Proclamation Against Egypt

19 The ^(A)burden^[a] against Egypt.

¹⁶ In that day Egypt will ^(Q)be like women, and will be afraid and fear because of the waving of the hand of the Lord of hosts, ^(R)which He waves over it. ¹⁷ And the land of Judah will be a terror to Egypt; everyone who makes mention of it will be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the Lord of hosts which He has ^(S)determined against it.

Egypt, Assyria, and Israel Blessed

¹⁸ In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will ^(T)speak the language of Canaan and ^(U)swear by the Lord of hosts; one will be called the City of ^[g]Destruction.

¹⁹ In that day ^(V)there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the ^(W)Lord at its border. ²⁰ And ^(X)it will be for a sign and for a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the Lord because of the oppressors, and He will send them a ^(Y)Savior and a Mighty One, and He will deliver them. ²¹ Then the Lord will be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will ^(Z)know the Lord in that day, and ^(AA)will make sacrifice and offering; yes, they will make a vow to the Lord and perform it. ²² And the Lord will strike Egypt, He will strike and ^(AB)heal it; they will return to the Lord, and He will be entreated by them and heal them.

²³ In that day ^(AC)there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will ^(AD)serve with the Assyrians.

²⁴ In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing in the midst of the land, ²⁵ whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria ^(AE)the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”

The Sign Against Egypt and Ethiopia

20 In the year that ^(AF)Tartan^[h] came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and took it, ² at the same time the Lord spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go, and remove ^(AG)the sackcloth from your ^[i]body, and take your sandals off your feet.” And he did so, ^(AH)walking naked and barefoot.

³ Then the Lord said, “Just as My servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot three years ^(AI)for a sign and a wonder against Egypt and Ethiopia, ⁴ so shall the ^(AJ)king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians as prisoners and the Ethiopians as captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, ^(AK)with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt. ^5 (AL)Then they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation and Egypt their glory. ⁶ And the inhabitant of this territory will say in that day, ‘Surely such is our expectation, wherever we flee for ^(AM)help to be delivered from the king of Assyria; and how shall we escape?’ ”

⁹ Now ^(A)the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; ^10 (B)for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.” ¹¹ And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

¹² When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the ^[a]judgment seat, ¹³ saying, “This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.”

¹⁴ And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or wicked crimes, O Jews, there would be reason why I should bear with you. ¹⁵ But if it is a ^(C)question of words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves; for I do not want to be a judge of such matters.” ¹⁶ And he drove them from the judgment seat. ¹⁷ Then ^[b]all the Greeks took ^(D)Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things.

Paul Returns to Antioch

¹⁸ So Paul still remained ^[c]a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. ^(E)He had his hair cut off at ^(F)Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow. ¹⁹ And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. ²⁰ When they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent, ²¹ but took leave of them, saying, ^(G)“I^[d] must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, ^(H)God willing.” And he sailed from Ephesus.

²² And when he had landed at ^(I)Caesarea, and ^[e]gone up and greeted the church, he went down to Antioch. ²³ After he had spent some time there, he departed and went over the region of ^(J)Galatia and Phrygia ^[f]in order, ^(K)strengthening all the disciples.

Ministry of Apollos

^24 (L)Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. ²⁵ This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being ^(M)fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, ^(N)though he knew only the baptism of John. ²⁶ So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. ²⁷ And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, ^(O)he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; ²⁸ for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, ^(P)showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.

Paul at Ephesus

19 And it happened, while ^(A)Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through ^(B)the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples ² he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

So they said to him, ^(C)“We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”

³ And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?”

So they said, ^(D)“Into John’s baptism.”

⁴ Then Paul said, ^(E)“John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”

⁵ When they heard this, they were baptized ^(F)in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul had ^(G)laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and ^(H)they spoke with tongues and prophesied. ⁷ Now the men were about twelve in all.

^8 (I)And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading ^(J)concerning the things of the kingdom of God. ⁹ But ^(K)when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil ^(L)of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ And ^(M)this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

Miracles Glorify Christ

¹¹ Now ^(N)God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, ^12 (O)so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. ^13 (P)Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists ^(Q)took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, ^[a]“We ^[b]exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul ^(R)preaches.”