< Acts 19 >
1 Now it happened that while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul, after passing through the hinterland, came to Ephesus, where he found a few disciples.
2 "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" he asked them. "No" said they, "we did not even hear that there is a Holy Spirit."
3 "Into what, then, were you baptized?" he asked. And they said, "Into the baptism of John."
4 "John indeed baptized with the baptism of repentance," answered Paul, "telling the people to believe on One who was coming after him, namely, on Jesus."
5 When they heard this they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus;
6 and after Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began to speak with tongues, and to prophesy.
7 They were in all about twelve men.
8 Then Paul went into the synagogue, and there continued to preach fearlessly for about three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.
9 But when some grew hardened and disobedient, and spoke evil of the Way before the crowd, he left them, withdrew the disciples, and continued to hold discussions daily in the lecture-hall of Tyrannus.
10 This went on for two years, so that all the inhabitants of Asia heard the Lord’s message, Jews as well as Greeks.
11 God also wrought extraordinary miracles by the hand of Paul;
12 so much so, that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick; and their diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out.
13 But there were also some strolling Jewish exorcists, who took it upon them to invoke the name of Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I adjure you by that Jesus whom Paul preaches."
14 There were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish high priest who used to do this.
15 But the evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I have heard of, but who are you?"
16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was sprang on two of them, overpowered them and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of the house naked and wounded.
17 And this became known to all the people of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. Awe fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus began to be held in honor.
18 Many also of those who became believers used to come to confess and to declare their deeds.
19 And some of them who had practised magic arts, collected their books, and burned them in the presence of all. And they counted the price of them, and found it to be fifty thousand silver coins.
20 So mightily the word of the Lord continued to grow and to prevail.
21 Now after these things were ended, Paul resolved in his spirit to travel through Macedonia and Achaia on his way to Jerusalem. "After I get there," he said, "I must see Rome, too."
22 So he sent two of his assistants, Timothy and Erastus, into Macedonia, while he himself kept back for a time on his way into Asia.
23 Now just at this time, there arose no small commotion concerning the Way.
24 There was a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, and brought rich profit to his workmen.
25 He gathered them together with others of like occupation, and said. "Men, you know that by this business we make our money.
26 "And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but almost throughout all of Asia, this fellow Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, by telling them that they are no gods at all who are made with hands.
27 "So there is danger not only that our trade come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana will be brought into disrepute, and that she herself may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world now worships."
28 After listening to this they were filled with rage, and cried out again and again, saying,
29 The city was filled with commotion. They rushed like one man into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul’s companions in travel.
30 When Paul wanted to go in to the people, the disciples would not let him,
31 and some of the Asiarchs, too, who were his friends, sent word to him repeatedly, entreating him not to venture into the theater.
32 Now some were shouting one thing, some another, for the assembly was in an uproar, and the majority had no idea why they were come together.
33 And they brought Alexander out of the crowd, whom the Jews had pushed forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, would have made a defense to the people,
34 but when they saw that he was a Jew they all, with one voice, for about two hours, shouted,
35 At length the recorder got them quiet. "Men of Ephesus," he said, "who here does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple- guardian of the great Diana and of the image which fell down from Jupiter?
36 "Since these facts cannot be gainsaid, you ought to be calm and do nothing reckless.
37 "For you have brought these men here, who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess.
38 If then Demetrius and his craftsmen have a grievance against any one, the courts are open and there are the proconsuls; let them accuse one another.
39 But if you desire anything further, it must be settled in the regular assembly.
40 For indeed we are in danger of being accused in regard to this day’s riot, since there is no cause for it, nor shall we be able to give account for this disorderly gathering."
41 With these words he dismissed the assembly.
