Acts 19
1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper country, came to Ephesus and found certain disciples.
While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland districts of Roman Asia, and went to Ephesus. There he found some disciples, of whom he asked,
2 He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They said to him, “No, we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
‘Did you, when you became believers in Christ, receive the Holy Spirit?’ ‘No,’ they answered, ‘we did not even hear that there was a Holy Spirit.’
3 He said, “Into what then were you immersed?” They said, “Into Yochanan’s immersion.”
‘What then was your baptism?’ Paul asked.
4 Paul said, “Yochanan indeed immersed with the immersion of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Messiah Yeshua.”
‘John’s baptism was a baptism on repentance,’ rejoined Paul, ‘and John told the people (speaking of the “one coming” after him) that they should believe in him – that is in Jesus.’
5 When they heard this, they were immersed in the name of the Lord Yeshua.
On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus,
6 When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke with other languages and prophesied.
and, after Paul had placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit descended on them, and they began to speak in other languages and to preach.
7 They were about twelve men in all.
There were about twelve of them in all.
8 He entered into the synagogue and spoke boldly for a period of three months, reasoning and persuading about the things concerning God’s Kingdom.
Paul went to the synagogue there, and for three months spoke out fearlessly, giving addresses and trying to convince his hearers, about the kingdom of God.
9 But when some were hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and separated the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.
Some of them, however, hardened their hearts and refused to believe, denouncing the Way before the people. So Paul left them and withdrew his disciples, and gave daily addresses in the lecture-hall of Tyrannus.
10 This continued for two years, so that all those who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord Yeshua, both Jews and Greeks.
This went on for two years, so that all who lived in Roman Asia, Jews and Greeks alike, heard the Lord’s message.
11 God worked special miracles by the hands of Paul,
God did miracles of no ordinary kind by Paul’s hands;
12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out.
so that people would carry home to the sick handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his body, and their diseases would leave them and the wicked spirits go out of them.
13 But some of the itinerant Jews, exorcists, took on themselves to invoke over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Yeshua, saying, “We adjure you by Yeshua whom Paul preaches.”
An attempt was made by some itinerant Jews, who were exorcists, to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had wicked spirits in them. ‘I order you,’ they would say, ‘by the Jesus, whom Paul preaches.’
14 There were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did this.
The seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this;
15 The evil spirit answered, “Yeshua I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?”
but the wicked spirit answered them, ‘Jesus I acknowledge, and Paul I know, but you – who are you?’
16 The man in whom the evil spirit was leapt on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
Then the man, in whom this wicked spirit was, sprang on them, mastered both of them, and so completely overpowered them, that they fled out of the house, stripped of their clothes, and wounded.
17 This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived at Ephesus. Fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Yeshua was magnified.
This incident came to the knowledge of all the Jews and Greeks living at Ephesus; they were all awe-struck, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in the highest honour.
18 Many also of those who had believed came, confessing and declaring their deeds.
Many, too, of those who had become believers in Christ came with a full confession of their practices;
19 Many of those who practised magical arts brought their books together and burnt them in the sight of all. They counted their price, and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver.
while a number of people, who had practiced magic, collected their books and burnt them publicly; and on reckoning up the price of these, they found it amounted to fifty thousand silver coins.
20 So the word of the Lord was growing and becoming mighty.
So irresistibly did the Lord’s message spread and prevail.
21 Now after these things had ended, Paul determined in the Spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”
Sometime after these events Paul resolved to go through Macedonia and Greece, and then make his way to Jerusalem. ‘And after I have been there,’ he said, ‘I must visit Rome also.’
22 Having sent into Macedonia two of those who served him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.
So he sent to Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, while he himself stayed for some time longer in Roman Asia.
23 About that time there arose no small disturbance concerning the Way.
Just about that time a great disturbance arose about the Way.
24 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen,
A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver models of the shrine of Artemis, and so gave a great deal of work to the artisans,
25 whom he gathered together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, “Sirs, you know that by this business we have our wealth.
got these men together, as well as the workmen engaged in similar occupations, and said: ‘Men, you know that our prosperity depends on this work,
26 You see and hear that not at Ephesus alone, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are no gods that are made with hands.
and you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but in almost the whole of Roman Asia, this Paul has convinced and won over great numbers of people, by his assertion that those Gods which are made by hands are not Gods at all.
27 Not only is there danger that this our trade come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be counted as nothing and her majesty destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worships.”
So that not only is this business of ours likely to fall into discredit, but there is the further danger that the Temple of the great Goddess Artemis will be thought nothing of, and that she herself will be deprived of her splendour – though all Roman Asia and the whole world worship her.’
28 When they heard this they were filled with anger, and cried out, saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
When they heard this, the men were greatly enraged, and began shouting – ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’
29 The whole city was filled with confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theatre, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul’s companions in travel.
The commotion spread through the whole city, and the people rushed together into the amphitheater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, two Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions.
30 When Paul wanted to enter in to the people, the disciples didn’t allow him.
Paul wished to go into the amphitheater and face the people, but the disciples would not let him,
31 Certain also of the Asiarchs, being his friends, sent to him and begged him not to venture into the theatre.
while some of the chief religious officials of the province, who were friendly to him, sent repeated entreaties to him not to trust himself inside.
32 Some therefore cried one thing, and some another, for the assembly was in confusion. Most of them didn’t know why they had come together.
Meanwhile some were shouting one thing and some another, for the Assembly was all in confusion, most of those present not even knowing why they had met.
33 They brought Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. Alexander beckoned with his hand, and would have made a defence to the people.
But some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom several of the Jewish leaders had pushed to the front, and he waved his hand to show that he wanted to speak in their defence to the people.
34 But when they perceived that he was a Jew, all with one voice for a time of about two hours cried out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
However, when they recognised him as a Jew, one cry broke from them all, and they continued shouting for two hours – ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’
35 When the town clerk had quieted the multitude, he said, “You men of Ephesus, what man is there who doesn’t know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great goddess Artemis, and of the image which fell down from Zeus?
When the Recorder had succeeded in quieting the crowd, he said, ‘People of Ephesus, who is there, I ask you, who needs to be told that this city of Ephesus is the Warden of the Temple of the great Artemis, and of the statue which fell down from Zeus?
36 Seeing then that these things can’t be denied, you ought to be quiet and to do nothing rash.
As these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and do nothing rash;
37 For you have brought these men here, who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess.
for you have brought these men here, though they are neither robbers of Temples nor blasphemers of our Goddess.
38 If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a matter against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. Let them press charges against one another.
If, however, Demetrius and the artisans who are acting with him have a charge to make against anyone, there are court days and there are Magistrates; let both parties take legal proceedings.
39 But if you seek anything about other matters, it will be settled in the regular assembly.
But if you want anything more, it will have to be settled in the regular Assembly.
40 For indeed we are in danger of being accused concerning today’s riot, there being no cause. Concerning it, we wouldn’t be able to give an account of this commotion.”
For I tell you that we are in danger of being proceeded against for today’s riot, there being nothing to account for it; and in that case we will be at a loss to give any reason for this disorderly gathering.’
41 When he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.
With these words he dismissed the Assembly.
