Acts 19
1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul [left the places in Phrygia and Galatia] provinces where he had been visiting, and traveled through [Asia province] back to Ephesus. He met some people [who said that they] were believers.
And while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul travelled over the upper countries to Ephesus. And he inquired of the disciples whom he found there,
2 He asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed [God’s message]?” They answered, “No, we [(exc) did not]. We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
Have ye received the Holy Spirit, since ye believed? They answered and said to him: If there be a Holy Spirit, it hath not come to our hearing.
3 So Paul asked, “So when you were baptized, what [were you showing]?” They replied, “[We were showing] that we [(exc)] believed what John [the Baptizer] taught.”
He said to them: Into what then were ye baptized? They say: Into the baptism of John.
4 Paul said, “John baptized people who turned away from their sinful behavior. He [also] told the people to believe in the one who would come after he [had come], and that was Jesus.”
Paul said to them: John baptized the people with the baptism of repentance, while he told them to believe in him who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus the Messiah.
5 So, when those men heard that, they were baptized [to affirm that they believed] [MTY] in the Lord Jesus.
And when they heard these things, they were baptized in the name of our Lord Jesus Messiah.
6 After that, Paul placed his hands on their heads [one by one], and the [power of the] Holy Spirit came upon [each of] them. The [Holy Spirit] enabled them to speak in various languages [MTY] [that they had not learned], and they also spoke messages [that the Holy Spirit] revealed to them.
And Paul laid his hand on them; and the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in various tongues, and prophesied.
7 There were about twelve men [whom Paul baptized and who received the power of the Holy Spirit].
And all the persons were twelve.
8 For three months after that, Paul entered the Jewish meeting place [in Ephesus on each] Sabbath/Jewish day of rest, and he spoke boldly. He convincingly taught [the people] about how God wanted to rule [MET] [their lives].
And Paul entered into the synagogue, and spoke boldly three months, persuading in regard to the kingdom of God.
9 [A few of the people in the meeting house believed the message about Jesus]. But some of the people would not believe that message and did not want to [continue to] hear it. While many people were listening, they said many bad things about the way [for people to receive eternal life about which Paul was preaching]. So Paul left them and took the believers with him [to meet in another place]. He taught every day in a lecture hall [that a man whose name was] Tyrannus [lectured in/owned].
And some of them were hardened, and disputatious, and reviled the way of God before the assembly of the people. Then Paul withdrew himself, and separated the disciples from them. And he discoursed with them daily in the school of a man named Tyrannus.
10 For two years Paul continued to teach people in that building. In this way, most of [HYP] the Jews and non-Jews who lived in Asia [province] heard the message about the Lord [Jesus].
And this continued for two years, until all who resided in Proconsular Asia, both Jews and Gentiles, heard the word of the Lord.
11 Also, God gave Paul the power [MTY] to do amazing miracles.
And God wrought very great miracles by the hand of Paul:
12 [If those who were sick could not come to Paul, handkerchiefs or aprons that Paul had touched would be taken and] placed on the sick people {[others] would take [and place on] the sick people handkerchiefs or aprons that Paul had touched}. As a result, those sick people would become well, and evil spirits that troubled people would leave.
so that, from the clothes on his body, napkins and rags were carried and laid upon the sick, and the diseases left them, and demons also went out.
13 There were also some Jews who traveled around [to] various places, [and] they commanded the evil spirits in those places to depart [from people. Certain ones of those Jews once] tried to command the evil spirits to come out of people by saying “I command you by the authority [MTY] of the Lord Jesus, the man about whom Paul preaches, to come out!”
And moreover certain Jews, who went: about exorcising demons, were disposed to exorcise in the name of our Lord Jesus over those who had unclean spirits, by saying: We adjure you, in the name of that Jesus whom Paul announceth.
14 There were seven men who were doing that. They were sons of a man named Sceva, a Jew, [who called himself] a chief priest.
And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, who did this.
