Acts 19:19-20:24

English Standard Version

¹⁹ And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. ²⁰ So the word of the Lord ^(A)continued to increase and prevail mightily.

A Riot at Ephesus

²¹ Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit ^(B)to pass through ^(C)Macedonia and Achaia and ^(D)go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, ^(E)I must also see Rome.” ²² And having sent into Macedonia two of ^(F)his helpers, ^(G)Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia ^(H)for a while.

²³ About that time ^(I)there arose no little disturbance concerning ^(J)the Way. ²⁴ For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, ^(K)brought no little business to the craftsmen. ^25 (L)These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. ²⁶ And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, ^(M)saying that ^(N)gods made with hands are not gods. ²⁷ And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the ^(O)great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.”

²⁸ When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, ^(P)“Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” ²⁹ So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and ^(Q)Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul's ^(R)companions in travel. ³⁰ But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. ³¹ And even some of the Asiarchs,^[a] who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. ^32 (S)Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. ³³ Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, ^(T)motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. ³⁴ But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, ^(U)“Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

³⁵ And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from ^(V)the sky?^{[b] 36} Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. ³⁷ For you have brought ^(W)these men here who are neither ^(X)sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. ³⁸ If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are ^(Y)proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. ³⁹ But if you seek anything further,^[c] it shall be settled in the regular assembly. ⁴⁰ For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.” ⁴¹ And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.

Paul in Macedonia and Greece

20 After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and ^(Z)departed for Macedonia. ² When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. ³ There he spent three months, and when ^(AA)a plot was made against him by the Jews^[d] as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. ⁴ Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, ^(AB)Aristarchus and Secundus; and ^(AC)Gaius of Derbe, and ^(AD)Timothy; and the Asians, ^(AE)Tychicus and ^(AF)Trophimus. ⁵ These went on ahead and were waiting for ^(AG)us at ^(AH)Troas, ⁶ but we sailed away from Philippi after ^(AI)the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days.

Eutychus Raised from the Dead

^7 (AJ)On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together ^(AK)to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. ⁸ There were many lamps in ^(AL)the upper room where we were gathered. ⁹ And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he ^(AM)fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. ¹⁰ But Paul went down and ^(AN)bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, ^(AO)“Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” ¹¹ And when Paul had gone up and ^(AP)had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. ¹² And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.

¹³ But going ahead to the ship, we set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there, for so he had arranged, intending himself to go by land. ¹⁴ And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. ¹⁵ And sailing from there we came the following day opposite Chios; the next day we touched at Samos; and^[e] the day after that we went to Miletus. ¹⁶ For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia, for he was hastening ^(AQ)to be at Jerusalem, if possible, ^(AR)on the day of Pentecost.

Paul Speaks to the Ephesian Elders

¹⁷ Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called ^(AS)the elders of the church to come to him. ¹⁸ And when they came to him, he said to them:

^(AT)“You yourselves know ^(AU)how I lived among you the whole time ^(AV)from the first day that I set foot in Asia, ^19 (AW)serving the Lord ^(AX)with all humility and with ^(AY)tears and with trials that happened to me through ^(AZ)the plots of the Jews; ²⁰ how I ^(BA)did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and ^(BB)teaching you in public and from house to house, ^21 (BC)testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of ^(BD)repentance toward God and of ^(BE)faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.^{[f] 22} And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained ^(BF)by^[g] the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, ²³ except that ^(BG)the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that ^(BH)imprisonment and ^(BI)afflictions await me. ²⁴ But ^(BJ)I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only ^(BK)I may finish my course and ^(BL)the ministry ^(BM)that I received from the Lord Jesus, ^(BN)to testify to ^(BO)the gospel of ^(BP)the grace of God.