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Apollos was in Corinth, Paul travelled through the interior regions and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
“No,” they said, “we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”
“John’s baptism,” they answered.
4 Paul said, “John baptised with a baptism of repentance, telling the people that they should believe in the One who would come after him, that is, in Jesus.”
5 When they heard this, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 Now there were about twelve men in all.
8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there over a period of three months, engaging in discussion and trying to persuade them about the Kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became hardened and did not believe, and they slandered the Way in front of the crowd. So Paul left them, taking the disciples with him, and he held discussions every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the inhabitants of the province of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord Jesus.
11 Now God performed extraordinary miracles through the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were taken to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists attempted to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I command you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches!” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit leapt on them and overpowered them. He gave them such a severe beating that they ran out of that house naked and wounded.
17 This became known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. Then fear fell on all of them, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 18 Many who had become believers came openly confessing their sinful deeds, 19 while many who had practised sorcery collected their books together and burned them in front of everyone. When they calculated the value of their books, it came to a total of fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord flourished and prevailed.
21 After all this had happened, Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaea and go on to Jerusalem. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must also visit Rome.” 22 So he sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus; to Macedonia, but he himself stayed in the province of Asia for a while.
23 About that time a major disturbance broke out about the Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the craftsmen. 25 He called them together, along with workers of related occupations, and said, “Men, you know that we gain our wealth from this business. 26 You also both see and hear how this fellow Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people in Ephesus and throughout the province of Asia. He claims that gods made by hand are not really gods! 27 So not only is there the danger that our trade will be discredited, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be despised and the goddess herself stripped of her majesty—she who is worshipped throughout the province of Asia and the world.”
28 When the workers heard this, they were filled with rage and began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar, and people all rushed together into the amphitheatre, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s travelling companions. 30 Though Paul wanted to go in before the people, the disciples would not allow him. 31 Even some of the officials of the province of Asia, who were Paul’s friends, sent word to him, pleading with him not to venture into the amphitheatre.
32 Meanwhile, the assembly was in confusion, with some people shouting one thing and some another, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 Then some in the crowd gave advice to Alexander, whom the Jews had pushed to the front. So Alexander motioned with his hand, and tried to make his defence before the people. 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all shouted together for about two hours, “Great is Artemus of Ephesians!”
35 When the city clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus! What man is there who doesn’t know that the city of the Ephesians is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis, and of the image that fell from heaven? 36 Since these facts are undeniable, you ought to be quiet and not do anything rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples or blasphemers of our goddess. 38 So if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a case against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. 39 But if you want anything further, it must be decided in a legal assembly. 40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting for what happened today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.” 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.