After this Paul stayed many days longer, and then took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and with him were Priscilla and Aquila. In Cenchrea he had his hair cut, for he had taken a vow. They came to Ephesus, and he left them there. Now he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. read more. When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he declined; but on taking leave of them he said, "I will return to you if God wills," and he set sail from Ephesus. When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. After spending some time there, he departed and went from place to place through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, well versed in the scriptures.

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." read more. And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They said, "Into John's baptism." Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all. And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, arguing and persuading about the kingdom of God. But when some were stubborn and disbelieved, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them, and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. This took place for two years, so that all who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and diseases left them and the evil spirits went out. But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, "I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches." Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered all of them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified. Many also of those who believed now came, confessing and disclosing their practices. And a number of those who practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all; and they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

When they heard this, they were enraged and began crying out, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia. read more. Paul wanted to go in among the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. Some of the Asiarchs also, who were friends of his, sent to him and begged him not to venture into the theater. Now some were shouting one thing, some another; for the assembly was in confusion, and most of the people did not know why they had come together. Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward. And Alexander motioned with his hand, wishing to make a defense to the people. But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all with one voice shouted, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, "Men of Ephesus, what man is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the image which fell down from heaven?

From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church.

For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.

If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,

and raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

Now this I affirm and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds,

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines,

You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes.

But Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus.

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 'These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands: I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance. I know that you cannot bear evil men, but you have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and have found them to be false; read more. I know you have persevered and have endured for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember then from where you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.'