CHAPTER 19
While
Apollos
was
at
Corinth,
Paul
passed through
the
interior
and came
to
Ephesus.
There
he found
some
disciples
and
asked
them,
“Did you receive
the Holy
Spirit
when you became believers?”
“No,”
they answered,
“we have not even heard
that
there is
a Holy
Spirit.”
Paul
explained:
“John’s
baptism was
a baptism
of repentance.
He told
the
people
to
believe
in
the One
coming
after
him,
that
is,
in
Jesus.”
And when
Paul
laid
his
hands
on them,
the
Holy
Spirit
came
upon
them,
and
they spoke
in tongues
and
prophesied.
Then
Paul went
into
the
synagogue
and spoke boldly there
for
three
months,
arguing
persuasively
about
the
kingdom
of God.
But
when
some of them
stubbornly
refused to believe
and publicly
maligned
the
Way,
Paul took
his
disciples
and left
the synagogue
to conduct daily discussions
in
the
lecture hall
of Tyrannus.
This
continued
for
two
years,
so that
everyone
who
lived
in
the province of Asia,
Jews
and
Greeks
alike,
heard
the
word
of the
Lord.
so that
even
handkerchiefs
and
aprons
that had touched him
were taken
to
the
sick,
and
the
diseases
and
evil
spirits
left
them.
Now
there were some
itinerant
Jewish
exorcists
who tried
to invoke
the
name
of the
Lord
Jesus
over
those
with
evil
spirits.
They would say,
“I bind
you
by
Jesus,
whom
Paul
proclaims."
Eventually,
one of the
evil
spirits
answered
them,
“Jesus
I know,
and
I know about
Paul,
but
you,
who
are you?”
Then
the
man
with
the
evil
spirit
jumped
on
them
and overpowered
them all.
The attack
was so violent
that they ran
out of
the
house,
naked
and
wounded.
This
became
known
to all
the
Jews
and
Greeks
living
in Ephesus,
and
fear
came
over
all
of them.
So
the
name
of the
Lord
Jesus
was held in high honor.
And
a number
of those who
had practiced
magic arts
brought
their
books
and burned them
in front of
everyone.
When
the
value
of the books
was calculated,
it came to
fifty thousand
drachmas.
After
these things
had happened,
Paul
purposed
in
spirit
to go
to
Jerusalem
after he had passed through
Macedonia
and
Achaia.
“After
I
have been
there,”
he said,
“I
must
see
Rome
as well.”
He sent
two
of
his
helpers,
Timothy
and
Erastus,
to
Macedonia,
while he
stayed
for a time
in
the province of Asia.
It began with
a
silversmith
named
Demetrius,
who had brought
much
business
to the
craftsmen
making
silver
shrines
of Artemis.
Demetrius assembled the craftsmen,
along with
the
workmen
in
related
trades.
“Men,”
he said,
“you know
that
this
business
is
our
source of
prosperity.
And
as you see
and
hear,
not
only
in Ephesus,
but in
nearly
the whole
province of Asia,
Paul
has persuaded
a great number
of people
to turn away.
He says
that
man-made gods
are
no
gods at all.
There is danger
not
only
that
our
business
will fall
into
disrepute,
but
also that
the
temple
of the
great
goddess
Artemis
will be discredited
and
her
majesty
deposed—
she who
is worshiped
by all
the province of Asia
and
the whole
world."
When
the men heard this,
they were
enraged
and began shouting,
“Great is
Artemis
of the Ephesians!”
Soon
the
whole
city
was in disarray.
They rushed
together
into
the
theatre,
dragging with them
Gaius
and
Aristarchus,
Paul’s
traveling companions
from Macedonia.
Even
some
of
Paul’s
friends
who were
officials of the province of Asia
sent word
to him,
begging
him
not
to venture
into
the
theatre.
Meanwhile
the
assembly
was
in turmoil.
Some
were shouting
one thing
and some another,
and
most of them
did not even know
why
they were there.
The
Jews
in
the
crowd
pushed
Alexander
forward to explain himself,
and
he
motioned for silence
so he
could make his defense
to the
people.
But
when they realized
that
he was
a Jew,
they all shouted in unison
for
about
two
hours:
“Great is
Artemis
of the Ephesians!”
Finally
the
city clerk
quieted
the
crowd
and declared,
“Men
of Ephesus,
doesn’t
everyone
know
that
the
city
of Ephesus
is
guardian of the temple
of the
great
Artemis
and
of her image,
which fell from heaven?
For
you have brought
these
men here,
though they have neither
robbed our temple
nor
blasphemed
our
goddess.
So
if
Demetrius
and
his fellow
craftsmen
have
a complaint
against
anyone,
the courts
are open
and
proconsuls
are available.
Let them bring charges against
one another there .
For
we are in jeopardy of
being charged
with rioting
for
today’s events,
and we have
no
justification
to account
for
this
commotion.”