workers may feel they have been wronged by someone. Let them bring charges. The courts are open. We have our governors.39Is there anything else you want to bring up? Settle it in a court of law.40As it is, we are in danger of being charged with a crime. We could be charged with causing all this trouble today. There is no reason for it. So we wouldn’t be able to explain what has happened.’41After he said this, he sent the people away.
Acts 19
English Standard Version
Paul in Ephesus
1And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland[1] country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. (Ac 18:23; Ac 18:24)2And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” (Joh 7:39; Ac 8:16; Ac 11:16)3And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” (Ac 8:16; Ac 13:24; Ac 18:25; Heb 6:2)4And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” (Joh 1:7; Ac 19:3)5On hearing this, they were baptized in[2] the name of the Lord Jesus. (Ac 8:12; Ac 8:16)6And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. (Mr 16:17; Ac 8:17; Ac 10:46; Ac 13:1)7There were about twelve men in all.8And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. (Ac 1:3; Ac 13:5; Ac 28:23)9But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus.[3] (Ac 9:2; Ac 13:45; Ac 14:2; Ac 19:23; 1Co 16:9)10This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. (Ac 19:8; Ac 20:31; 2Ti 1:15)
The Sons of Sceva
11And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, (Ac 5:12; Ac 5:15)12so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. (Mr 16:17; Ac 19:11)13Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” (Mt 12:27; Mt 26:63; Mr 5:7; Mr 9:38; Lu 11:19)14Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.15But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” (Jas 2:19)16And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all[4] of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.17And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. (2Th 1:12)18Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. (Mt 3:6; Mr 1:5; Ro 14:11; Jas 5:16)19And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.20So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. (Ac 6:7; Ac 12:24)
A Riot at Ephesus
21Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” (Ac 20:1; Ac 20:16; Ac 20:22; Ac 23:11; Ro 1:13; Ro 15:24; Ro 15:25; Ro 15:26; Ro 15:28; 1Co 16:3; 1Co 16:5; 2Co 1:16; 1Th 1:7)22And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while. (Ac 13:5; Ac 16:1; Ac 19:29; 1Co 16:8; Col 4:7; 2Ti 1:18; 2Ti 4:11; Phm 1:13)23About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. (Ac 19:9; 2Co 1:8)24For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. (Ac 16:16; Ac 16:19)25These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. (Ac 19:24)26And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. (De 4:28; 2Ki 19:18; Ps 115:4; Isa 44:10; Jer 10:3; Ac 14:15; Ac 17:29; 1Co 8:4; Re 9:20)27And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.” (Ac 8:10)28When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” (Ac 19:27)29So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s companions in travel. (Ac 19:22; Ac 20:4; Ac 20:34; Ac 27:2; 2Co 8:19; Col 4:10; Phm 1:24)30But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him.31And even some of the Asiarchs,[5] who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater.32Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. (Ac 21:34)33Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. (Ac 12:17)34But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” (Ac 19:28)35And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky?[6] (Ac 14:12)36Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash.37For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. (Ac 19:29; Ro 2:22)38If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. (Ac 13:7)39But if you seek anything further,[7] it shall be settled in the regular assembly.40For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.”41And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.