1While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul travelled through the inland regions and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples.
2He said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They said to him, "We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
3He said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?" They said, "Into John's baptism."
4Then Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance. He told the people that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Christ Jesus."
5When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them. They spoke with tongues and prophesied.
7There were about twelve men in all.
8He went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months. He argued and tried to persuade them about the kingdom of God.
9But some became hard and would not believe. They spoke evil of that Way in front of the crowd. So Paul left them and took the disciples away with him, and he argued every day in the school of a man called Tyrannus.
10This went on for two years, so that everyone who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
11God did unusual miracles through the hands of Paul.
12Handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched his body were carried to the sick. Their diseases left them, and the evil spirits went out of them.
13Then some wandering Jews who drove out spirits tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits. They said, "We command you by Jesus whom Paul preaches."
14There were seven sons of a Jew named Sceva, a chief priest, who did this.
16Then the man who had the evil spirit leaped on them. He overpowered them and beat them, so that they ran out of that house naked and wounded.
17All the Jews and Greeks living at Ephesus came to know of this. Fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was honoured greatly.
18Many who believed came and confessed and told what they had done.
19Many of those who had practised magic arts brought their books together and burned them in front of everyone. They counted up the price of the books, and it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.
20So the word of God grew mightily and won the day.
21After these things were finished, Paul decided in his spirit to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. He said, "After I have been there, I must see Rome as well."
22So he sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, into Macedonia. But he himself stayed in Asia for a while.
23At that time there was a great disturbance about that Way.
24A man named Demetrius, a silversmith, made silver shrines for Diana. He brought a great deal of business to the craftsmen.
25He called them together, with the workmen in trades like his own, and said, "Sirs, you know that we get our wealth from this work."
26"And you see and hear that this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, not only in Ephesus but almost all through Asia. He says that gods made with hands are not gods at all."
27"So there is danger not only that our trade will fall into disgrace, but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana will count for nothing, and that she will lose her greatness, though all Asia and the world worship her."
28When they heard this, they were full of anger and shouted, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians."
29The whole city was filled with confusion. They seized Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia who travelled with Paul, and all together they rushed into the theatre.
30Paul wanted to go in among the people, but the disciples would not let him.
31Some of the leading men of Asia, who were his friends, sent word to him, begging him not to risk going into the theatre.
32Some shouted one thing and some another, for the crowd was in confusion. Most of them did not know why they had come together.
33They brought Alexander out of the crowd, the Jews pushing him forward. Alexander motioned with his hand, wanting to make his defence to the people.
34But when they saw that he was a Jew, they all shouted with one voice for about two hours, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians."
35When the town clerk had quietened the people, he said, "Men of Ephesus, is there anyone who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the keeper of the temple of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter?"
36"Since no one can deny these things, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash."
37"For you have brought these men here, and they have neither robbed temples nor spoken against your goddess."
38"So if Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a case against anyone, the courts are open and there are governors. Let them bring their charges against one another there."
39"But if you want to ask about anything else, it must be settled in a lawful assembly."
40"For we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what has happened today. There is no reason we can give to explain this gathering."
41When he had said this, he sent the assembly away.