< Acts 19 >
1 And it came to pass while Apollos was at Corinth, for Paul, having passed through the upper regions, to come to Ephesus. And having found some disciples,
2 he said to them, Did ye receive the Holy Spirit when ye believed? And they said to him, But we have not even heard if there is a Holy Spirit.
3 And he said to them, Into what then were ye immersed? And they said, Into John's immersion.
4 And Paul said, John indeed immersed an immersion of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe in him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus, the Christ.
5 And when they heard this, they were immersed in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And Paul having laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues, and prophesied.
7 And all the men were about twelve.
8 And after entering into the synagogue, he spoke boldly for three months, discoursing and persuading the things about the kingdom of God.
9 But when some were hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the multitude, having withdrawn from them, he separated the disciples, discoursing daily in the school of a certain Tyrannus.
10 And this happened for two years, so as for all those dwelling in Asia to hear the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul,
12 so as to even bring handkerchiefs or aprons from his skin to those who were incapacitated and to free their infirmities from them, and the evil spirits to go out from them.
13 But some of the wandering Jewish exorcists, attempted to name the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had the evil spirits, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul proclaims.
14 And there were some sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, seven doing this.
15 And having answered, the evil spirit said, I know Jesus and I recognize Paul, but who are ye?
16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit, leaping on them, and having overpowered them, he prevailed against them, so as for them to flee out of that house naked and wounded.
17 And this became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, to those who dwell at Ephesus. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
18 And many of those who have believed came, confessing, and reporting their practices.
19 And a considerable number of those who practiced magical things, having brought their books together, burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.
20 Thus the word of the Lord was growing mightily and was prevailing.
21 Now when these things were fulfilled, Paul decided in the spirit, after passing through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, having said, After becoming there, I must also see Rome.
22 And having sent into Macedonia two of those who help him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.
23 And about that time there developed no small stir about the Way.
24 For a certain silversmith named Demetrius who makes silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little work to the craftsmen,
25 to whom also (having assembled the workmen about such things) he said, Men, ye know that our prosperity is from this work.
26 And ye see and hear, that not only at Ephesus, but almost in all Asia, this man Paul, having persuaded them, turned away a considerable multitude, saying that there are no gods made by hands.
27 And not only is this our part liable to come into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Artemis is going to be regarded for nothing, and also her magnificence be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship.
28 And when they heard this, having become full of wrath, they cried out, saying, The great Artemis of Ephesians.
29 And the whole city was filled with the confusion. And they rushed with one accord into the theatre, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, traveling companions of Paul.
30 And when Paul wanted to enter in to the crowd, the disciples did not let him.
31 And also some of the Asian officers, being their friends, having sent to him, implored him not to give himself into the theatre.
32 Indeed therefore some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was confused, and most had not seen why they had come together.
33 And they urged forward Alexander out of the multitude, having put him forward from the Jews. And Alexander having waved his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd.
34 But after recognizing that he was a Jew, one voice developed from them all, crying out for about two hours, The great Artemis of Ephesians.
35 And when the town clerk calmed the multitude, he says, Ephesian men, now who is the man who does not know the city of the Ephesians being temple-guardian of the great goddess Artemis, and of what fell from Zeus?
36 Therefore these things being undeniable, ye ought to be restrained, and do nothing rash.
37 For ye brought these men, who are neither sacrilegious nor blaspheming your goddess.
38 Indeed therefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen with him, have a matter against any man, forums are brought, and there are proconsuls. Let them accuse each other.
39 And if ye seek anything about other things, it will be decided in the assembly within law.
40 For we are also in danger to be accused about the uproar today, there being no cause about which we can give account of this commotion.
41 And having said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
