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Paul at Ephesus
It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples.
It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples.
“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” he asked them.
“No,” they replied, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
“No,” they replied, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”
“Then what baptism did you experience?” he asked.
And they replied, “The baptism of John.”
And they replied, “The baptism of John.”
And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.”
Paul said, “John’s baptism called for repentance from sin. But John himself told the people to believe in the one who would come later, meaning Jesus.”
Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”
As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.
Paul Ministers in Ephesus
Then Paul went to the synagogue and preached boldly for the next three months, arguing persuasively about the Kingdom of God.
And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.
But some became stubborn, rejecting his message and publicly speaking against the Way. So Paul left the synagogue and took the believers with him. Then he held daily discussions at the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.
This went on for the next two years, so that people throughout the province of Asia — both Jews and Greeks — heard the word of the Lord.
This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles.
Miracles at Ephesus
God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul,
When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled.
so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out.
A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!”
But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.”
Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this.
Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.
But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?”
And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”
Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered.
And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
The 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.
This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified.
Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices.
Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices.
And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.
So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect.
So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing.
Now after these things were finished, Paul purposed in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”
He sent his two assistants, Timothy and Erastus, ahead to Macedonia while he stayed awhile longer in the province of Asia.
And having sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.
The Riot in Ephesus
About that time, serious trouble developed in Ephesus concerning the Way.
About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way.
For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing no little business to the craftsmen;
He called them together, along with others employed in similar trades, and addressed them as follows:
“Gentlemen, you know that our wealth comes from this business.
“Gentlemen, you know that our wealth comes from this business.
these he gathered together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity depends upon this business.
But as you have seen and heard, this man Paul has persuaded many people that handmade gods aren’t really gods at all. And he’s done this not only here in Ephesus but throughout the entire province!
“You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are no gods at all.
Of 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 great prestige!”
“Not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis be regarded as worthless and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence.”
At this their anger boiled, and they began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began crying out, saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
Soon the whole city was filled with confusion. Everyone rushed to the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, who were Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia.
The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia.
Paul wanted to go in, too, but the believers wouldn’t let him.
And when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, the disciples would not let him.
Some 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.
Also some of the Asiarchs who were friends of his sent to him and repeatedly urged him not to venture into the theater.
Inside, 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.
So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the assembly was in confusion and the majority did not know for what reason they had come together.
The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander forward and told him to explain the situation. He motioned for silence and tried to speak.
Some of the crowd concluded it was Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward; and having motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to the assembly.
But when the crowd realized he was a Jew, they started shouting again and kept it up for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single outcry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
At 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.
After quieting the crowd, the town clerk said, “Men of Ephesus, what man is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the image which fell down from heaven?
Since this is an undeniable fact, you should stay calm and not do anything rash.
“So, since these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash.
You have brought these men here, but they have stolen nothing from the temple and have not spoken against our goddess.
“For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess.
“If Demetrius and the craftsmen have a case against them, the courts are in session and the officials can hear the case at once. Let them make formal charges.
“So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against any man, the courts are in session and proconsuls are available; let them bring charges against one another.
And if there are complaints about other matters, they can be settled in a legal assembly.
“But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the lawful assembly.
I 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.”
“For indeed we are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today’s events, since there is no real cause for it, and in this connection we will be unable to account for this disorderly gathering.”