1 And when Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, passing through the higher portions of the country, came to Ephesus, and found certain disciples;
2 and he said to them, Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed? And they said to him, We have not heard that there is a Holy Spirit.
4 Paul said, John indeed baptized [administered] the baptism of a change of mind, telling the people to believe on him that was to come after him, that is, on Jesus.
5 And hearing this they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus:
6 and Paul putting his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.
7 And all the men were about twelve.
8 And going into the synagogue he spoke boldly, for three months, reasoning and persuading in favor of the kingdom of God.
9 But when some were hardened and believed not, speaking evil of the way before the multitude, he left them and separated the disciples from them, and reasoned day by day in the school of one Tyrannus.
10 And this was done for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
11 And God performed unusual miracles by the hands of Paul,
12 so that napkins and aprons were brought from him to the sick, and their diseases left them, and the evil spirits went out of them.
13 And some of the travelling Jewish exorcists undertook to call over those that had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.
14 And there were some seven sons of Sceva, a Jew, a chief priest, who did this.
15 But the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?
16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped upon them, and overcome them, and prevailed against them, so that they escaped from his house, naked and wounded.
17 And this was known both to all the Jews and Greeks who lived at Ephesus, and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified;
18 and many of those who believed came and confessed, and showed their practices.
19 And many of those who practised secret arts brought their books, and burnt them before all; and they computed the price of them, and found it to be fifty thousand [didrachmas] of silver [$8,333].
20 So the word of the Lord increased powerfully and prevailed.
21 And when these things were accomplished, Paul was disposed by the Spirit, passing through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there I must see Rome.
22 And sending two that served him into Macedonia, Timothy and Erastus, he continued a time in Asia.
23 And there was at that time no small tumult about the way [of the Lord].
24 For a certain Demetrius by name, a silversmith, who made silver temples of Diana, and afforded his artisans no small gain,
25 assembling them together and laborers of like employments, said, Men, you know that our prosperity is derived from this employment,
26 and you see and hear, that not only at Ephesus, but in almost all Asia, this Paul has led away a great multitude by persuasion, saying that things which are made by hands are not gods.
27 And not only this work of ours is in danger of coming into contempt, but even the temple of the great goddess Diana of being set at nought, and her majesty also which all Asia and the world worships, of being destroyed.
28 And hearing this they were full of wrath, and cried, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians!
29 And the whole city was full of confusion; and they rushed with one accord to the theatre, taking Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, fellow travellers of Paul.
30 And Paul wishing to go in to the people, the disciples did not permit him;
31 and some of the rulers of Asia also, who were friendly to him, sending to him, besought him not to expose himself in the theatre.
32 Some therefore cried one thing, and some another; for the assembly was confused, and the greater part knew not for what reason they had come together.
33 And they advanced Alexander from the multitude, the Jews putting him forward; and Alexander motioning with his hand, wished to defend himself before the people.
34 But knowing that he was a Jew, there was one voice from all, for about two hours, crying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
35 And the clerk having stilled the multitude, said, Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great Diana, and of the Jove descended [image]?
36 These things therefore being indisputable, it is best to be quiet, and do nothing rashly.
37 For you have brought these men here, who are neither temple-robbers nor blasphemers of your goddess.
38 If, therefore, Demetrius and the artisans with him have a charge against any, court days are held, and there are pro-consuls; let them accuse one another.
39 And if you desire any thing of other matters, let it be determined in a lawful assembly.
40 For we are in danger of being called to account for the tumult of to-day, there being no cause by which we can excuse this concourse.
41 And having said these words he dismissed the assembly.