| Chapter 19
|
| 1 | And it came
to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the
upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, |
| 2 | He said unto them, Have ye received the
Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as
heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. |
| 3 | And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized?
And they said, Unto John's baptism. |
|
4 | Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of
repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which
should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. |
|
5 | When they heard this, they were baptized in the name
of the Lord Jesus. |
| 6 | And
when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they
spake with tongues, and prophesied. |
|
7 | And all the men were about twelve. |
|
8 | And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for
the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the
kingdom of God. |
| 9 | But
when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before
the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing
daily in the school of one Tyrannus. |
|
10 | And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they
which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. |
| 11 | And God wrought special
miracles by the hands of Paul: |
| 12
| So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or
aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of
them. |
| 13 | Then certain of
the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil
spirits the name of the LORD Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul
preacheth. |
| 14 | And there
were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did
so. |
| 15 | And the evil
spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? |
| 16 | And the man in whom the
evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them,
so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. |
| 17 | And this was known to all the Jews and
Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the
Lord Jesus was magnified. |
| 18 |
And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. |
| 19 | Many of them also which
used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men:
and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of
silver. |
| 20 | So mightily
grew the word of God and prevailed. |
|
21 | After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when
he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I
have been there, I must also see Rome. |
| 22 | So he sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered
unto him, Timotheus and Erastus; but he himself stayed in Asia for a
season. |
| 23 | And the same
time there arose no small stir about that way. |
|
24 | For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith,
which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the
craftsmen; |
| 25 | Whom he
called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know
that by this craft we have our wealth. |
| 26 | Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus,
but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much
people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands: |
| 27 | So that not only this our craft is
in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess
Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all
Asia and the world worshippeth. |
|
28 | And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and
cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. |
|
29 | And the whole city was filled with confusion: and
having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul's companions in
travel, they rushed with one accord into the theatre. |
| 30 | And when Paul would have entered in
unto the people, the disciples suffered him not. |
|
31 | And certain of the chief of Asia, which were his
friends, sent unto him, desiring him that he would not adventure himself into
the theatre. |
| 32 | Some
therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused: and
the more part knew not wherefore they were come together. |
| 33 | And they drew Alexander out of the
multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand,
and would have made his defence unto the people. |
|
34 | But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one
voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the
Ephesians. |
| 35 | And when
the townclerk had appeased the people, he said, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is
there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of
the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter? |
| 36 | Seeing then that these
things cannot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing
rashly. |
| 37 | For ye have
brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet
blasphemers of your goddess. |
| 38
| Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are with him, have a
matter against any man, the law is open, and there are deputies: let them
implead one another. |
| 39 |
But if ye enquire any thing concerning other matters, it shall be determined in
a lawful assembly. |
| 40 |
For we are in danger to be called in question for this day's uproar, there
being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse. |
| 41 | And when he had thus spoken, he
dismissed the assembly. |
