Acts 19

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1. 1While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the inland regions and arrived in Ephesus, where he found some disciples.
2. 2He asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They replied, "We haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
3. 3So he asked, "What baptism did you receive then?" They answered, "John's baptism."
4. 4Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one coming after him — that is, Christ Jesus."
5. 5When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6. 6When Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
7. 7There were about twelve men in all.
8. 8Paul went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.
9. 9But when some became hardened and refused to believe, speaking evil of the Way before the crowd, Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and held daily discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
10. 10This continued for two years, so that everyone living in the province of Asia — both Jews and Greeks — heard the word of the Lord Jesus.
11. 11God performed extraordinary miracles through the hands of Paul.
12. 12Even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his body were carried to the sick, and their diseases left them and evil spirits went out of them.
13. 13Some itinerant Jewish exorcists attempted to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I command you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches."
14. 14Seven sons of a Jewish chief priest named Sceva were doing this.
15. 15But the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know about — but who are you?"
16. 16Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
17. 17This became known to all the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus. Fear fell on all of them, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
18. 18Many who had believed came forward, confessing and revealing their deeds.
19. 19A large number of those who had practiced sorcery brought their books together and burned them in front of everyone. When they calculated the value, it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.
20. 20So the word of God grew mightily and prevailed.
21. 21After these things were finished, Paul purposed in his spirit to travel through Macedonia and Achaia and then go to Jerusalem, saying, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome."
22. 22He sent two of those who assisted him, Timothy and Erastus, ahead to Macedonia, while he himself stayed in the province of Asia for a time.
23. 23Around that time, a major disturbance arose concerning the Way.
24. 24A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines for Diana, brought considerable profit to the craftsmen.
25. 25He gathered them together along with workers in related trades and said, "Men, you know that our wealth comes from this business.
26. 26And you can see and hear that not only in Ephesus but throughout nearly all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that things made with hands are not gods.
27. 27There is danger not only that our trade will be discredited, but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana will be despised, and her magnificence will be destroyed — she whom all Asia and the world worship."
28. 28When they heard this, they were filled with rage and began shouting, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
29. 29The whole city was filled with confusion. They seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia, and rushed with one accord into the theater.
30. 30Paul wanted to go in before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him.
31. 31Some of the officials of Asia, who were his friends, also sent word to him, urging him not to venture into the theater.
32. 32Some therefore cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused, and most of them did not know why they had come together.
33. 33The Jews pushed Alexander forward out of the crowd. Alexander motioned with his hand and tried to make a defense before the people.
34. 34But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
35. 35When the city clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, "People of Ephesus, who doesn't know that the city of Ephesus is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana and of the image that fell down from Jupiter?
36. 36Since these things are undeniable, you should calm down and not do anything rash.
37. 37You have brought these men here, yet they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess.
38. 38So if Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls — let them bring charges against one another.
39. 39But if you have anything further to raise, it must be settled in a lawful assembly.
40. 40For we are in danger of being called to account for this day's uproar, since there is no cause we can give to explain this gathering.
41. 41After saying this, he dismissed the assembly.