Acts 19
Disciples’ Literal New Testament
Paul Arrives In Ephesus. He Baptizes Some Disciples of Apollos
19 And it came about during Apollos’s being in Corinth that Paul, having gone through the upper regions, came down to Ephesus and found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit, having believed?” And the ones said to him, “But we did not even hear if [a] the Holy Spirit is given”. 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And the ones said, “Into John’s baptism”. 4 And Paul said, “John baptized a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe in the One coming after him, that is, in Jesus”. 5 And having heard it, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And Paul having laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they were speaking in tongues and prophesying. 7 And all the men were [totaling] about twelve.
Paul Ministers In Ephesus For Over Two Years, Teaching And Doing Miracles
8 And having entered into the synagogue, he was speaking-boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading as to the things concerning the kingdom of God. 9 But when some were becoming-hardened, and were disobeying, speaking-evil-of the Way before the assembly— having departed from them, he separated the disciples, reasoning daily in the school[b] of Tyrannus. 10 And this took place for two[c] years, so that all the ones dwelling-in Asia heard the word of the Lord— both Jews and Greeks. 11 And God was doing not the ordinary[d] miracles by the hands of Paul— 12 so that handkerchiefs or aprons[e] were even being carried-forth[f] from his skin to the ones being sick, and the diseases were being released from them, and the evil spirits were going out.
Even Some Non-Believing Priests Tried To Utilize Paul’s Power
13 And even some of the Jewish exorcists[g] going-around attempted to name the name of the Lord Jesus over the ones having the evil spirits, saying, “I make you swear[h] by the Jesus Whom Paul is proclaiming”. 14 Now there were seven sons of a certain Sceva[i], a Jewish chief priest, doing this. 15 But having responded, the evil spirit said to them, “I know Jesus and know-about Paul, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit— having leaped on them, having subdued[j] all[k] of them— prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and having been wounded. 17 And this became known to all the ones dwelling-in Ephesus— both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all.
Jesus Was Being Magnified And The Word of The Lord Was Prevailing
18 And the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified. And many of the ones having believed were coming, confessing-out[l] and declaring[m] their [evil] practices. 19 And many of the ones having practiced sorceries, having brought-together their books, were burning them up in the presence of everyone. And they calculated-up the prices of them, and found it to be fifty thousand silver-coins[n]. 20 Thus in accordance with the might[o] of the Lord, the word was growing and prevailing.
Paul Decides To Return To Jerusalem And Then Go To Rome. He Sends Timothy Ahead
21 Now when these[p] things were completed, Paul put[q] in his spirit that, having gone through Macedonia and Achaia, he should be going to Jerusalem, having said that “After I come-to-be there, I must also see Rome”. 22 And having sent-out two of the ones ministering with him to Macedonia— Timothy and Erastus— he himself held-on in Asia for a time.
There Is a Big Uproar In Ephesus Over a Decline In The Sale of Idols Due To Paul
23 Now about that time, no small disturbance took place concerning the Way. 24 For a certain Demetrius by name, a silversmith making silver shrines[r] of Artemis[s], was bringing-about no small business for the craftsmen— 25 whom having assembled-together, and the workers with respect to such things, he said, “Men, you know that prosperity for us is from this business. 26 And you are seeing and hearing that this Paul— having persuaded people not only from Ephesus, but from almost all Asia— turned-away a considerable crowd, saying that the gods being made with hands are not gods. 27 But not only is-there-a-danger for us that this[t] part may come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted for nothing, and that she whom all Asia and the world worships may even be about to be torn-down[u] from her majesty”.
Amid The City-Wide Confusion, Friends of Paul Are Seized
28 And having heard it, and having become full of rage, they were crying-out, saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 And the city was filled with confusion. And they rushed with-one-accord into the theater, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus— Macedonian fellow-travelers of Paul. 30 And while Paul was wanting to enter into the public-assembly, the disciples were not letting him. 31 And even some of the Asian-officials[v]— being friends with him, having sent to him— were urging him not to give himself to the theater. 32 Then indeed, other ones were crying-out another[w] thing. For the assembly was confused, and the majority did not know for what reason they had come together. 33 And some from the crowd gave-instructions-to[x] Alexander— the Jews having put him forward. And Alexander, having waved his hand, was intending to speak-a-defense to the public-assembly. 34 But having recognized that he was a Jew, one voice came[y] from everyone— crying-out for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
The Town Mayor Calms And Dismisses The Crowd
35 And the town-mayor[z], having calmed the crowd, says, “Men, Ephesians, who indeed is there of mankind who does not know the city of the Ephesians as being temple-keeper[aa] of the great Artemis, and of the image fallen-from-heaven[ab]? 36 These things then being undeniable, you must continue-being calmed[ac] and doing nothing reckless— 37 for you brought here these men being neither temple-robbers nor ones blaspheming our goddess. 38 So indeed if Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, courts are being led[ad], and there are proconsuls. Let them bring-a-charge against one another. 39 Now if you are seeking-for anything further[ae], it will be settled in the lawful assembly. 40 For indeed we are in-danger-of being charged with a riot because of today— there being no cause[af] for it— in relation to which[ag] we will not be able to render an account for this gathering”. 41 And having said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
Footnotes
- Acts 19:2 Or, whether there is [yet] a Holy Spirit. They had not heard that John’s prediction had come to pass, Mt 3:11.
