19

1 And it came to pass, that, while :Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper regions came to Ephesus, and found certain disciples: 2 and he said unto them, Whether ye received the Holy Spirit when ye believed? And they said unto him, Nay, we did not so much as hear whether there is a Holy Spirit. 3 And he said, Into what then were ye baptized? And they said, Into the baptism of John. 4 And Paul said, John baptized a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe unto him that should come after him, that is, unto :Jesus. 5 And when they heard this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when :Paul had laid :hands upon them, the Holy :Spirit came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. 7 And they were in :all about twelve men. 8 And he entered into the synagogue, and spake boldly for three months reasoning and persuading concerning 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. 10 And this continued for two years; so that all that dwelt in :Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. 11 And :God wrought :special miracles by the hands of Paul: 12 so that unto the sick were even carried away from his :body handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil :spirits went out. 13 But certain also of the strolling Jews, exorcists, undertook to name over those having the evil :spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, I adjure you by :Jesus whom Paul preacheth. 14 And seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, a chief priest, were doing this. 15 And the evil :spirit answered and said to them, :Jesus I acknowledge, and :Paul I know; but who are YE? 16 And the man in whom the evil :spirit was leaped on them, and mastered both, and prevailed against them, so that they fled from that :house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, that dwelt at :Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 18 Many also of them that had believed came, confessing and declaring their :deeds. 19 And not a few of them that practiced arts brought their books together and burned them in sight of all; and they counted the prices of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 Thus mightily the word of the Lord was growing and prevailing.

21 Now as these things were being fulfilled, :Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through :Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying [that], After I have been there, I must also see Rome. 22 And having sent into Macedonia two of them that were ministering to him, Timothy and Erastus, himself stayed in :Asia for a time. 23 And about that :season no small stir arose concerning the Way. 24 For a certain Demētrius by name, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no little business unto the craftsmen; 25 whom he gathered together, with the workmen of like business, and said, Men, ye know that by this :business we have our wealth. 26 And ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all :Asia, this :Paul hath persuaded and turned away a large crowd, saying that they are no gods, that are made with hands: 27 and not only is there danger that this our :trade come into disrepute; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana be made of no account, and that she should even be deposed from her majesty whom all :Asia and the inhabited earth worshipeth. 28 And when they heard this they were filled with wrath, and cried out, saying, Great the Diana of Ephesians. 29 And the city was filled with the confusion: and they rushed with one accord into the theatre, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonian men, Paul’s companions in travel. 30 And when Paul intended to enter in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not. 31 And certain also of the Asiarchs, being his friends, sent unto him and besought him not to venture himself into the theatre. 32 Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the †assembly was in confusion; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together. 33 And they brought Alexander out of the crowd, the Jews putting him forward. And :Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made a defense unto the people. 34 But when they perceived that he was a Jew, all with one voice for about two hours cried out, Great the Diana of Ephesians. 35 And when the townclerk had quieted the crowd, he saith, [:Men] Ephesians, what man is there who knoweth not that the city of the Ephesians is temple-keeper of the great Diana, and of the image fallen from Jupiter? 36 Seeing therefore that these things cannot be gainsaid, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rash. 37 For ye have brought these :men, neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our :goddess. 38 If therefore Demetrius, and the craftsmen with him, have a matter against any man, courts are open, and there are proconsuls: let them accuse one another. 39 But if ye seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. 40 For indeed we are in danger of being accused concerning this day’s riot, there being no cause for it: as touching it we shall not be able to give account of this :concourse. 41 And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.