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Acts 19
New American Standard Bible

Paul in Ephesus

19 Now it happened that while (A)Apollos was in (B)Corinth, Paul passed through the (C)upper country and came to (D)Ephesus, and found some disciples. 2 He said to them, “(E)Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “On the contrary, (F)we have not even heard if there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “(G)Into John’s baptism.” 4 Paul said, “(H)John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people (I)to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 When they heard this, they were (J)baptized [a]in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had (K)laid hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they began (L)speaking with tongues and (M)prophesying. 7 There were about twelve men in all.

8 And he entered (N)the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, having discussions and persuading them (O)about the kingdom of God. 9 But when (P)some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of [b](Q)the Way before the [c]people, he withdrew from them and took (R)the disciples away with him, and had discussions daily in the school of Tyrannus. 10 This took place for (S)two years, so that all who lived in [d](T)Asia heard (U)the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

Miracles at Ephesus

11 God was performing (V)extraordinary [e]miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 (W)so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and (X)the evil spirits went out. 13 But also some of the Jewish (Y)exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to [f]use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had the evil spirits, saying, “I order you in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches!” 14 Now there were seven sons of [g]Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, doing this. 15 But the evil spirit responded and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know of Paul, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit, pounced on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 This became known to all who lived in (Z)Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified. 18 Also many of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. 19 And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they added up the prices of [h]the books and found it to be fifty thousand [i](AA)pieces of silver. 20 So [j](AB)the word of the Lord (AC)was growing and prevailing mightily.

21 Now after these things were finished, Paul resolved in [k]the Spirit to (AD)go to Jerusalem (AE)after he had passed through (AF)Macedonia and (AG)Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, (AH)I must also see Rome.” 22 And after he sent into (AI)Macedonia two of (AJ)those who assisted him, (AK)Timothy and (AL)Erastus, he himself stayed in [l](AM)Asia for a while.

23 About that time [m]a major disturbance occurred in regard to [n](AN)the Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of [o]Artemis, (AO)was bringing [p]considerable [q]business to the craftsmen; 25 he gathered these men together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity [r]depends upon this business. 26 You see and hear that not only in (AP)Ephesus, but in almost all of [s](AQ)Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that [t](AR)gods made by hands are not gods at all. 27 Not only is there danger that this trade of ours will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess [u]Artemis will be regarded as worthless, and that she whom all of [v](AS)Asia and (AT)the [w]world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence.”

28 When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began shouting, saying, “Great is [x]Artemis of the (AU)Ephesians!” 29 The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging along (AV)Gaius and (AW)Aristarchus, Paul’s (AX)Macedonian traveling (AY)companions. 30 And when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, (AZ)the disciples would not let him. 31 Also some of the [y]Asiarchs who were friends of his sent word to him and repeatedly urged him not to [z]venture into the theater. 32 (BA)So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the [aa]assembly was in confusion and the majority did not know [ab]for what reason they had come together. 33 Some of the crowd [ac]concluded it was Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward; and having (BB)motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to the assembly. 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single outcry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours, “Great is [ad]Artemis of the Ephesians!”

35 After quieting the crowd, the town clerk *said, “Men of (BC)Ephesus, what person is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great [ae]Artemis and of the image which fell down from [af]the sky? 36 So, since these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither (BD)temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are in session and [ag](BE)proconsuls are available; have them bring charges against one another. 39 But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the [ah]lawful [ai]assembly. 40 For indeed, we are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today’s events, since there is no real reason for it, and in this connection we will be unable to account for this disorderly gathering.” 41 After saying this he dismissed the [aj]assembly.

Footnotes

  1. Acts 19:5 Lit into
  2. Acts 19:9 See John 14:6
  3. Acts 19:9 Lit multitude
  4. Acts 19:10 I.e., west coast province of Asia Minor
  5. Acts 19:11 Or works of power
  6. Acts 19:13 I.e., as an incantation
  7. Acts 19:14 Lit some Sceva
  8. Acts 19:19 Lit them
  9. Acts 19:19 Prob. Greek drachmas; a drachma was a day’s wages for a laborer
  10. Acts 19:20 Or according to the power of the Lord the word was growing
  11. Acts 19:21 Or his spirit
  12. Acts 19:22 I.e., west coast province of Asia Minor
  13. Acts 19:23 Lit no small
  14. Acts 19:23 See John 14:6
  15. Acts 19:24 Lat Diana
  16. Acts 19:24 Lit no little
  17. Acts 19:24 Or profit
  18. Acts 19:25 Lit is from
  19. Acts 19:26 See note v 22
  20. Acts 19:26 Lit those
  21. Acts 19:27 Lat Diana
  22. Acts 19:27 See note v 22
  23. Acts 19:27 Lit the inhabited earth
  24. Acts 19:28 Lat Diana
  25. Acts 19:31 I.e., political or religious officials of the province of Asia
  26. Acts 19:31 Lit give himself
  27. Acts 19:32 Gr ekklesia
  28. Acts 19:32 Or on whose account
  29. Acts 19:33 Or advised Alexander
  30. Acts 19:34 Lat Diana
  31. Acts 19:35 Lat Diana
  32. Acts 19:35 Lit Zeus; Lat Jupiter
  33. Acts 19:38 Or provincial governors
  34. Acts 19:39 Or regular
  35. Acts 19:39 Gr ekklesia
  36. Acts 19:41 Gr ekklesia
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Acts 19
New Living Translation

Paul’s Third Missionary Journey

19 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions until he reached Ephesus, on the coast, where he found several believers.[a] 2 “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” he asked them.

