Acts 19

1While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the inland regions and came down to Ephesus. There he found some disciples.

2He asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

3So he asked, “Then into what were you baptized?” They answered, “Into John’s baptism.”

4Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”

5When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

6When Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.

7There were about twelve men in all.

8Paul went into the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly there, reasoning with the people and persuading them about the kingdom of God.

9But when some of them became stubborn and refused to believe, speaking evil of the Way in front of the crowd, he left them and took the disciples with him, and he reasoned every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.

10This went on for two years, so that all who lived in Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.

11God was doing extraordinary miracles through the hands of Paul,

12so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.

13Then some of the traveling Jewish exorcists tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I command you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.”

14Seven sons of a Jewish chief priest named Sceva were doing this.

15But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?”

16Then the man who had the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them all, and beat them so badly that they ran out of that house naked and wounded.

17This became known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. Fear fell on all of them, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.

18Many of those who had become believers came, confessing and openly disclosing their practices.

19A number of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in front of everyone. When they added up the value of the books, it came to fifty thousand silver coins.

20In this way the word of the Lord spread powerfully and grew strong.

21After these things had taken place, Paul resolved in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem after passing through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must also see Rome.”

22He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he himself stayed in Asia for a while longer.

23About that time there arose no small disturbance about the Way.

24A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no small amount of business to the craftsmen.

25He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity comes from this business.

26And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a large number of people, saying that gods made by hands are not gods at all.

27There is danger not only that this trade of ours will come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be regarded as nothing, and that she whom all Asia and the whole world worship will even be stripped of her majesty.”

28When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

29The whole city was filled with confusion. The people rushed together into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia.

30Paul wanted to go in among the crowd, but the disciples would not let him.

31Even some of the officials of the province of Asia, who were his friends, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.

32Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together.

33Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had pushed to the front. Alexander motioned with his hand, wanting to make a defense before the people.

34But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all shouted with one voice for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

35When the city clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who in the world does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the image that fell from heaven?

36Since these facts cannot be denied, you ought to stay calm and do nothing rash.

37For you have brought these men here, though they are neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess.

38So if Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a charge against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another there.

39But if you want anything further, it will be settled in the lawful assembly.

40For we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today, since there is no reason we can give to justify this commotion.”

41After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.