- Acts 19:9 That is, school building.
- Acts 19:10 During this time, Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, and perhaps Galatians (see 14:28).
- Acts 19:11 In other words, unusual, uncommon.
- Acts 19:12 That is, such as a worker would wear.
- Acts 19:12 Or, brought, taken.
- Acts 19:13 These men cast out demons using magical formulas and oaths. They tried using the sentence that follows as part of their ritual.
- Acts 19:13 This seems to be intended to force the demon to leave rather than swear allegiance to Christ.
- Acts 19:14 This is the man’s name.
- Acts 19:16 Or, overpowered.
- Acts 19:16 Or, both, if only two were active participants in this case.
- Acts 19:18 Or, confessing-openly. That is, confessing Jesus; or, confessing their practices.
- Acts 19:18 Or, disclosing.
- Acts 19:19 This probably refers to the drachma, which is equivalent to a denarius, one day’s wage for a laborer. Thus, this is a considerable sum of money.
- Acts 19:20 Or, His might, the word of the Lord (the emphasis being upon ‘of the Lord’).
- Acts 19:21 That is, Paul’s work in Asia, based in Ephesus, 19:1-20.
- Acts 19:21 Or, resolved in the Spirit. Note 20:22.
- Acts 19:24 That is, miniature replicas of this world-famous temple, which was considered one of the wonders of the world.
- Acts 19:24 She was a many-breasted goddess of fertility, and perhaps is the same goddess known to the Romans as Diana.
- Acts 19:27 That is, their personal line of work.
- Acts 19:27 Or, thrown-down.
- Acts 19:31 Or, Asiarchs, high officials of the province.
- Acts 19:32 That is, something different than Demetrius. Perhaps it was something anti-Jewish, causing them to put forth Alexander to defend themselves.
- Acts 19:33 Or, concluded it was.
- Acts 19:34 Or, arose.
- Acts 19:35 Or, town-secretary. This man was the chief executive of the city, and answered to the proconsul.
- Acts 19:35 Or, temple-guardian.
- Acts 19:35 The Ephesians claimed that the statue of this goddess fell from heaven.
- Acts 19:36 Or, restrained, quiet.
- Acts 19:38 That is, are in session.
- Acts 19:39 That is, beyond what can be settled in a private court action, and thus requiring a town meeting.
- Acts 19:40 No crime or guilty person can be pointed to as the cause of this gathering.
- Acts 19:40 That is, a charge of rioting.
Acts 19
English Standard Version
Paul in Ephesus
19 And it happened that while (A)Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed (B)through the inland[a] country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, (C)“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, (D)we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, (E)“Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into (F)John's baptism.” 4 And Paul said, (G)“John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people (H)to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, (I)they were baptized in[b] the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And (J)when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and (K)they began speaking in tongues and (L)prophesying. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
8 And (M)he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them (N)about the kingdom of God. 9 (O)But when some became stubborn and (P)continued in unbelief, speaking evil of (Q)the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus.[c] 10 This continued for (R)two years, so that (S)all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
The Sons of Sceva
11 And (T)God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 (U)so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and (V)the evil spirits came out of them. 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish (W)exorcists (X)undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, (Y)“I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, (Z)“Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all[d] of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and (AA)the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. 18 Also many of those who were now believers came, (AB)confessing and divulging their practices. 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 (AC)continued to increase and prevail mightily.
A Riot at Ephesus
21 Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit (AD)to pass through (AE)Macedonia and Achaia and (AF)go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, (AG)I must also see Rome.” 22 And having sent into Macedonia two of (AH)his helpers, (AI)Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia (AJ)for a while.
23 About that time (AK)there arose no little disturbance concerning (AL)the Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, (AM)brought no little business to the craftsmen. 25 (AN)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, (AO)saying that (AP)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 (AQ)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, (AR)“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 (AS)Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul's (AT)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,[e] who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. 32 (AU)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, (AV)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, (AW)“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 (AX)the sky?[f] 36 Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. 37 For you have brought (AY)these men here who are neither (AZ)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 (BA)proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. 39 But if you seek anything further,[g] 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.
Footnotes
- Acts 19:1 Greek upper (that is, highland)
- Acts 19:5 Or into
- Acts 19:9 Some manuscripts add from the fifth hour to the tenth (that is, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
- Acts 19:16 Or both
- Acts 19:31 That is, high-ranking officers of the province of Asia
- Acts 19:35 The meaning of the Greek is uncertain
- Acts 19:39 Some manuscripts seek about other matters
Acts 19
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
19 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul went through the upper inland districts and came down to Ephesus. There he found some disciples.
