Acts 19
19
Paul in Ephesus
1While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul travelled through the interior of the province and arrived in Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?”
“We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit,” they answered.
3“Well, then, what kind of baptism did you receive?” Paul asked.
“The baptism of John,” they answered.
4 #
Mt 3.11; Mk 1.4, 7–8; Lk 3.4, 16; Jn 1.26–27 Paul said, “The baptism of John was for those who turned from their sins; and he told the people of Israel to believe in the one who was coming after him — that is, in Jesus.”
5When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6Paul placed his hands on them, and the Holy Spirit came upon them; they spoke in strange tongues and also proclaimed God's message. 7They were about twelve men in all.
8Paul went into the synagogue and during three months spoke boldly with the people, holding discussions with them and trying to convince them about the Kingdom of God. 9But some of them were stubborn and would not believe, and before the whole group they said evil things about the Way of the Lord. So Paul left them and took the believers with him, and every day#19.9 Some manuscripts add from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. he held discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10This went on for two years, so that all the people who lived in the province of Asia, both Jews and Gentiles, heard the word of the Lord.
The Sons of Sceva
11God was performing unusual miracles through Paul. 12Even handkerchiefs and aprons he had used were taken to those who were ill, and their diseases were driven away, and the evil spirits would go out of them. 13Some Jews who travelled round and drove out evil spirits also tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus to do this. They said to the evil spirits, “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches.” 14Seven brothers, who were the sons of a Jewish High Priest named Sceva, were doing this.
15But the evil spirit said to them, “I know Jesus, and I know about Paul; but you — who are you?”
16The man who had the evil spirit in him attacked them with such violence that he overpowered them all. They ran away from his house, wounded and with their clothes torn off. 17All the Jews and Gentiles who lived in Ephesus heard about this; they were all filled with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was given greater honour. 18Many of the believers came, publicly admitting and revealing what they had done. 19Many of those who had practised magic brought their books together and burnt them in public. They added up the price of the books, and the total came to 50,000 silver coins.#19.19 silver coins: A silver coin was the daily wage of a rural worker (see Mt 20.2). 20In this powerful way the word of the Lord#19.20 In this… Lord; or And so, by the power of the Lord, the message. kept spreading and growing stronger.
The Riot in Ephesus
21After these things had happened, Paul made up his mind#19.21 Paul made up his mind; or Paul, led by the Spirit, decided. to travel through Macedonia and Achaia and go on to Jerusalem. “After I go there,” he said, “I must also see Rome.” 22So he sent Timothy and Erastus, two of his helpers, to Macedonia, while he spent more time in the province of Asia.
23It was at this time that there was serious trouble in Ephesus because of the Way of the Lord. 24A certain silversmith named Demetrius made silver models of the temple of the goddess Artemis, and his business brought a great deal of profit to the workers. 25So he called them all together with others whose work was like theirs and said to them, “Men, you know that our prosperity comes from this work. 26Now, you can see and hear for yourselves what this fellow Paul is doing. He says that gods made by human hands are not gods at all, and he has succeeded in convincing many people, both here in Ephesus and in nearly the whole province of Asia. 27There is the danger, then, that this business of ours will get a bad name. Not only that, but there is also the danger that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will come to mean nothing and that her greatness will be destroyed — the goddess worshipped by everyone in Asia and in all the world!”
28As the crowd heard these words, they became furious and started shouting, “Great is Artemis of Ephesus!” 29The uproar spread throughout the whole city. The mob seized Gaius and Aristarchus, two Macedonians who were travelling with Paul, and rushed with them to the theatre. 30Paul himself wanted to go before the crowd, but the believers would not let him. 31Some of the provincial authorities, who were his friends, also sent him a message begging him not to show himself in the theatre. 32Meanwhile the whole meeting was in an uproar: some people were shouting one thing, others were shouting something else, because most of them did not even know why they had come together. 33Some of the people concluded that Alexander was responsible, since the Jews made him go up to the front. Then Alexander motioned with his hand for the people to be silent, and he tried to make a speech of defence. 34But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all shouted together the same thing for two hours: “Great is Artemis of Ephesus!”
35At last the town clerk was able to calm the crowd. “Fellow-Ephesians!” he said. “Everyone knows that the city of Ephesus is the keeper of the temple of the great Artemis and of the sacred stone that fell down from heaven. 36Nobody can deny these things. So then, you must calm down and not do anything reckless. 37You have brought these men here even though they have not robbed temples or said evil things about our goddess. 38If Demetrius and his workers have an accusation against anyone, we have the authorities and the regular days for court; charges can be made there. 39But if there is something more that you want, it will have to be settled in a legal meeting of citizens. 40For after what has happened today, there is the danger that we will be accused of a riot. There is no excuse for all this uproar, and we would not be able to give a good reason for it.” 41After saying this, he dismissed the meeting.
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
Gevurot Meyruach Hakodesh 19
19
1And it came about while Rav Apollos was in Corinth that Rav Sha'ul traveled through the upper regions and arrived at Ephesus, finding some of#19:1 Moshiachʼs talmidim there.
2And Rav Sha'ul said to them, Did you receive the Ruach Hakodesh when you came to emunah? But they said to Rav Sha'ul, But we never heard that there is a Ruach Hakodesh!
3And Rav Sha'ul said, Into what then were you given tevilah? And they said, Into the tevilah of Yochanan.
