Dual Panel1While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior provinces. Finally, he came to Ephesus, where he found several believers.
2"Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" he asked them. "No," they replied, "we don’t know what you mean. We haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
3"Then what baptism did you experience?" he asked. And they replied, "The baptism of John."
4Paul said, "John’s baptism was to demonstrate a desire to turn from sin and turn to God. John himself told the people to believe in Jesus, the one John said would come later."
5As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied.
7There were about twelve men in all.
8Then Paul went to the synagogue and preached boldly for the next three months, arguing persuasively about the Kingdom of God.
9But some rejected his message and publicly spoke against the Way, so Paul left the synagogue and took the believers with him. Then he began preaching daily at the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
10This went on for the next two years, so that people throughout the province of Asia––both Jews and Greeks––heard the Lord’s message.
11God gave Paul the power to do unusual miracles,
12so that even when handkerchiefs or cloths that had touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and any evil spirits within them came out.
13A team of Jews who were traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus. The incantation they used was this: "I command you by Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!"
14Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this.
15But when they tried it on a man possessed by an evil spirit, the spirit replied, "I know Jesus, and I know Paul. But who are you?"
16And he leaped on them and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and badly injured.
17The story of what happened spread quickly all through Ephesus, to Jews and Greeks alike. A solemn fear descended on the city, and the name of the Lord Jesus was greatly honored.
18Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices.
19A number of them who had been practicing magic brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire. The value of the books was several million dollars.
20So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect.
21Afterward Paul felt impelled by the Holy Spirit to go over to Macedonia and Achaia before returning to Jerusalem. "And after that," he said, "I must go on to Rome!"
22He sent his two assistants, Timothy and Erastus, on ahead to Macedonia while he stayed awhile longer in the province of Asia.
23But about that time, serious trouble developed in Ephesus concerning the Way.
24It began with Demetrius, a silversmith who had a large business manufacturing silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis. He kept many craftsmen busy.
25He called the craftsmen together, along with others employed in related trades, and addressed them as follows: "Gentlemen, you know that our wealth comes from this business.
26As you have seen and heard, this man Paul has persuaded many people that handmade gods aren’t gods at all. And this is happening not only here in Ephesus but throughout the entire province!
27Of course, I’m not just talking about the loss of public respect for our business. I’m also concerned that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will lose its influence and that Artemis––this magnificent goddess worshiped throughout the province of Asia and all around the world––will be robbed of her prestige!"
28At this their anger boiled, and they began shouting, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
29A crowd began to gather, and soon the city was filled with confusion. Everyone rushed to the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, who were Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia.
30Paul wanted to go in, but the believers wouldn’t let him.
31Some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, also sent a message to him, begging him not to risk his life by entering the amphitheater.
32Inside, the people were all shouting, some one thing and some another. Everything was in confusion. In fact, most of them didn’t even know why they were there.
33Alexander was thrust forward by some of the Jews, who encouraged him to explain the situation. He motioned for silence and tried to speak in defense.
34But when the crowd realized he was a Jew, they started shouting again and kept it up for two hours: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
35At last the mayor was able to quiet them down enough to speak. "Citizens of Ephesus," he said. "Everyone knows that Ephesus is the official guardian of the temple of the great Artemis, whose image fell down to us from heaven.
36Since this is an indisputable fact, you shouldn’t be disturbed, no matter what is said. Don’t do anything rash.
37You have brought these men here, but they have stolen nothing from the temple and have not spoken against our goddess.
38If Demetrius and the craftsmen have a case against them, the courts are in session and the judges can take the case at once. Let them go through legal channels.
39And if there are complaints about other matters, they can be settled in a legal assembly.
40I am afraid we are in danger of being charged with rioting by the Roman government, since there is no cause for all this commotion. And if Rome demands an explanation, we won’t know what to say."
41Then he dismissed them, and they dispersed.