So Paul, [after] remaining many days longer, said farewell to the brothers [and] sailed away to Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. He shaved [his] head at Cenchrea, because he had [taken] a vow. So they arrived at Ephesus, and those he left behind there, but he himself entered into the synagogue [and] discussed with the Jews. read more. And [when] they asked [him] to stay for a longer time, he did not give his consent, but saying farewell and telling [them], "I will return to you again [if] God wills," he set sail from Ephesus. And [when he] arrived at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, [and] went down to Antioch. And [after] spending some time [there], he departed, traveling through one [place] after another [in] the Galatian region and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. Now a certain Jew {named} Apollos, {a native} Alexandrian, arrived in Ephesus--an eloquent man who was well-versed in the scriptures.

And it happened that [while] Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the inland regions [and] came to Ephesus and found some disciples. And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit [when you] believed?" And they [said] to him, "But we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit!" read more. And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" And they said, "Into the baptism of John." And Paul said, "John baptized [with] a baptism of repentance, telling the people that they should believe in the one who was to come after him--that is, in Jesus." And [when they] heard [this], they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And [when] Paul laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them and they began to speak in tongues and to prophesy. (Now the total [number] [of] men was about twelve.) So he entered into the synagogue [and] was speaking boldly for three months, discussing and attempting to convince [them] concerning the kingdom of God. But when some became hardened and were disobedient, reviling the Way before the congregation, he departed from them [and] took away the disciples, leading discussions every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. And this took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. And God was performing {extraordinary} miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or work aprons {that had touched his skin} were carried away to those who were sick, and [their] diseases left them and the evil spirits came out [of them]. But some itinerant Jewish exorcists also attempted to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches!" (Now seven sons of a certain Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.) But the evil spirit answered [and] said to them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I am acquainted with, but who are you?" And the man {who had the evil spirit} leaped on them, subdued all of them, [and] prevailed against them, so that they ran away from that house naked and wounded. And this became known to all who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, and fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was exalted. And many of those who had believed came, confessing and disclosing their practices, and many of those who practiced magic brought together [their] books [and] burned [them] up in the sight of everyone. And they counted up their value and found [it was] {fifty thousand silver coins}. In this way the word of the Lord was growing in power and was prevailing.

And [when they] heard [this] and became full of rage, they began to shout, saying, "Great [is] Artemis of the Ephesians!" And the city was filled with the tumult, and with one purpose they rushed into the theater, seizing Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians [who were] traveling companions of Paul. read more. But [when] Paul wanted to enter into the popular assembly, the disciples would not let him. And even some of the Asiarchs who were his friends sent [word] to him [and] were urging [him] not to risk himself [by going] into the theater. So some were shouting [one thing] [and] some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and the majority did not know {why} they had assembled. And [some] of the crowd advised Alexander, [when] the Jews put him forward. But Alexander, motioning [with his] hand, was wanting to defend himself to the popular assembly. But [when they] recognized that he was a Jew, they were shouting with one voice from all [of them] for about two hours, "Great [is] Artemis of the Ephesians!" And [when] the city secretary had quieted the crowd, he said, "Ephesian men, for who is there among men who does not know the Ephesian city is honorary temple keeper of the great Artemis and of [her] image fallen from heaven?

And from Miletus he sent [word] to Ephesus [and] summoned the elders of the church.

(For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, whom they thought that Paul had brought into the temple.)

If according to a human perspective I fought wild beasts at Ephesus, what benefit [is it] to me? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.

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

Blessed [is] 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 has worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating [him] at his right hand in the heavenly [places],

and raised [us] together and seated [us] together in the heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus,

in order that the many-sided wisdom of God might be made known now to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly [places] through the church,

This therefore I say and testify in the Lord, [that] you no longer walk as the Gentiles walk: in the futility of their mind,

because our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenly [places].

Just as I urged you [when I] traveled to Macedonia, remain in Ephesus, so that you may instruct certain people not to teach other doctrine,

You know this, that all those in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes.

But I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus.

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: "This is what the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand says, the one who walks in the midst of the seven gold lampstands: 'I know your works, and your labor and patient endurance, and that you are not able to tolerate evil, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles and are not, and you found them [to be] false. read more. And you have patient endurance, and have endured [many things] because of my name, and have not become weary. But I have [this] against you: that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do {the works you did at first}. But if you do not, I am coming to you, and I will remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. But you do have this: that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, [things] which I also hate. The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will grant to him to eat from the tree of life which is in the paradise of God.'