保罗在以弗所传道
1当亚波罗在哥林多时，保罗已取道内陆重回以弗所，在那里遇见几个门徒。 2保罗问他们：“你们信的时候有没有领受圣灵？”
他们说：“没有！我们从来没有听过圣灵的事。”
3保罗说：“那么，你们受的是什么洗礼呢？”
他们说：“是约翰的洗礼。”
4保罗说：“约翰的洗礼是悔改的洗礼，约翰告诉百姓要信在他以后来的那位——耶稣。”
5他们听后，立刻奉主耶稣的名受了洗。 6保罗把手按在他们身上时，圣灵便降在他们身上，他们就说方言，讲上帝的信息。 7这次共有十二个人。
8保罗一连三个月勇敢地在会堂里传道，与人辩论上帝国的事，劝导他们。 9可是有些人仍然顽固不信，还当众毁谤上帝的道。保罗便带着门徒离开他们，天天在推喇奴的学堂辩论。 10这样持续了两年，亚细亚全境的居民，无论是犹太人还是希腊人，都听见了主的道。 11上帝又借着保罗的手行了一些非凡的神迹， 12甚至只要将保罗身上的手帕或围裙放在病人身上，病人就痊愈了，邪灵也会离开所附的人。
13那时，有几个走江湖的犹太术士也想用耶稣的名赶鬼，他们向那些被邪灵附身的人说：“我奉保罗所传讲的耶稣之名，命令你们出来！” 14做这事的有犹太祭司长士基瓦的七个儿子。
15邪灵回答说：“耶稣，我认识；保罗，我也知道。但你们是谁？” 16被邪灵附身的人随即扑向他们，攻击他们，制服了他们，使他们赤着身子带着伤从屋里逃走了。
17全以弗所的犹太人和希腊人知道了这件事，都惊惧不已。主耶稣的名因此大受尊崇。 18许多已经信耶稣的人都前来认罪，公开承认自己的恶行。 19又有许多行邪术的人把他们的书堆在一起，当众焚烧。根据当时的估价，这些书约值五万银币。 20主的道就这样传开了，大大兴旺起来。
21这些事以后，保罗决定经过马其顿和亚该亚回到耶路撒冷。他说：“到了那里之后，我必须去罗马看看。” 22于是，他派提摩太和以拉都两位同工先去马其顿，自己暂时留在亚细亚。
以弗所的骚乱
23就在这时，由于主的道，以弗所又起了很大的骚乱。 24一个名叫底米丢的银匠以制造亚底米女神银龛为业，使从事这门生意的工匠获利丰厚。 25他召集了工匠和同行的人，说：“各位都知道我们靠这一行发财， 26可是你们都看到了，也听见了，那个保罗在以弗所和亚细亚全境说服、误导了许多人，说什么人手所造的不是神。 27这样下去，不但我们的行业会遭人贬抑，连亚底米女神庙也会被人轻看，甚至全亚细亚及普世尊崇的女神也会威严扫地！”
28众人听后，怒气填胸，高声喊叫：“以弗所人的亚底米女神真伟大！” 29全城陷入一片混乱。众人抓住保罗的两个同伴——马其顿人该犹和亚里达古，拖着他们冲进戏院。 30保罗想进去，但门徒不许他去。 31他的好友——亚细亚的几位官员也派人劝他别冒险进入戏院。
32这时，戏院里面的人都在大喊大叫，混乱不堪。其实大部分人根本不知道自己为什么聚在那里。 33这时，人群中的犹太人把亚历山大推到前面，请他解释。亚历山大举手示意大家安静，听他发言。 34但众人认出他是个犹太人，便又开始一起高呼：“以弗所人的亚底米女神真伟大！”这样喊了两个小时。
35最后，城里的书记官出面调停，说：“各位以弗所市民，谁不知道以弗所城守护着亚底米女神庙和从宙斯那里掉下来的神像呢？ 36既然这是无可否认的事实，你们就该安静，不可鲁莽行事。 37你们带来的这些人既没有偷庙里的东西，也没有亵渎我们的女神。 38如果底米丢和他的同行要控告谁，大可到法庭或总督那里提出诉讼。 39倘若你们还有其他的要求，也可以通过合法的会议解决。 40今天的骚乱实在没有道理，难免会被查问，到时候我们很难交代。” 41说完，便叫众人散去。
Paul Goes to Ephesus
1While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road to Ephesus. When he arrived, he found some believers there. 2He asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?”
