Old/New Testament

Paul in Ephesus

19 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples, ² and said to them, “Did you receive the holy spirit when you believed?”

“We had not heard,” they replied, “that there was a ‘holy spirit.’ ”

³ “Well then,” said Paul, “into what were you baptized?”

“Into John’s baptism,” they replied.

⁴ “John baptized with a baptism of repentance for the people,” said Paul, “speaking about the one who was to come after him, and saying that that person would be the one that people should believe in—and that means Jesus.”

⁵ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of Jesus. ⁶ Paul then laid his hands on them, and the holy spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. ⁷ There were about twelve men in all.

⁸ Paul went into the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing and persuading them about the kingdom of God. ⁹ But when some of them were hard-hearted, and wouldn’t believe, and made wicked allegations about the Way in front of everybody else, Paul left them. He took the disciples with him, and argued every day in the lecture-hall of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ He did this for two years, so that all the inhabitants of Asia, Jews and Greeks alike, heard the word of the Lord.

The power of God and the powers at Ephesus

¹¹ God performed unusual works of power through Paul’s hands. ¹² People used to take handkerchiefs or towels that had touched his skin and put them on the sick, and then their diseases would leave them and evil spirits would depart.

¹³ There were some traveling Jewish exorcists who tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus on people with evil spirits.

“I command you,” they used to say, “in the name of Jesus, the one Paul proclaims!”

¹⁴ There were seven of them who used to do this. They were the sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest. ¹⁵ But on one occasion the evil spirit answered them back.

“I know Jesus,” it shouted, “and I am well acquainted with Paul; but who are you?”

¹⁶ The man who had the evil spirit pounced on them and, since he was much too strong for them, overpowered all of them, so that they fled out of the house naked and battered. ¹⁷ This became common knowledge among both Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus. Fear came on all of them, and the name of the Lord Jesus grew greatly in prestige.

¹⁸ Many people who became believers came forward to make public confession, revealing what they had been up to. ¹⁹ Some who had been practicing magic brought their books and burnt them in front of everyone; someone calculated how much they were all worth, and it came to fifty thousand silver pieces. ²⁰ So the word grew and was strong, in accordance with the Lord’s power.