1Kým bol Apolo v Korinte, prešiel Pavol hornatým vnútrozemím a prišiel do Efezu. Tu sa zoznámil so skupinou mužov, Jánových učeníkov.2Spýtal sa ich: „Keď ste uverili, prijali ste Ducha Svätého?“ Odpovedali mu: „Nie, o Duchu Svätom sme ani len nepočuli.“3Pavol pokračoval: „Čomu ste teda uverili, keď ste sa dali pokrstiť?“ – „Tomu, čo učil Ján,“ odpovedali.4Tu im Pavol vysvetlil: „Ján krstil tých, ktorí oľutovali svoje hriechy a odvrátili sa od nich, ale nabádal ľudí, aby uverili v toho, kto príde po ňom – v Ježiša.5Keď to počuli, dali sa pokrstiť na znamenie, že uverili v Ježiša Krista.6A len čo na nich Pavol položil ruky, zostúpil na nich Duch Svätý a hovorili cudzími jazykmi a prorokovali.7Tých mužov bolo asi dvanásť.8Potom išiel Pavol do synagógy. Tri mesiace tam každú sobotu neohrozene hlásal Božie slovo a získaval ľudí pre kráľovstvo Božie.9Ale keď niektorí neústupne trvali na svojom, ba dokonca verejne hanobili Krista, Pavol od nich odišiel a odviedol so sebou aj kresťanov. Schádzavali sa každý deň v prednáškovej sieni filozofa Tyrana.10Kázal tam dva roky, takže všetci obyvatelia provincie Ázia, Židia aj Gréci, počuli o Ježišovi.11A Boh dal Pavlovi moc konať nezvyčajné zázraky.12Stačilo dokonca, ak ľudia vzali Pavlove vreckovky alebo časti odevu, priložili ich s vierou na chorých a boli uzdravení. Aj mnohých zlých duchov takto vyhnali.13Niektorí židovskí zaklínači, ktorí cestovali z mesta do mesta, pokúsili sa používať pri vyháňaní zlých duchov novú zaklínaciu formulku: „Zaklínam ťa v mene Ježiša, ktorého káže Pavol.“14Tak to robilo sedem synov židovského veľkňaza Skevu. Raz sa pokúsili takto uzdraviť človeka posadnutého démonmi.15Ale démon im odpovedal: „Ježiša aj Pavla poznám, ale kto ste vy?“16Potom sa ten človek vrhol na dvoch z nich, postŕhal z nich šaty a zmlátil tak, že napokon nahí a doráňaní museli utekať z domu.17To sa hneď rozchýrilo po celom Efeze, medzi Židmi aj Grékmi, takže všetkých sa zmocnil posvätný strach a meno Pána Ježiša vyslovovali s veľkou úctou.18Aj kresťania prichádzali a žalovali na seba, že sa predtým venovali zaklínaniu.19Mnohí, ktorí sa zaoberali čiernou mágiou, prinášali svoje knihy a pred všetkými ich pálili. Odhadovalo sa, že mali cenu päťdesiattisíc strieborných.20Aj to bol dôkaz, ako hlboko zasiahla Božia moc celý kraj.21Po týchto udalostiach si Pavol predsavzal, že precestuje Macedónskom a cez Achajsko sa vráti do Jeruzalema. „A potom by som sa rád pozrel aj do Ríma,“ povedal si.22Dvoch svojich pomocníkov, Timoteja a Erasta, poslal napred do Macedónska a sám zostal ešte nejaký čas v Ázii.
Nepokoje v Efeze
23Práve v tom čase vypukli v Efeze vážne nepokoje kvôli novému kresťanskému učeniu.24Vyvolal ich zlatník Demeter, ktorý zamestnával mnohých robotníkov a vyrábal malé strieborné imitácie chrámu gréckej bohyne Artemis.25Demeter zvolal svojich zamestnancov aj ostatných, ktorí vyrábali podobné veci, a povedal im: „Priatelia, veľmi dobre viete, že naše remeslo nám veľmi dobre vynáša.26No teraz, ako iste vidíte a počujete, príde si nejaký Pavol a popletie a zvedie ľudí nielen v Efeze, ale aj po celej Ázii. Vraví, že bohovia urobení ľudskými rukami nie sú nijakí bohovia.27Hrozí nám, že nielen prídeme o svoje zisky a že sa naším remeslom začne pohŕdať, ale že aj chrám veľkej bohyne Artemis stratí svoju vážnosť a sama bohyňa, ktorú si ctí celá Ázia, ba aj celý svet, príde o svoju slávu.“28Tieto slová rozzúrili zhromaždených remeselníkov a začali kričať: „Veľká je Artemis Efezanov!“29Pobúrenie postupne zachvátilo celé mesto. Ľudia sa hrnuli do amfiteátra a vliekli so sebou aj Gája a Aristarcha, Pavlových macedónskych sprievodcov.30Pavol chcel predstúpiť pred zhromaždený dav, ale učeníci mu v tom zabránili.31Aj niektorí vysokí úradníci provincie, ktorí mu boli naklonení, ho varovali, aby nešiel medzi rozvášnený dav.32Každý kričal niečo iné, vládol tu náramný zmätok a väčšina nevedela, načo sa vlastne zišli.33Židia postrčili dopredu Alexandra, ktorý mal ľudí presvedčiť, že oni s tým nemajú nič spoločné. Zakýval rukou a chcel povedať niečo na obhajobu.34Ale keď zástup zistil, že je to Žid, znova spustil krik a takmer dve hodiny volali: „Veľká je Artemis Efezanov! Veľká je Artemis Efezanov!“35Konečne došiel predstavený mestskej rady a podarilo sa mu utíšiť dav: „Občania Efezu! Je predsa všeobecne známe, že práve v našom meste je najvýznamnejší chrám bohyne Artemidy a že jej obraz spadol rovno z neba. O tom predsa niet pochybností!36Preto sa neznepokojujte a neurobte nič prenáhlené.37Priviedli ste sem týchto ľudí. Ale oni predsa neznesvätili chrám, ani sa nerúhali našej bohyni.38A ak sa Demeter a ostatní remeselníci chcú na niekoho ponosovať, na to sú verejné súdne zasadnutia a sú tu aj rímske úrady, tam sa to môže prerokovať.39A ak máte nejaké požiadavky, tak sa to môže predložiť mestskej rade.40Ináč hrozí nebezpečenstvo, že budeme obvinení zo vzbury, lebo nemáme čím zdôvodniť toto zhluknutie.“41Po týchto slovách rozpustil zhromaždenie.
English Standard Version
Paul in Ephesus
1And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland* country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples.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.”3And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.”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.”5On hearing this, they were baptized in* the name of the Lord Jesus.6And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.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.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.*10This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
The Sons of Sceva
11And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul,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.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.”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?”16And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all* 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.18Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices.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.
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.”22And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.23About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way.24For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen.25These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth.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.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.”28When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”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.30But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him.31And even some of the Asiarchs,* 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.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.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!”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?*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.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.39But if you seek anything further,* 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.
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