< Acts 19 >
1 NOW it came to pass that during the time Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, after passing through the upper provinces, came to Ephesus; and finding certain disciples,
2 said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not even heard if the Holy Ghost is given.
3 And he asked them, Into what then were ye baptised? And they replied, Into John’s baptism.
4 Then said Paul, John indeed baptised with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people, That they should believe on him who was coming after him, that is, in Christ Jesus.
5 Now when they heard it, they were baptised into the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And Paul laying on them his hands, the Holy Ghost came upon them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
7 And the men were in all about twelve.
8 And entering into the synagogue, he spake boldly during three months, reasoning and persuading the things that concern the kingdom of God.
9 And when some were hardened, and infidel, speaking evil of the way before the people, he withdrew from them, and separated the disciples, discoursing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.
10 And this he did for two years; so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
11 And God wrought by the hands of Paul extraordinary miracles;
12 so that even from his skin there were brought handkerchiefs and aprons unto the diseased, and their disorders were chased from them, and the evil spirits came out of them.
13 Then certain of the Jews, who went about as exorcists, attempted to make mention of the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
14 And they were seven sons of Sceva a Jew, a chief priest, who did this.
15 Then the evil spirit replied, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
16 And the man sprang upon them, in whom was the evil spirit, and getting the mastery over them, prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
17 And this was known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who dwelt at Ephesus: and fear fell on them all, and they magnified the name of the Lord.
18 And many of those who believed came, confessing and declaring their practices.
19 And many of those who practised magical arts brought the books, and burned them before all men; and they calculated the prices of them, and found them worth fifty thousand pieces of silver.
20 So mightily did the word of God increase and prevail.
21 Now when these things were accomplished, Paul purposed by the Spirit, passing through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, That after I have been there, I must see Rome also.
22 Then he dispatched into Macedonia two of those who attended upon him, Timothy and Erastus; while he himself continued a while longer in Asia.
23 And there happened at that time no small disturbance about this way.
24 For a person named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made little temples in silver to represent that of Diana, brought to the artificers no small gain;
25 whom collecting together, with the workmen also of such trinkets, he said, Sirs, ye know that by this employment we make our advantageous livelihood:
26 and ye see and hear how not only at Ephesus, but almost through all Asia, this fellow Paul, by his persuasions, hath perverted a vast multitude, affirming that they are not gods which are made with hands:
27 so that not only is this our trade in danger of falling into contempt, but also that this temple of the great goddess Diana should be counted as nothing, and that henceforth also her magnificence should be utterly destroyed, whom all Asia and the whole world worshippeth.
28 On hearing this then, and being filled with rage, they cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
29 And the whole city was filled with confusion; and they rushed unanimously into the theatre, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul’s travelling companions.
30 But though Paul wished to go in to the people, the disciples would not permit him.
31 And some of the Asiarchs also, who were his friends, sent unto him, admonishing him not to venture himself into the theatre.
32 So they were crying out some one thing and some another: for the assembly was a scene of confusion, and the greater part knew not on what account they were collected together.
33 Then out of the crowd they brought forward Alexander, the Jews pushing him on: and Alexander, waving his hand, would fain have addressed his apology to the people.
34 But when they knew he was a Jew, one shout burst from all, crying for about the space of two hours, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
35 Then the recorder having quieted the multitude, said, Men of Ephesus, who indeed is the man that doth not know that the city of the Ephesians is wholly devoted to the great goddess Diana, and to the image which fell down from Jupiter?
36 These things being then incontrovertible, it becomes you to be quiet, and to do nothing with precipitation.
37 For ye have brought hither these men, neither robbers of the temple, nor blasphemers of your goddess.
38 If then indeed Demetrius and the artificers that are with him have a charge against any man, the courts are held, and there are proconsuls: let them implead one another.
39 And if ye have any dispute about other matters, it shall be terminated in a lawful assembly,
40 For we are even in danger of being called to account for this day’s insurrection, there being no cause on account of which we can justify this tumultuary concourse:
41 and so saying, he dissolved the assembly.
