Acts of Emissaries of Yeshua (Act) 19
19
1While Apollos was in Corinth, Sha’ul completed his travels through the inland country and arrived at Ephesus, where he found a few talmidim. 2He asked them, “Did you receive the Ruach HaKodesh when you came to trust?” “No,” they said to him, “we have never even heard that there is such a thing as the Ruach HaKodesh.” 3“In that case,” he said, “into what were you immersed?” “The immersion of Yochanan,” they answered. 4Sha’ul said, “Yochanan practiced an immersion in connection with turning from sin to God; but he told the people to put their trust in the one who would come after him, that is, in Yeshua.” 5On hearing this, they were immersed into the name of the Lord Yeshua; 6and when Sha’ul placed his hands on them, the Ruach HaKodesh came upon them; so that they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. 7In all, there were about twelve of these men.
8Sha’ul went into the synagogue; and for three months he spoke out boldly, engaging in dialogue and trying to persuade people about the Kingdom of God. 9But some began hardening themselves and refusing to listen; and when these started defaming the Way before the whole synagogue, Sha’ul withdrew, took the talmidim with him, and commenced holding daily dialogues in Tyrannus’s yeshivah. 10This went on for two years; so that everyone, both Jews and Greeks, living in the province of Asia heard the message about the Lord.
11God did extraordinary miracles through Sha’ul. 12For instance, handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were brought to sick people; they would recover from their ailments; and the evil spirits would leave them.
13Then some of the Jewish exorcists who traveled from place to place tried to make use of the name of the Lord Yeshua in connection with people who had evil spirits. They would say, “I exorcise you by the Yeshua that Sha’ul is proclaiming!” 14One time, seven sons of a Jewish cohen gadol named Skeva were doing this; 15and the evil spirit answered them. It said, “Yeshua I know. And Sha’ul I recognize. But you? Who are you?” 16Then the man with the evil spirit fell upon them, overpowered them and gave them such a beating that they ran from the house, naked and bleeding.
17When all this became known to the residents of Ephesus, fear fell on all of them, Jews and Greeks alike; and the name of the Lord Yeshua came to be held in high regard. 18Many of those who had earlier made professions of faith now came and admitted publicly their evil deeds; 19and a considerable number of those who had engaged in occult practices threw their scrolls in a pile and burned them in public. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, it came to fifty thousand drachmas. 20Thus the message about the Lord continued in a powerful way to grow in influence.
21Some time later, Sha’ul decided by the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and then go to Yerushalayim. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome.” 22So he dispatched two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia; but he himself remained in the province of Asia for awhile.
23It was at this time that a major furor arose concerning the Way. 24There was a silversmith named Demetrius who manufactured from silver, objects connected with the worship of the goddess Artemis; and he provided no small amount of work for the craftsmen. 25He called a meeting of them and of those engaged in similar trades, and said, “Men, you understand that this line of business provides us our living. 26And you can see and hear for yourselves that not only here in Ephesus, but in practically the whole province of Asia, this Sha’ul has convinced and turned away a considerable crowd by saying that man-made gods aren’t gods at all. 27Now the danger is not only that the reputation of our trade will suffer, but that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will come to be taken lightly. It could end up with the goddess herself, who is worshipped throughout the province of Asia and indeed throughout the whole world, being ignominiously brought down from her divine majesty!”
28Hearing this, they were filled with rage and began bellowing, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29Soon the whole city was in an uproar. As one man, the mob rushed into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Sha’ul’s traveling companions from Macedonia. 30Sha’ul himself wanted to appear before the crowd, but the talmidim wouldn’t let him. 31Even some of the officials of the province, friends of his, sent a message begging him not to risk entering the theater. 32Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing and others something else, because the assembly was in complete confusion, and the great majority didn’t even know why they were there. 33Some of the crowd explained the situation to Alexander, whom the Jews had pushed to the front. So Alexander motioned for silence, hoping to make a defense speech to the people. 34But as soon as they recognized that he was a Jew, they began bellowing in unison, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” and they kept it up for about two hours.
35At last, the city clerk was able to quiet the crowd. “Men of Ephesus!” he said, “Is there anyone who doesn’t know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone which fell from the sky? 36Since this is beyond dispute, you had better calm down and not do anything rash. 37For you have brought these men here who have neither robbed the temple nor insulted your goddess. 38So if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open and the judges are there — let them bring charges and counter-charges. 39But if there is something more you want, it will have to be settled in a lawful assembly. 40For we are in danger of being accused of rioting on account of what has happened today. There is no justification for it; and if we are asked, we will be unable to give any reasonable explanation for this disorderly gathering.” 41And with these words, he dismissed the assembly.