15 But [one day as they were doing that], the evil spirit [refused to come out of that person. Instead, he] said to them, “I know Jesus, and I know [that he has authorized] Paul [to expel demons]. (But no one has authorized you [to do anything to me!]/who authorized you [to do anything to me]?) [RHQ]”
And the evil demon answered and said to them: Jesus I well know, and Paul I know, but as for you, who are ye?
16 [After saying that, suddenly] the man who was controlled by the evil spirit jumped on the seven Jewish men, [one after another], knocked all of them down, and beat each of them severely. He tore off their clothes and wounded them, causing them to bleed. So, [greatly frightened, they all] ran out of the house.
And the man in whom was the evil demon leaped upon them, and overpowered them, and threw them down: and they fled out of the house denuded and bruised.
17 All the people who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and non-Jews, heard what had happened. So they were afraid [MTY]. They honored the Lord Jesus [MTY] [because they realized that he was very powerful].
And this became known to all the Jews and Gentiles, who resided at Ephesus. And fear fell on them all, and the name of our Lord Jesus Messiah was exalted.
18 [At that time], while other believers were listening, many believers confessed the evil things that they had been doing.
And many of them that believed, came and narrated their faults, and confessed what they had done.
19 Several of those who had [previously] practiced sorcery gathered up their scrolls [that told how to work] magic and burned them in a public place. When people added up how much those scrolls had cost, they realized that altogether the amount was 50,000 valuable silver coins.
And also many magicians collected their books, and brought and burned them before every body: and they computed the cost of them, and it amounted to fifty thousand pieces of silver.
20 As a result, many more people heard [MTY] the message about the Lord [Jesus], and the message powerfully [changed their lives].
And thus with great power was the faith of God strengthened and increased.
21 After those things had happened, Paul decided that he wanted to go to Jerusalem, but he decided that [first] he would visit [the believers in] Macedonia and Achaia [provinces again]. Paul said, “After I have been to Jerusalem, I must also go to Rome.”
And when these things had been accomplished, Paul purposed in his mind, to make the circuit of all Macedonia and Achaia, and then go to Jerusalem. And he said: After I have gone thither, I must also see Rome.
22 He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, ahead to Macedonia. But Paul stayed a little longer [in Ephesus city], in Asia [province].
And he sent two persons, of those that ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, into Macedonia; but he himself remained for a time in Asia.
23 [Soon after that], some of the people there tried to make a lot of [LIT] trouble for the people who believed the way [God revealed for us(inc) to receive eternal life].
And at that time there was great commotion respecting the way of God.
24 There was a man there whose name was Demetrius who made little images out of silver. [They were models] of the temple of [a goddess whose name was] Artemis. Demetrius and the other men [who made those little images] earned a lot of [LIT] money [from selling those images].
For a certain silversmith was there, named Demetrius, who made silver shrines for Diana, and afforded great profits to the artisans of his trade.
25 Demetrius called a meeting of his workmen and also of others who made the little silver images. He said to them, “Men, you know that we [(inc)] earn a lot of money doing our kind of work.
He assembled all the artisans of his trade, and those who labored with them, and said to them: Gentlemen, ye know that our gains are all from this manufacture.
26 Also, you know that [this fellow] Paul has persuaded many people who live in Ephesus [to no longer buy the images that we make. Now even the people from] many other towns in our province [no longer want to buy what we make]. This fellow tells people that the gods that we have made [and worship] are not gods [and that we should not worship them].
And ye also know and see, that not only the citizens of Ephesus, but also the mass of all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and enticed away, by saying, that those are not gods, which are made by the hands of men.
27 [If people continue to listen to him], soon they will ruin our business. Besides, they will no longer think that they should [come to] the temple of Artemis [to worship her. People] all over our Asia [province] and everywhere [HYP] else worship [our great] goddess [Artemis. Soon people] may no longer consider that Artemis is great!”
And not only is this occupation slandered and impeded, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana is accounted as nothing; and likewise the goddess herself of all Asia, and whom all nations worship, is contemned.
28 All the men there were very angry [at Paul] when they heard what Demetrius said. They began to shout, “The goddess Artemis of us Ephesians is very great!”