“No,” they replied, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

3 “Then what baptism did you experience?” he asked.

And they replied, “The baptism of John.”

4 Paul said, “John’s baptism called for repentance from sin. But John himself told the people to believe in the one who would come later, meaning Jesus.”

5 As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues[b] and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.

Paul Ministers in Ephesus

8 Then Paul went to the synagogue and preached boldly for the next three months, arguing persuasively about the Kingdom of God. 9 But some became stubborn, rejecting his message and publicly speaking against the Way. So Paul left the synagogue and took the believers with him. Then he held daily discussions at the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for the next two years, so that people throughout the province of Asia—both Jews and Greeks—heard the word of the Lord.

11 God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. 12 When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled.

13 A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this. 15 But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?” 16 Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered.

17 The story of what happened spread quickly all through Ephesus, to Jews and Greeks alike. A solemn fear descended on the city, and the name of the Lord Jesus was greatly honored. 18 Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices. 19 A number of them who had been practicing sorcery brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire. The value of the books was several million dollars.[c] 20 So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect.

21 Afterward Paul felt compelled by the Spirit[d] to go over to Macedonia and Achaia before going to Jerusalem. “And after that,” he said, “I must go on to Rome!” 22 He sent his two assistants, Timothy and Erastus, ahead to Macedonia while he stayed awhile longer in the province of Asia.

The Riot in Ephesus

23 About that time, serious trouble developed in Ephesus concerning the Way. 24 It began with Demetrius, a silversmith who had a large business manufacturing silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis.[e] He kept many craftsmen busy. 25 He called them together, along with others employed in similar trades, and addressed them as follows:

“Gentlemen, you know that our wealth comes from this business. 26 But as you have seen and heard, this man Paul has persuaded many people that handmade gods aren’t really gods at all. And he’s done this not only here in Ephesus but throughout the entire province! 27 Of course, I’m not just talking about the loss of public respect for our business. I’m also concerned that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will lose its influence and that Artemis—this magnificent goddess worshiped throughout the province of Asia and all around the world—will be robbed of her great prestige!”

28 At this their anger boiled, and they began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 Soon the whole city was filled with confusion. Everyone rushed to the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, who were Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia. 30 Paul wanted to go in, too, but the believers wouldn’t let him. 31 Some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, also sent a message to him, begging him not to risk his life by entering the amphitheater.

32 Inside, the people were all shouting, some one thing and some another. Everything was in confusion. In fact, most of them didn’t even know why they were there. 33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander forward and told him to explain the situation. He motioned for silence and tried to speak. 34 But when the crowd realized he was a Jew, they started shouting again and kept it up for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

35 At last the mayor was able to quiet them down enough to speak. “Citizens of Ephesus,” he said. “Everyone knows that Ephesus is the official guardian of the temple of the great Artemis, whose image fell down to us from heaven. 36 Since this is an undeniable fact, you should stay calm and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, but they have stolen nothing from the temple and have not spoken against our goddess.

38 “If Demetrius and the craftsmen have a case against them, the courts are in session and the officials can hear the case at once. Let them make formal charges. 39 And if there are complaints about other matters, they can be settled in a legal assembly. 40 I am afraid we are in danger of being charged with rioting by the Roman government, since there is no cause for all this commotion. And if Rome demands an explanation, we won’t know what to say.” 41 [f]Then he dismissed them, and they dispersed.

Footnotes

  1. 19:1 Greek disciples; also in 19:9, 30.
  2. 19:6 Or in other languages.
  3. 19:19 Greek 50,000 pieces of silver, each of which was the equivalent of a day’s wage.
  4. 19:21 Or decided in his spirit.
  5. 19:24 Artemis is otherwise known as Diana.
  6. 19:41 Some translations include verse 41 as part of verse 40.
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Acts 19
American Standard Version

19 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper country came to Ephesus, and found certain disciples: 2 and he said unto them, Did ye receive the Holy Spirit when ye believed? And they said unto him, Nay, we did not so much as hear whether [a]the Holy Spirit was given. 3 And he said, Into what then were ye baptized? And they said, Into John’s baptism. 4 And Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should believe on him that should come after him, that is, on Jesus. 5 And when they heard this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. 7 And they were in all about twelve men.