2 And he asked them, Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed [on Jesus as the Christ]? And they said, No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.
3 And he asked, Into what [baptism] then were you baptized? They said, Into John’s baptism.
4 And Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, continually telling the people that they should believe in the One Who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus [having a conviction full of joyful trust that He is Christ, the Messiah, and being obedient to Him].
5 On hearing this they were baptized [again, this time] in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And as Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke in [foreign, unknown] tongues (languages) and prophesied.
7 There were about twelve of them in all.
8 And he went into the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, persuading and arguing and pleading about the kingdom of God.
9 But when some became more and more stubborn (hardened and unbelieving), discrediting and reviling and speaking evil of the Way [of the Lord] before the congregation, he separated himself from them, taking the disciples with him, and went on holding daily discussions in the lecture room of Tyrannus from about ten o’clock till three.
10 This continued for two years, so that all the inhabitants of [the province of] Asia, Jews as well as Greeks, heard the Word of the Lord [concerning the [a]attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God].
11 And God did unusual and extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul,
12 So that handkerchiefs or towels or aprons which had touched his skin were carried away and put upon the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
13 Then some of the traveling Jewish exorcists (men who adjure evil spirits) also undertook to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, I solemnly implore and charge you by the Jesus Whom Paul preaches!
14 Seven sons of a certain Jewish chief priest named Sceva were doing this.
15 But [one] evil spirit retorted, Jesus I know, and Paul I know [b]about, but who are you?
16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit dwelt leaped upon them, mastering [c]two of them, and was so violent against them that they dashed out of that house [in fear], stripped naked and wounded.
17 This became known to all who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, and alarm and terror fell upon them all; and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled and magnified.
18 Many also of those who were now believers came making [d]full confession and thoroughly exposing their [former deceptive and evil] practices.
19 And many of those who had practiced curious, magical arts collected their books and [throwing them, [e]book after book, on the pile] burned them in the sight of everybody. When they counted the value of them, they found it amounted to 50,000 pieces of silver ([f]about $9,300).
20 Thus the Word of the Lord [concerning the [g]attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God] grew and spread and intensified, prevailing mightily.
21 Now after these events Paul determined in the [Holy] Spirit that he would travel through Macedonia and Achaia (most of Greece) and go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must visit Rome also.
22 And having sent two of his assistants, Timothy and Erastus, into Macedonia, he himself stayed on in [the province of] Asia for a while.
23 But as time went on, there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way [of the Lord].
24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of [the goddess] Artemis [h][Diana], brought no small income to his craftsmen.
25 These he called together, along with the workmen of similar trades, and said, Men, you are acquainted with the facts and understand that from this business we derive our wealth and livelihood.
26 Now you notice and hear that not only at Ephesus but almost all over [the province of] Asia this Paul has persuaded and induced people to believe his teaching and has alienated a considerable company of them, saying that gods that are made with human hands are not really gods at all.
27 Now there is danger not merely that this trade of ours may be discredited, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may come into disrepute and count for nothing, and that her glorious magnificence may be degraded and fall into contempt—she whom all [the province of] Asia and the wide world worship.
28 As they listened to this, they were filled with rage and they continued to shout, Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!
29 Then the city was filled with confusion; and they rushed together into the amphitheater, dragging along with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were fellow travelers with Paul.
30 Paul wished to go in among the crowd, but the disciples would not permit him to do it.
31 Even some of the Asiarchs (political or religious officials in Asia) who were his friends also sent to him and warned him not to risk venturing into the theater.
32 Now some shouted one thing and some another, for the gathering was in a tumult and most of them did not know why they had come together.
33 Some of the crowd called upon Alexander [to speak], since the Jews had pushed and urged him forward. And Alexander motioned with his hand, wishing to make a defense and [planning] to apologize to the people.
34 But as soon as they saw him and recognized that he was a Jew, a shout went up from them as the voice of one man, as for about two hours they cried, Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!
35 And when the town clerk had calmed the crowd down, he said, Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the sacred stone [image of her] that fell from the sky?
36 Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet (keep yourselves in check) and do nothing rashly.
37 For you have brought these men here, who are [guilty of] neither temple robberies nor blasphemous speech about our goddess.
38 Now then, if Demetrius and his fellow tradesmen who are with him have a grievance against anyone, the courts are open and proconsuls are [available]; let them bring charges against one another [legally].
39 But if you require anything further about this or about other matters, it must be decided and cleared up in the regular assembly.
40 For we are in danger of being called to render an account and of being accused of rioting because of [this commotion] today, there being no reason that we can offer to justify this disorder.
41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
Footnotes
- Acts 19:10 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
- Acts 19:15 A weaker verb.
- Acts 19:16 The best texts read “both of them.”
- Acts 19:18 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
- Acts 19:19 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
- Acts 19:19 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
- Acts 19:20 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
- Acts 19:24 Artemis is the Greek name for the Roman goddess Diana.
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
