Beginning
18 After this Paul left Athens and went to the city of Corinth.
2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus. A short time before this he and his wife Priscilla had come from the country of Italy. They left Italy because Claudius the ruler had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. This was the big city in Italy. Paul went to the house of Aquila and Priscilla.
3 Paul's work had been the making of tents, and that is what they did. So he stayed with them. They worked together.
4 Every Sabbath day he talked with the people in the meeting place for the Jews. He tried to talk so that the Jews and the Greeks would believe.
5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul felt in his heart that he must prove to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ.
6 But the people talked back to Paul. And they said wrong things about him. Paul shook his clothes and said to them, `If you are lost, it is your own fault, not mine! From now on I will go to those who are not Jews.'
7 So he left. He went to the house of a man named Justus who worshipped God. His house was next to the meeting place.
8 Crispus was the head ruler of the meeting house. He and his whole family believed in the Lord. Many of the people in Corinth heard and believed. And they were baptised.
9 The Lord said to Paul in a vision in the night, `Do not fear. Keep on speaking. Do not stop.
10 I am with you. nobody will hurt you. I have many people in this city.'
11 So Paul stayed there for one year and six months. He taught the people God's word.
12 When Gallio was the ruler of the province of Achaia, the Jews got together to stop Paul. They took him to court.
13 They said, `This man is talking to the people. He is trying to make them worship God in a way that is against our law.'
14 Paul wanted to speak. Then Gallio said to the Jews, `You Jews, if it were a matter of wrong or of doing something very bad, I would listen to you.
15 But this is a matter about words and names and about your own law. So you must go and take care of it yourselves! I will not judge such things.'
16 And he drove them out of the court.
17 They caught a man. His name was Sosthenes. He was the head ruler of the meeting house. They beat him in front of the judge, but Gallio did nothing about it.
18 Paul stayed there for many days. Then he said goodbye to the Christian brothers and went in a boat to the country of Syria. Priscilla and Aquila went with him. In the town of Cenchrea he cut his hair off. This was because he had made a promise to God.
19 When they reached the city of Ephesus, Paul left the others there. He himself went to the meeting place and talked with the Jews.
20 The Jews begged him to stay longer but he would not stay.
21 `Goodbye,' he said. `I will come back to you again if it is God's will.' Then he got in a boat and left Ephesus.
22 When he reached Caesarea, he went to greet the church people. Then he went on to Antioch.
23 He stayed there for a while. Then he left and went through all the countries of Galatia and Phrygia. He helped the disciples to believe more strongly.
24 A Jew came to Ephesus. His name was Apollos. He was born in Alexandria. He spoke with power and was able to explain the holy writings well.
25 This man had been taught the way of the Lord. He was strong in spirit as he talked to people. What he taught them about the Lord was true. But he knew only about the baptism of John.
26 He began to speak without fear in the meeting place. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him to their house. They explained the way of God so that he knew more about it.
27 Apollos decided to go into Achaia. The Christian brothers wrote to the disciples there and asked them to receive him. When he reached Achaia, he helped very much those who believed. They believed because God was kind to them.
28 He talked strongly with the Jews before the people. He proved to them from the holy writings that Jesus is the Christ.
19 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul went over land and came to the city of Ephesus. There he met some disciples.
2 Paul asked them, `Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?' They said, `No. We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.'
3 Paul asked them, `How were you baptised?' They said, `We were baptised in John's way.'
4 Then Paul said, `John baptised people when they stopped their wrong ways. He told people that they should believe on the one who would follow him. That one is Jesus.'
5 When they heard this, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 Paul put his hands on them. Then the Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke in tongues of other lang-uages and spoke words from God.
7 In all, there were about twelve men.
8 Paul went into the meeting place. For three months he talked without fear to the people there. He tried to talk so that people would obey God.
9 Some of them were fixed in their minds and would not believe. They said, `The Christian way is not good' They said this in front of all the people. So Paul left them and took the disciples away. He talked and answered the questions of the people every day in the school of a man named Tyrannus.
10 This went on for two years, and all the people who lived in the province of Asia, both the Jews and the Greeks, heard the Lord's word.
11-12 od did big works through Paul. Even some pieces of cloth he had touched were carried to sick people and they were healed. Also, people who had bad spirits in them were made free.
13 Some Jews were there who travelled about from place to place. They had power over bad spirits like witch-doctors. They tried to make people free from bad spirits by using the name of the Lord Jesus. They said to the spirits, `I tell you, in the name of Jesus, the one Paul talks about, come out!'
14 There was a Jew named Sceva. He was a chief priest. He had seven sons who did this.
15 But the bad spirit answered, `I know Jesus and I know Paul. But who are you?'
16 And the man who had the bad spirit in him jumped on them. He beat them all because he was stronger than they were. Their bodies were bleeding and their clothes were torn. They ran out of the house.
17 When all the Jews and the Greeks at Ephesus knew about this, they all feared. And they had great respect for the name of the Lord Jesus.
18 Many of the people who believed, told God all the bad things they used to do.
19 Many had been witch-doctors. They brought their books and burned them in front of all the people. All the books together had cost about 50,000 silver coins.
20 God's word spread with power. It reached more and more people.
21 After this, Paul decided he would go through Macedonia and Achaia and then to Jerusalem. `After I have been there,' he said, `l must go to see the city of Rome also.'
22 He sent Timothy and Erastus, two of his helpers, into Macedonia. But he himself stayed in Asia Minor for a while.
23 About that time there was much trouble because of the Christian way.
24 A man named Demetrius made things from silver. He made little silver houses like the big house of the idol-god Diana. He and other men got much money from this work.
