1WHILE Apollos was in Corinth Paul journeyed through the upper parts of the country and arrived at Ephesus. There he discovered some disciples,
2and he asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" "No," they replied, "we have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
3"Well then, how were you baptized?" asked Paul. "We were baptized with John's baptism," they replied.
4"John's baptism was a baptism to show a change of heart," Paul explained, "but he always told the people that they must believe in the one who should come after him, that is, in Jesus."
5When these men heard this they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus,
6and then, when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them and they began to speak with tongues and the inspiration of prophets.
7(There were about twelve of them in all.)
8Then Paul made his way into the synagogue there and for three months he spoke with the utmost confidence, using both argument and persuasion as he talked of the kingdom of God.
9But when some of them hardened in their attitude towards the message and refused to believe it, and, what is more, spoke offensively about the Way in public, Paul left them, and withdrew his disciples, and held daily discussions in the lecturehall of Tyrannus.
10He continued this practice for two years, so that all who lived in the province of Asia, both Greeks and Jews, could hear the Lord's message.
11God gave most unusual demonstration of power through Paul's hands,
12so much so that people took to the sick any towels or handkerchiefs which had been in contact with his body, and they were cured of their diseases and their evil spirits left them.
13But there were some itinerant Jewish exorcists who attempted to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus when dealing with those who had evil spirits. They would say, "I command you in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches."
14Seven brothers, sons of a chief priest called Sceva, were engaged in this practice on one occasion,
15when the evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?"
16And the man in whom the evil sprit was living sprang at them and overpowered them all with such violence that they rushed out of that house wounded, with their clothes torn off their backs.
17This incident became known to all the Jews and Greeks who were living in Ephesus, and a great sense of awe came over them all, while the name of the Lord Jesus became even more respected.
18Many of those who had professed their faith began openly to admit their former practices.
19A number of those who had previously practiced magic collected their books and burned them publicly. (They estimated the value of these books and found it to be no less than five thousand pounds.)
20In this way the Word of the Lord continued to grow in influence and power.
21After these events Paul was led by the Spirit to plan a journey to Jerusalem, going by way of Macedonia and Achaia, remarking, "After I have been there I must see Rome as well."
22Then he dispatched to Macedonia two of his assistants, Timothy and Erastus, while he himself stayed for a while in Asia.
23Now it happened about this time that a great commotion arose concerning the Way.
24A man by the name of Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, provided considerable business for his craftsmen.
25He gathered these men together with workers in similar trades, and spoke to them, "Men," he said, "you all realize how our prosperity depends on this particular work.
26If you use your eyes and ears you also know that not only in Ephesus but practically throughout Asia this man Paul has succeeded in changing the minds of a great number of people by telling them that gods made by human hands are not gods at all.
27Now the danger is not only that this craft of ours might fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis herself might come to be lightly regarded. There is a further danger, that her actual majesty might be degraded, she whom the whole of Asia, and indeed the whole world, worships!"
28When they heard this they were furiously angry, and shouted, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
29Soon the whole city was in an uproar, and on a common impulse the people rushed into the theatre dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, two Macedonians who were Paul's traveling companions.
30Paul himself wanted to go in among the crowd, but the disciples would not allow him.
31Moreover, some highranking officials who were Paul's friends sent to him begging him not to risk himself in the theatre.
32Meanwhile some were shouting one thing and some another, and the whole assembly was at sixes and sevens, for most of them had no idea why they had come together at all.
33A man called Alexander whom the Jews put forward was pushed as spokesman into the forefront of the crowd, and there, after making a gesture with his hand, he tried to make a speech of defence to the people.
34But as soon as they realised that he was a Jew they shouted as one man for about two hours, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
35But when the town clerk had finally quieted the crowd, he said, "Gentlemen of Ephesus, who in the world could be ignorant of the fact that our city of Ephesus is templeguardian of the great Artemis and of the image which fell from the sky?
36These are undeniable facts and it is your plain duty to remain calm and do nothing which you might afterwards regret.
37For you have brought these men forward, though they are neither plunderers of the temple, nor have they uttered any blasphemy against our goddess.
38If Demetrius and his fellowcraftsmen have a charge to bring against anyone, well, the courts are open and there are proconsuls; let them take legal action.
39But if you require anything beyond that then it must be resolved in the regular assembly.
40For all of us are in danger of being charged with rioting over today's events particularly as we have no real excuse to offer for this commotion."
41And with these words he dismissed, the assembly.
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