And it came to pass, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having gone through the upper parts, came [down] unto Ephesus, and finding certain disciples
said unto them, Received ye [the] Holy Spirit since ye believed? And they [said] unto him, Not even if [the] Holy Spirit was did we hear.
And he said, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.
And Paul said, John baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on him that was coming after him, that is, on Jesus.
And when they heard this, they were baptized unto the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them; and they spake with tongues and prophesied;
and they were in all about twelve men.
And entering into the synagogue he spoke boldly for three months, discoursing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.
But when some were hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, discoursing daily in the school of Tyrannus.
And this was done for two years, so that all those that dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
And God wrought uncommon powers by the hands of Paul,
so that even upon the sick were brought from his body handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases left them, and the evil spirits went out.
And certain ones of the Jewish exorcists that went about took in hand to call upon those that had wicked spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
And there were seven sons of Sceva, a certain Jewish chief-priest, doing this.
But the wicked spirit answering said to them, Jesus I know, and Paul I am acquainted with; but who are ye?
And the man in whom the wicked spirit was, leaping upon them and mastering them both, prevailed against them, so that they fled out from that house naked and wounded.
And this became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, that inhabited Ephesus. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
Many too of those that had believed came confessing and declaring their deeds.
And not a few of those that practiced curious arts brought their books and burnt [them] before all. And they summed up the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.
So with might the word of the Lord increased and prevailed.
Now after these things were fulfilled, Paul purposed in his spirit, passing through Macedonia and Achaia, to proceed unto Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there I must see Rome also.
And having sent into Macedonia two of those that ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for awhile.
And about that time arose no small disturbance about the way.
For a certain [man] by name Demetrius, a silver-beater, making silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the artisans,
whom he gathered together with the workmen of like nature, and said, Men, ye are aware that we have our prosperity from this business.
And ye behold and hear that this Paul hath persuaded and turned away a considerable crowd, not only of Ephesus, but of almost all Asia, saying that they are no gods that are made by hands.
Now, not only is there danger for us that this trade come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis be counted for nothing, and that even she should be deposed from her magnificence, whom all Asia and the world revereth.
And when they heard they were filled with wrath and kept crying out, saying, Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.
And the city was filled with confusion; and they rushed with one accord into the theatre,
having seized together Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul’s fellow-travelers.
And when Paul was minded to enter unto the people, the disciples suffered him not. And some of the Asiarchs also, being his friends, sent unto him and urged him not to adventure himself into the theatre.
Different ones therefore kept crying somewhat different things; for the assembly was in confusion, and the mass knew not wherefore they were come together.
And from the crowd they instructed Alexander, the Jews putting him forward; and Alexander waving his hand wished to make defence to the people.
But when they came to know he was a Jew, one shout arose from all, crying for about two hours, Great [is] Artemis of [the] Ephesians.
And the town clerk after stilling the crowd, says, Ephesians, which of men is he who knoweth not that the city of [the] Ephesians is temple-keeper of the great Artemis, and of what fell from the sky?
Since then these things cannot be gainsaid, you must be quiet and do nothing rash.
For ye have brought these men, neither temple-robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess.
If then Demetrius and the artisans with him have a matter against anyone, court days are going on, and there are pro-consuls: let them accuse each other;
but if you make any inquiry about other things, it will be settled in the lawful assembly.
For indeed we are in danger of being accused of riot today, there being no cause concerning which we shall be able to render an account of this concourse.
And having said thus he dismissed the assembly.