“No,” they answered. “We haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
3So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”
“John’s baptism,” they replied.
4Paul said, “John baptized people, calling them to turn away from their sins. He told them to believe in the one who was coming after him. Jesus is that one.” 5After hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6Paul placed his hands on them. Then the Holy Spirit came on them. They spoke in languages they had not known before. They also prophesied. 7There were about 12 men in all.
8Paul entered the synagogue. There he spoke boldly for three months. He gave good reasons for believing the truth about God’s kingdom. 9But some of them wouldn’t listen. They refused to believe. In public they said evil things about the Way of Jesus. So Paul left them. He took the believers with him. Each day he talked with people in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10This went on for two years. So all the Jews and Greeks who lived in Asia Minor heard the word of the Lord.
11God did amazing miracles through Paul. 12Even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to those who were sick. When this happened, their sicknesses were healed and evil spirits left them.
13Some Jews went around driving out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus to set free those who were controlled by demons. They said, “In Jesus’ name I command you to come out. He is the Jesus that Paul is preaching about.” 14Seven sons of Sceva were doing this. Sceva was a Jewish chief priest. 15One day the evil spirit answered them, “I know Jesus. And I know about Paul. But who are you?” 16Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on Sceva’s sons. He overpowered them all. He gave them a terrible beating. They ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
17The Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus heard about this. They were all overcome with fear. They held the name of the Lord Jesus in high honor. 18Many who believed now came and openly admitted what they had done. 19A number of those who had practiced evil magic brought their scrolls together. They set them on fire out in the open. They added up the value of the scrolls. The scrolls were worth more than someone could earn in two lifetimes. 20The word of the Lord spread everywhere. It became more and more powerful.
21After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem. He went through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been to Jerusalem,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.” 22He sent Timothy and Erastus, two of his helpers, to Macedonia. But he stayed a little longer in Asia Minor.
Trouble in Ephesus
23At that time many people became very upset about the Way of Jesus. 24There was a man named Demetrius who made things out of silver. He made silver models of the temple of the goddess Artemis. He brought in a lot of business for the other skilled workers there. 25One day he called them together. He also called others who were in the same kind of business. “My friends,” he said, “you know that we make good money from our work. 26You have seen and heard what this fellow Paul is doing. He has talked to large numbers of people here in Ephesus. Almost everywhere in Asia Minor he has led people away from our gods. He says that the gods made by human hands are not gods at all. 27Our work is in danger of losing its good name. People’s faith in the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be weakened. Now she is worshiped all over Asia Minor and the whole world. But soon she will be robbed of her greatness.”
28When they heard this, they became very angry. They began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29Soon people were making trouble in the whole city. They all rushed into the theater. They dragged Gaius and Aristarchus along with them. These two men had come with Paul from Macedonia. 30Paul wanted to appear in front of the crowd. But the believers wouldn’t let him. 31Some of the officials in Asia Minor were friends of Paul. They sent him a message, begging him not to go into the theater.
32The crowd didn’t know what was going on. Some were shouting one thing and some another. Most of the people didn’t even know why they were there. 33The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front. They tried to tell him what to say. But he motioned for them to be quiet. He was about to give the people reasons for his actions. 34But then they realized that he was a Jew. So they all shouted the same thing for about two hours. “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” they yelled.
35The city clerk quieted the crowd down. “People of Ephesus!” he said. “The city of Ephesus guards the temple of the great Artemis. The whole world knows this. They know that Ephesus guards her statue, which fell from heaven. 36These facts can’t be questioned. So calm down. Don’t do anything foolish. 37These men haven’t robbed any temples. They haven’t said evil things against our female god. But you have brought them here anyhow. 38Demetrius and the other skilled workers may feel they have been wronged by someone. Let them bring charges. The courts are open. We have our governors. 39Is there anything else you want to bring up? Settle it in a court of law. 40As it is, we are in danger of being charged with a crime. We could be charged with causing all this trouble today. There is no reason for it. So we wouldn’t be able to explain what has happened.” 41After he said this, he sent the people away.
