Acts 19

Paul at Ephesus

1It happened that while 1Apollos was at 2Corinth, Paul passed through the 3upper country and came to 4Ephesus, and found some disciples. 2He said to them, “5Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, 6we have not even heard whether 7there is a Holy Spirit.” 3And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “8Into John’s baptism.” 4Paul said, “9John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people 10to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5When they heard this, they were 11baptized 12in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6And when Paul had 13laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began 14speaking with tongues and 15prophesying. 7There were in all about twelve men.

8And he entered 16the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them 17about the kingdom of God. 9But when 18some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of 19the Way before the 20people, he withdrew from them and took away 21the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. 10This took place for 22two years, so that all who lived in 2324Asia heard 25the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

Miracles at Ephesus

11God was performing 26extraordinary 27miracles by the hands of Paul, 1228so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and 29the evil spirits went out. 13But also some of the Jewish 30exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 14Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” 16And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in 31Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified. 18Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. 19And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they counted up the price of them and found it 32fifty thousand 33pieces of silver. 20So 3435the word of the Lord 36was growing mightily and prevailing.

21Now after these things were finished, Paul purposed in the 37Spirit to 38go to Jerusalem 39after he had passed through 40Macedonia and 41Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, 42I must also see Rome.” 22And having sent into 43Macedonia two of 44those who ministered to him, 45Timothy and 46Erastus, he himself stayed in 4748Asia for a while.

23About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning 49the Way. 24For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of 50Artemis, 51was bringing no little 52business to the craftsmen; 25these he gathered together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity 53depends upon this business. 26You see and hear that not only in 54Ephesus, but in almost all of 5556Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that 5758gods made with hands are no gods at all. 27Not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess 59Artemis be regarded as worthless and that she whom all of 6061Asia and 62the 63world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence.”

28When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began crying out, saying, “Great is 64Artemis of the 65Ephesians!” 29The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed 66with one accord into the theater, dragging along 67Gaius and 68Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling 69companions from 70Macedonia. 30And when Paul wanted to go into the 71assembly, 72the disciples would not let him. 31Also some of the 73Asiarchs who were friends of his sent to him and repeatedly urged him not to 74venture into the theater. 3275So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the 76assembly was in confusion and the majority did not know 77for what reason they had come together. 33Some of the crowd 78concluded it was Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward; and having 79motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to the 80assembly. 34But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single outcry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours, “Great is 81Artemis of the Ephesians!” 35After quieting the crowd, the town clerk said, “Men of 82Ephesus, what man is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great 83Artemis and of the image which fell down from 84heaven? 36So, since these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash. 37For you have brought these men here who are neither 85robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against any man, the courts are in session and 8687proconsuls are available; let them bring charges against one another. 39But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the 88lawful 89assembly. 40For indeed we are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today’s events, since there is no real cause for it, and in this connection we will be unable to account for this disorderly gathering.” 41After saying this he dismissed the 90assembly.