8 And he entered into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, reasoning and persuading as to the things concerning the kingdom of God. 9 But when some were hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. 10 And this continued for the space of two years; so that all they that dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. 11 And God wrought special [b]miracles by the hands of Paul: 12 insomuch that unto the sick were carried away from his body handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out. 13 But certain also of the strolling Jews, exorcists, took upon them to name over them that had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. 14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, a chief priest, who did this. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said unto them, Jesus I [c]know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? 16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and mastered both of them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, that dwelt at Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 18 Many also of them that had believed came, confessing, and declaring their deeds. 19 And not a few of them that practised magical arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all; and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So mightily grew the word of the Lord and prevailed.

21 Now after these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome. 22 And having sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

23 And about that time there arose no small stir concerning the Way. 24 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of [d]Diana, brought no little business unto the craftsmen; 25 whom he gathered together, with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this business we have our wealth. 26 And ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they are no gods, that are made with hands: 27 and not only is there danger that this our trade come into disrepute; but also that the temple of the great goddess [e]Diana be made of no account, and that she should even be deposed from her magnificence whom all Asia and [f]the world worshippeth. 28 And when they heard this they were filled with wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is [g]Diana of the Ephesians. 29 And the city was filled with the confusion: and they rushed with one accord into the theatre, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul’s companions in travel. 30 And when Paul was minded to enter in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not. 31 And certain also of the [h]Asiarchs, being his friends, sent unto him and besought him not to adventure himself into the theatre. 32 Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was in confusion; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together. 33 [i]And they brought Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made a defence unto the people. 34 But when they perceived that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is [j]Diana of the Ephesians. 35 And when the townclerk had quieted the multitude, he saith, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there who knoweth not that the city of the Ephesians is temple-keeper of the great [k]Diana, and of the image which fell down from [l]Jupiter? 36 Seeing then that these things cannot be gainsaid, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rash. 37 For ye have brought hither these men, who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 If therefore Demetrius, and the craftsmen that are with him, have a matter against any man, [m]the courts are open, and there are proconsuls: let them accuse one another. 39 But if ye seek anything about other matters, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. 40 For indeed we are in danger to be [n]accused concerning this day’s riot, there being no cause for it: and as touching it we shall not be able to give account of this concourse. 41 And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.

Footnotes

  1. Acts 19:2 Or, there is a Holy Spirit
  2. Acts 19:11 Greek powers.
  3. Acts 19:15 Or, recognize
  4. Acts 19:24 Greek Artemis.
  5. Acts 19:27 Greek Artemis.
  6. Acts 19:27 Greek the inhabited earth.
  7. Acts 19:28 Greek Artemis.
  8. Acts 19:31 That is, officers having charge of festivals etc. in the Roman province of Asia.
  9. Acts 19:33 Or, And some of the multitude instructed Alexander
  10. Acts 19:34 Greek Artemis.
  11. Acts 19:35 Greek Artemis.
  12. Acts 19:35 Or, heaven
  13. Acts 19:38 Or, court days are kept
  14. Acts 19:40 Or, accused of riot concerning this day
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Acts 19
New International Version

Paul in Ephesus

19 While Apollos(A) was at Corinth,(B) Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus.(C) There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit(D) when[a] you believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

4 Paul said, “John’s baptism(E) was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”(F) 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.(G) 6 When Paul placed his hands on them,(H) the Holy Spirit came on them,(I) and they spoke in tongues[b](J) and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.

8 Paul entered the synagogue(K) and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.(L) 9 But some of them(M) became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way.(N) So Paul left them. He took the disciples(O) with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years,(P) so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia(Q) heard the word of the Lord.(R)

11 God did extraordinary miracles(S) through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured(T) and the evil spirits left them.

13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits(U) tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus(V) whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

17 When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus,(W) they were all seized with fear,(X) and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.[c] 20 In this way the word of the Lord(Y) spread widely and grew in power.(Z)

21 After all this had happened, Paul decided[d] to go to Jerusalem,(AA) passing through Macedonia(AB) and Achaia.(AC) “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.”(AD) 22 He sent two of his helpers,(AE) Timothy(AF) and Erastus,(AG) to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia(AH) a little longer.

The Riot in Ephesus

23 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way.(AI) 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. 25 He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business.(AJ) 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus(AK) and in practically the whole province of Asia.(AL) He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all.(AM) 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”

28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”(AN) 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius(AO) and Aristarchus,(AP) Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia,(AQ) and all of them rushed into the theater together. 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples(AR) would not let him. 31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.

32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another.(AS) Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned(AT) for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”(AU)

35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians,(AV) doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples(AW) nor blasphemed our goddess. 38 If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen(AX) have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls.(AY) They can press charges. 39 If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.

Footnotes

  1. Acts 19:2 Or after
  2. Acts 19:6 Or other languages
  3. Acts 19:19 A drachma was a silver coin worth about a day’s wages.
  4. Acts 19:21 Or decided in the Spirit
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