4And Rav Sha'ul said, Yochanan gave a tevilah of teshuva to the people, saying that they should have emunah in Hu HaBah,#19:4 Moshiach the one coming after him, that is, in Yehoshua.#19:4 Lk 3:16
5And having heard this, they were given Moshiachʼs tevilah of teshuva in haShem of the Moshiach Adoneinu Yehoshua.
6And when Rav Sha'ul placed his hands upon them, the Ruach Hakodesh came upon them, and they were speaking in leshonot and they were speaking devarim hanevu'ah.
7And the anashim were about sheneym asar in number.
8And having joined the minyan at the shul, Rav Sha'ul was speaking with ometz lev during the course of shloshah chodashim, debating and persuading concerning the things of the Malchut Hashem.
9But when some unbelievers in the shul were being hardened and were disobeying, speaking Chillul Hashem of the Derech Hashem before the multitude, Rav Sha'ul withdrew from them. Rav Sha'ul took the Moshiachʼs talmidim and yom yom was saying shiurim in the [Messianic] yeshiva of Tyrannus.
10And this happened over a period of two years with the intended result that all the ones inhabiting#19:10 the Roman Province of Asia heard the dvar Hashem, both Yehudim and Yevanim.
11And gevaltike moftim and niflaot Hashem effected at the hands of Rav Sha'ul,
12so that when a handkerchief or an apron touched the skin of Rav Sha'ul and was brought to the cholim, the machlot (sicknesses) and the shedim (demons) left them.
13And some traveling Jewish exorcists attempted to use haShem of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu Yehoshua over the ones possessed of ruchot ra'ot, saying, I exorcize and cast you out by the Yehoshua whom Rav Sha'ul preaches!
14And there were doing this very thing shivat banim of a certain Skeva, a Jewish “Kohen Gadol.”
15And in reply the ruach hara'ah (the shed, demon) said to them, I am acquainted with Yehoshua, I have da'as of Sha'ul, but, you, who are you?!
16And the ish in whom was the ruach hara'ah leaped upon them and subdued all [shivah] of them, and overpowered them, so that they fled, naked and wounded, from the bais.
17And this became known to all the Yehudim and also the Yevanim inhabiting Ephesus, and pachad (terror) fell upon all of them, and they were exalting haShem of Adoneinu Yehoshua.
18And many of the ones having come to emunah were making vidduy of their ma'asim, disclosing them.
19And a number of the ones who had practiced kishshuf (magic, sorcery) brought together their occult sfarim and were burning them publicly; and they added up the price of these occult sfarim, and they found it to be fifty thousand silver pieces.
20So the dvar Hashem, the Besuras HaGeulah, was growing with ko'ach and was prevailing.
21And when these things were fulfilled, Rav Sha'ul resolved in his ruach to travel through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Yerushalayim, saying After I have gone there, it is necessary for me also to see Rome.
22So Rav Sha'ul sent to Macedonia two of the mesharetim (ministers, servants) with him — Timotiyos and Erastus, while he stayed a little while longer in#19:22 the Province of Asia.
23Now during that time there was no small disturbance concerning the Derech Hashem.
24For a certain one, Demetrius by name, a silversmith and maker of silver idol shrines for Artemis, was providing no small revach (profit) for the craftsmen.
25Demetrius also assembled the craftsmen occupied with that trade and he said, Anashim, you have da'as that our prosperity is from this trade,
26And you see and hear that not only here in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Rav Sha'ul has persuaded and drawn away a large multitude saying, Elilim made with human hands are not Elohim.#19:26 Dt 4:28; Ps 115:4; Isa 44:10-20; Jer 10:3-5
27And this is not only a danger to us, that our part, our trade, will fall into disrepute, but also the temple of the elah hagedolah Artemis may be considered as nothing, and also may be about to suffer the loss of her majesty, which all Asia and the Olam Hazeh worship.
28And having listened and having become full of ka'as, the idol makers were crying out, saying, Gedolah is Artemis of the Ephesians!
29And the city was filled with tohu, and they rushed with one impulse into the theater, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, who were Macedonians and traveling fellow po'alim of Rav Sha'ul.
30And Rav Sha'ul desired to enter into the crowd in the theater, but the talmidim were not allowing him.
31And also some of the Asiarchs who were his chaverim, sent to him, begging him not to venture into the theater.
32Then some began shouting one thing, some another, in the theater, for the kahal was in confusion, and most had no da'as of the purpose of the kahal (assembly).
33And from the multitude Alexander was pushed forward by Yehudim and some prompted him with shouts, while Alexander waved his hand, wanting to defend himself to the kahal.
34But having known what the man was, that he was a Yehudi, all in the theater shouted in unison for lav davka two hours crying out, Gedolah is Artemis of the Ephesians.
35And the town clerk, when he had restrained the crowd, said, Anashim, citizens of Ephesus, who indeed is there among Bnei Adam who does not have da'as that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the tzelem (image) that fell from Shomayim?
36Since these things are undeniable, it is necessary for you to calm down and to do nothing reckless.
37For you brought these anashim here who are neither temple robbers nor speakers of evil against our religion.
38Therefore, if Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a tainah (grievance) against anyone, the civil courts are in session and there are proconsuls. Let it be there that they bring charges against one another.
39And if you seek anything further, let your settlement be obtained in the lawful assembly.
40For indeed we are in danger of being indicted for an intifadah (uprising) today, for there is no justification we can render to excuse this disorder and commotion.
41And having said these things, the town clerk dismissed the kahal (assembly).
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