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Acts 19

1While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the inland regions and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples 2and said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They said to him, “We have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” 3He said, “Into what, then, were you baptized?” They said, “Into John's baptism.” 4Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6When Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7There were about twelve men in all.

8He entered the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading about the kingdom of God. 9But when some became hardened and refused to believe, speaking evil of the Way before the crowd, he withdrew from them and separated the disciples, reasoning daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10This continued for two years, so that all those living in Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord. 11God performed extraordinary deeds of power through Paul's hands, 12so that even cloths or aprons from his skin were carried to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits went out.

13Some of the traveling Jewish exorcists also tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I put you under oath by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14Seven sons of a certain Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16The man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, mastered them both, and overpowered them, so that they fled from that house naked and wounded. 17This became known to all the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus. Fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 18Many of those who had believed came, confessing and disclosing their deeds. 19A considerable number who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in front of everyone. They added up their value and found it to be fifty thousand silver pieces. 20In this way the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

21After these things were fulfilled, Paul resolved in spirit to go through Macedonia and Achaia and travel to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” 22He sent two of those serving him, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he himself stayed for a time in Asia.

23At that time no small disturbance arose concerning the Way. 24A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, provided no little business for the craftsmen. 25He gathered them together with the workers in related trades and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity comes from this business. 26You see and hear that this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable crowd, not only in Ephesus but in almost all Asia, saying that things made by hands are not gods. 27There is danger not only that this trade of ours will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will count for nothing, and that she will be stripped of her majesty—she whom all Asia and the inhabited world worship.”

28When they heard this, they were filled with fury and shouted, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29The city was filled with confusion. They rushed together into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who traveled with Paul. 30Paul wanted to go in among the people, but the disciples would not let him. 31Even some of the Asiarchs, who were his friends, sent to him and urged him not to venture into the theater. 32Some were shouting one thing, some another, for the assembly was confused, and most did not know why they had come together. 33Some in the crowd instructed Alexander, whom the Jews had pushed forward. Alexander motioned with his hand and wanted to make a defense before the people. 34But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single shout arose from all of them, crying out for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

35After quieting the crowd, the city clerk said, “Men of Ephesus, who among people does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple-keeper of the great Artemis and of what fell from heaven? 36Since these things cannot be disputed, you must keep calm and do nothing rash. 37For you have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38If Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, court days are held and proconsuls are available; let them bring charges against one another. 39If you seek anything further, it will be settled in the lawful assembly. 40For we are in danger of being charged with rioting over today's events, since there is no cause for which we will be able to give an account of this gathering.” After saying these things, he dismissed the assembly.

Translation notes 6

19:1–6 — John's baptism and the Spirit. “When you believed” is an interpretation of the participle; it does not itself fix a universal timetable. Their response may concern the Spirit's being given rather than ignorance of the Spirit's existence. That fuller interpretation is not inserted into their words. Compare John's announcement in Luke 3:16. The source distinguishes “into” the name here from other baptism expressions.

19:9–12 — The Way and deeds of power. “The Way” names the movement associated with Jesus. Asia is the Roman province, not the whole modern continent. Cloths and aprons had been in contact with Paul's skin; the text attributes the extraordinary deeds to God.

19:13–16 — Seven and both. The Greek has the singular “I” in the quoted invocation and “both” in verse 16, despite naming seven sons in verse 14. These details are retained. “Both” may here have a broader plural use, or the incident may concern two of the seven; the text does not explain it. “Chief priest” is Sceva's stated designation, without identifying him as Jerusalem's serving high priest.

19:19–21 — Books and spirit. The silver sum is left in ancient units. “Resolved in spirit” may refer to Paul's own resolve or the Spirit's direction; the unqualified expression is preserved.

19:24–40 — Civic language. Asiarchs were leading provincial officials. Here “assembly” refers to a public gathering, not a Christian congregation. The repeated Artemis acclamation remains the crowd's speech. The object said to have fallen from heaven is not identified more specifically in the Greek. “Instructed Alexander” is difficult; another construal is that the crowd inferred something about Alexander.

19:40 — Verse numbering. The final dismissal is conventionally numbered 19:41 in many Bibles. The pinned SBLGNT source includes it under 19:40; all of its words are translated here.