25 Demetrius called them all together. He said, `Men, you know that we get our money from this work.
26 Now you see and hear how this man Paul has talked. He has turned away many people in Ephesus. Not only that, but he has turned away the hearts of many people in almost all of Asia Minor. He says that things made by men's hands are not really gods.
27 This will spoil our work. Not only that, but people will not respect the house of the great idol goddess Diana any more. All the people in Asia and in the whole world worship her now. But they will despise her!'
28 When they heard this, the men were very angry and shouted, `Great is Diana of Ephesus!'
29 All the people in the city were excited. They caught two men from Macedonia. Their names were Gaius and Aristarchus. They had travelled with Paul. Then they all rushed to the big meeting place with them.
30 Paul wanted to go in and talk to the people, but the disciples would not let him.
31 Some of the leaders in Asia Minor liked Paul. They sent word to him and begged him not to go into the meeting place.
32 Some of the people were shouting one thing and some another. They were all stirred up. Most of the people did not know why they had come together.
33 The Jews pushed Alexander forward. Some of the people put him in front. He put up his hand and wanted to talk to the people.
34 But when they saw that he was a Jew, they all shouted together for two hours, `Great is Diana of Ephesus!'
35 At last the city chief stopped the shouting. He said, `Men of Ephesus, everyone knows that all the people of Ephesus take care of the house of the great Diana. And they take care of the stone which fell from the sky.
36 No person can say it is not true. So you should be quiet and not do anything foolish.
37 The men whom you have brought here have not taken anything from the house. They have not even said anything wrong about our goddess.
38 Now then, if Demetrius and the men who work with him have any complaint, let them take it to law. We have a court and we have judges.
39 If you want anything more than that, it must be done in a meeting which has been called by law.
40 We may have trouble because of what has happened today. There is not one good reason for it.'
41 When he had said this, he closed the meeting.
20 When everything was quiet, Paul called the disciples. He talked to them so they would not be afraid. Then he said goodbye and left. He went to Macedonia.
2 He went through that country and talked to the people. He helped them to believe more strongly. Then he went to Greece.
3 He stayed there for three months. When he was ready to go to Syria by boat, he heard that the Jewish leaders were planning to catch him. So he said, `I will go back through Macedonia.'
4 Some men went with him as far as Asia Minor. They were Sopater from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, and Timothy, and also Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia Minor.
5 These went on ahead and waited for us at Troas.
6 After the days of the Passover Feast, we left Philippi by boat. Five days later we met them in Troas. We stayed there for seven days.
7-8 n the first day of the week the disciples met together to break bread. Paul was ready to leave the next day. He talked a long time to the people at the meeting until long into the night. They were gathered in an upstairs room with many lights.
9 A young man named Eutychus sat in the window. He became very sleepy. When Paul kept talking so long, Eutychus was very deep in sleep and fell down from the third floor. When the people picked him up he was dead.
10 Paul went down stairs. He lay on him and put his arms around him. `Do not fear,' he said. `He is alive.'
11 Then Paul went upstairs again. He broke bread and ate some food. He talked for a long time, until daybreak. After that, he left.
12 The people took the young man. They were very glad because he was alive.
13 We went by boat to the town of Assos. We were going to meet Paul there and take him on the boat. He told us to do that because he wanted to walk.
14 We met him at Assos, took him on the boat, and went to Mitylene.
15 Then we went by boat the next day and came to Chios. The next day we passed the town of Samos. We reached Miletus on the third day.
16 Paul decided not to stop at Ephesus. He did not want to spend time in Asia Minor. He kept going as fast as he could, because he hoped to be at the feast in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.
17 He sent a message from Miletus to Ephesus to call the leaders of the church to come to him.
18 When they came, he said, `You know how I have lived all the time that I have been with you. I lived that way from the first day I came into Asia.
19 You know how I have served the Lord without being proud. And I have even cried for you. I served the Lord when I had troubles and when the leaders of the Jews tried to catch me.
20 I have not feared to tell you everything that would help you. I have taught you in meetings and in your homes.
21 I have told both the Jews and the Greeks to stop doing wrong things. I have told them to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ.
22 `And now I feel in my spirit that I must go to Jerusalem. I do not know what will happen to me there.
23 But in every city the Holy Spirit tells me I will be put in prison. I will have much trouble.
24 But none of these things trouble me. I do not try to save my life. All I want is to finish what I must do with joy. The work which the Lord Jesus gave me is to tell the good news that God is kind.
25 I know that you all will never see me again. I have told you about God's kingdom.
26 So I tell you today that if any one is lost, it is not my fault.
27 I have not feared to tell you all that God wants you to know.
28 `The Holy Spirit has made you leaders over his people. Watch yourselves. Like one who takes care of his sheep, so you must take care of the church people. They are the Lord's people. He gave his blood for them.
29 I know this, that there are people as bad as wild animals. After I leave you, they will come to you. They will trouble God's people.
30 Also, some men will come from among you. They will teach things that are not true. They want people to follow them.
31 So then, watch and remember this. For three years, through the night and in the day, I told every one of you to be careful. I even cried as I told you.
32 `And now, my brothers, I give you to God. I leave with you his word which brings blessing. That word is able to make you strong. It will give you your share in the good things of God promised by him. He gives these good things to people who are pure and holy.
33 I did not want anyone to give me money or clothes.
34 You yourselves know that I worked with my own hands to pay for the things that I and my friends needed.
35 I have always shown you that you must work hard, as I have. You must help those who cannot work. By so doing you are remembering the words of the Lord Jesus. He said, "It makes you more happy to give something than to get something." '
36 When Paul had said this, he kneeled down and talked to God with them all.
37 They all cried much. They put their arms around his neck and kissed him.
38 They were sad most of all because he had said they would not see him again. And they went with him to the boat.
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