The Father Pours out His Spirit at Ephesus
19 1 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul crossed the inland region and reached Ephesus, where he found some disciples. 2 He asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They replied, "No, we haven't even heard there is a Holy Spirit."
3 So he asked, "Into what then were you baptized?" "Into John's baptism," they said.
4 Paul said, "John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling people to believe in the one coming after him—Jesus."
5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them; they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
8 Paul entered the synagogue, speaking boldly three months, reasoning and persuading about our Father's kingdom. 9 When some grew stubborn, refusing to believe and slandering the Way before the crowd, he withdrew from them, took the disciples, and reasoned daily in Tyrannus's lecture hall. 10 This continued two years, so all living in Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord Jesus.
11 Our Father did extraordinary miracles through the hands of Paul, 12 So even handkerchiefs and aprons that touched his skin were carried to the sick, and diseases left them and evil spirits went out of them.
13 Some traveling Jewish exorcists also tried invoking the name of the Lord Jesus over those with evil spirits, saying, "I command you by the Jesus Paul preaches." 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.
15 But the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?" 16 And the man who had the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them all, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 All Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus learned of this. Fear seized them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was highly praised. 18 Many of those who had become believers also came, confessing and disclosing their practices. 19 Many who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them before everyone. They added up the price and found it worth fifty thousand days' wages. a a v19 Each piece of silver was a drachma — roughly a day's wage for a laborer. The burned scrolls were worth about fifty thousand days' wages. 20 So the word of the Lord Jesus continued to grow mightily and prevail.
21 When this was done, Paul decided in his spirit to go through Macedonia and Achaia to Jerusalem, saying, "After I've been there, I must see Rome too." 22 He sent two of his assistants, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while staying in Asia himself a while longer. 23 About that time there arose a serious disturbance concerning the Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, kept many craftsmen busy. b b v24 Artemis of Ephesus was the city's great mother-goddess. Her temple was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and the heart of the city's economy. 25 He gathered them and workers in similar trades and said, "Men, you know our wealth comes from this trade." 26 You see and hear that this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people—not only in Ephesus but nearly all of Asia—telling them gods made by hands aren't gods. 27 The risk isn't just that our trade loses its good name, but that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will count for nothing, and she, worshiped by all Asia and the world, will be stripped of her greatness.
28 Hearing this, they were enraged and shouted, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" 29 The city filled with confusion; together they rushed into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul's traveling companions. 30 When Paul wanted to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. 31 Even some officials of the province, his friends, sent word urging him not to risk entering the theater. 32 Meanwhile some shouted one thing, others another—the assembly was in confusion, and most didn't know why they'd gathered. 33 Some in the crowd coached Alexander, whom the Jews pushed forward; motioning with his hand, he wanted to defend himself before the people. 34 Realizing he was a Jew, they shouted as one for about two hours, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
35 When the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, "Men of Ephesus, who doesn't know the Ephesians' city is temple keeper of the great Artemis and of the image that fell from heaven?" c c v35 Many believed this sacred object was a meteorite that had fallen from the sky — taken as proof of Artemis's favor on the city. 36 Since these things cannot be denied, you ought to keep calm and do nothing rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 So if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a charge against anyone, courts are in session and proconsuls are available—let them accuse each other there. 39 But if you are seeking anything further, it will be settled in the regular assembly. 40 We risk being charged with today's riot, since we have no reason to justify this uproar." 41 And when he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