And when they heard these things they were filled with wrath; and they cried out, and said: Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
29 Many of the other people in the city heard the shouting and went [and joined the crowd. They also became angry at Paul] and began shouting. [Several of] the people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, two men [from Macedonia] who had been traveling with Paul. [Then the whole crowd of people ran, dragging those men along with them], to the city stadium.
And the whole city was in commotion; and they ran together, and entered the theatre. And they caught, and bore along with them, Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, and associates of Paul.
30 Paul also wanted to go [to the stadium and speak to] the people, but the other believers would not let him go there.
And Paul was disposed to go into the theatre: but the disciples restrained him.
31 Also, some government officials of that province who were friends of Paul [heard what was happening]. So they sent someone to tell him [urgently] not to go into the stadium.
And likewise the chiefs of Asia, because they were his friends, sent and requested of him, that he would not expose himself by going into the theatre.
32 The crowd of people [in the stadium] continued shouting. Some shouted one thing, and some shouted something else. But most of them did not even know what the meeting was about!
And the multitudes that were in the theatre were in great confusion, and cried, some one thing, and some another: and many of them knew not for what cause they had come together.
33 One of the [Jews there was named Alexander. Some of] the Jews pushed him to the front of the stadium, [so that he could speak to the crowd of people]. So Alexander motioned with his hands to the crowd, [wanting them to be quiet]. He wanted to tell them that [the Jews] were not responsible [for the riot].
And the Jewish people who were there, brought forward one of their men, a Jew, named Alexander. And he, rising up, waved his hand, and wished to make a defence before the people.
34 But [many of the non-Jewish people] knew that Alexander was a Jew. [They also knew that the Jews did not worship the goddess Artemis. So the non-Jews there] unitedly [and] repeatedly shouted for about two hours, “Great is [the goddess] Artemis [whom we(inc)] Ephesians [worship]!”
But they knowing him to be a Jew, all cried out with one voice, about two hours: Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
35 Then the city secretary made the crowd stop shouting, and he said to them, “My fellow-citizens, everyone in the world knows [RHQ] that [we(inc) people who live in] Ephesus [city] guard the temple [where we worship] the great [goddess] Artemis. Also, [everyone knows that we(inc) watch over] the [sacred] image [of our goddess] that fell down from heaven!
But the chief of the city tranquillized them, by saying: Men of Ephesus, What person is there, among men, who doth not know the city of the Ephesians to be devoted to the worship of the great Diana, and of her image that descended from heaven?
36 Of course everyone knows that, and no one can say that these things are not true. So you should be quiet now. Do not suddenly do anything (foolish/that will cause us trouble).
Since therefore no one can gainsay this, ye ought to be tranquil, and to do nothing with precipitancy.
37 You [should not] have brought these [two] men [here, because they have not done anything evil]. They have not gone into our temples and taken things [from there]. And they have not spoken evil of our goddess.
For ye have brought forward these men, when they have robbed no temples, and have not reviled our goddess.
38 Therefore, if Demetrius and his fellow-workmen want to accuse anyone [about anything bad, they should do it in the right way]. There are courts [that you can go to when you want to accuse someone], and there are judges [there who have been appointed by the government] {[whom the government has appointed]}. You can accuse [anyone there].
But if Demetrius and the men of his trade have a controversy with any one, lo, there is a proconsul in the city, they are men of dexterity, let them approach and litigate with one another.
39 But if you want to ask about something else, [you should ask] for [other officials to] resolve it when [those] officials legally assemble.
Or if you desire any other thing, it may be determined in the place assigned by law for an assembly.
40 [And this is certainly not a legal meeting! Resolve this legally] because, if [we(inc) do] not, I am afraid [that the governor] will hear about all this noise [that you have made] and will say that we [(inc)] were trying to rebel [against the government]. If he would ask me what you were all shouting about, I would not be able to give him an answer.”
Because too we are now in danger of being accused as seditious, since we cannot give a reason for the meeting of this day, because we have assembled needlessly, and been tumultuous without a cause.
41 That is what the city secretary said [to the crowd]. Then he told them all to go [home. So they left].
And having said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