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Acts of Emissaries of Yeshua (Act) 19: CJB
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Learn More About Complete Jewish BibleActs 19
19
Paul in Ephesus
1While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior provinces to get to the city of Ephesus. He met some disciples in Ephesus 2and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?”
They answered him, “No, we’ve never even heard of the Holy Spirit.”
3Paul asked them, “What kind of baptism did you have?”
They answered, “John’s baptism.”
4Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance.#19:4 “Repentance” is turning to God with a complete change in the way a person thinks and acts. John told people to believe in Jesus, who was coming later.”
5After they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came to them, and they began to talk in other languages and to speak what God had revealed. 7About twelve men were in the group.
8For three months Paul would go into the synagogue and speak boldly. He had discussions with people to convince them about God’s kingdom. 9But when some people became stubborn, refused to believe, and had nothing good to say in front of the crowd about the way ⌞of Christ⌟, he left them. He took his disciples and held daily discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10This continued for two years so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.
11God worked unusual miracles through Paul. 12People would take handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched Paul’s skin to those who were sick. Their sicknesses would be cured, and evil spirits would leave them.
13Some Jews used to travel from place to place and force evil spirits out of people. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus to force evil spirits out of those who were possessed. These Jews would say, “I order you ⌞to come out⌟ in the name of Jesus, whom Paul talks about.” 14Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.
15But the evil spirit answered them, “I know Jesus, and I’m acquainted with Paul, but who are you?” 16Then the man possessed by the evil spirit attacked them. He beat them up so badly that they ran out of that house naked and wounded.
17All the Jews and Greeks living in the city of Ephesus heard about this. All of them were filled with awe for the name of the Lord Jesus and began to speak very highly about it. 18Many believers openly admitted their involvement with magical spells and told all the details. 19Many of those who were involved in the occult gathered their books and burned them in front of everyone. They added up the cost of these books and found that they were worth 50,000 silver coins. 20In this powerful way the word of the Lord was spreading and gaining strength.
21After all these things had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem by traveling through Macedonia and Greece. He said, “After I have been there, I must see Rome.” 22So he sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed longer in the province of Asia.
A Riot in Ephesus
23During that time a serious disturbance concerning the way ⌞of Christ⌟ broke out in the city of Ephesus.
24Demetrius, a silversmith, was in the business of making silver models of the temple of Artemis. His business brought a huge profit for the men who worked for him. 25He called a meeting of his workers and others who did similar work. Demetrius said, “Men, you know that we’re earning a good income from this business, 26and you see and hear what this man Paul has done. He has won over a large crowd that follows him not only in Ephesus but also throughout the province of Asia. He tells people that gods made by humans are not gods. 27There’s a danger that people will discredit our line of work, and there’s a danger that people will think that the temple of the great goddess Artemis is nothing. Then she whom all Asia and the rest of the world worship will be robbed of her glory.”
28When Demetrius’ workers and the others heard this, they became furious and began shouting, “Artemis of the Ephesians is great!” 29The confusion spread throughout the city, and the people had one thought in mind as they rushed into the theater. They grabbed Gaius and Aristarchus, the Macedonians who traveled with Paul, and they dragged the two men into the theater with them.
30Paul wanted to go into the crowd, but his disciples wouldn’t let him. 31Even some officials who were from the province of Asia and who were Paul’s friends sent messengers to urge him not to risk going into the theater.
32Some people shouted one thing while others shouted something else. The crowd was confused. Most of the people didn’t even know why they had come together. 33Some people concluded that Alexander was the cause, so the Jews pushed him to the front. Alexander motioned with his hand to quiet the people because he wanted to defend himself in front of them. 34But when they recognized that Alexander was a Jew, everyone started to shout in unison, “Artemis of the Ephesians is great!” They kept doing this for about two hours.
35The city clerk finally quieted the crowd. Then he said, “Citizens of Ephesus, everyone knows that this city of the Ephesians is the keeper of the temple of the great Artemis. Everyone knows that Ephesus is the keeper of the statue that fell down from Zeus. 36No one can deny this. So you have to be quiet and not do anything foolish. 37The men you brought here don’t rob temples or insult our goddess. 38If Demetrius and the men who work for him have a legal complaint against anyone, we have special days and officials to hold court. That’s where they should bring charges against each other. 39If you want anything else, you must settle the matter in a legal assembly. 40At this moment we run the risk of being accused of rioting today for no reason. We won’t be able to explain this mob.” 41After saying this, he dismissed the assembly.#19:41 Acts 19:41 in English Bibles is Acts 19:40b in the Greek Bible.
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