FLOGVIT
.bible

ActsChapter 19

+ Secondary textOriginal text← PreviousNext →Contribute
While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples.
He asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you came to faith?" "No," they replied, "we have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
So he asked, "Into what, then, were you baptized?" "Into John's baptism," they said.
Paul 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."
On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
There were about twelve men in all.
Paul went into the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly there, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.
But when some grew stubborn and refused to believe, slandering the Way in front of the crowd, he left them, took the disciples aside, and held discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
This went on for two years, so that all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.
God did extraordinary miracles through the hands of Paul,
so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched his skin were carried to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.
Some itinerant Jewish exorcists also tried invoking the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims."
Seven sons of a Jewish chief priest named Sceva were doing this.
But the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize—but who are you?"
Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them all, and beat them so badly that they fled from the house naked and wounded.
This became known to everyone living in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. Fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.
Many who had come to faith came forward, confessing and disclosing what they had done.
A good number of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in front of everyone. When the value was added up, it came to fifty thousand silver coins.[^1] [^1]: A silver coin was roughly a day's wage for a laborer, so this sum represented an enormous amount of money.
So the word of the Lord kept spreading with power and prevailing.
After all this had happened, Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and then go on to Jerusalem. "After I have been there," he said, "I must see Rome as well."
He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he himself stayed on for a while in Asia.
About that time a serious disturbance broke out concerning the Way.
A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, provided a good deal of work for the craftsmen.
He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: "Men, you know that our prosperity comes from this business.
"And you can see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and misled a great many people, saying that gods made by human hands are no gods at all.
Not only is our trade in danger of falling into disrepute, but the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be discredited, and she herself, whom all Asia and the whole world worships, may be stripped of her majesty."
When they heard this, they were filled with rage and began shouting, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
The city was thrown into confusion, and they rushed as one into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul's traveling companions.
Paul wanted to go before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him.
Even some of the officials of Asia who were his friends sent word to him, urging him not to venture into the theater.
Meanwhile some were shouting one thing and some another, for the assembly was in an uproar, and most of them had no idea why they had come together.
Some in the crowd shouted instructions to Alexander, since the Jews had pushed him to the front, and he motioned with his hand, wanting to make a defense before the people.
But when they realized he was a Jew, they all began shouting with one voice for about two hours, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
Then the city clerk quieted the crowd and said: "Men of Ephesus, is there anyone who does not know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image that fell from heaven?
Since these things cannot be denied, you ought to calm down and do nothing rash.
For you have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess.
If Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a charge against anyone, there are courts in session and there are proconsuls; let them bring their charges there.
And if you are seeking anything further, it can be settled in a lawful assembly.
As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting over today's events, since there is no reason for it and we would not be able to give any account of this commotion." With that he dismissed the assembly.
←→