Paul in Ephesus
1While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when19:2 Or after you believed?”
They answered, “No, we have not 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’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues19:6 Or other languages and prophesied. 7There were about twelve men in all.
8Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.
11God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
13Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
17When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.19:19 A drachma was a silver coin worth about a day’s wages. 20In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.
21After all this had happened, Paul decided19:21 Or decided in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.” 22He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer.
The Riot in Ephesus
23About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. 25He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. 26And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. 27There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”
28When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together. 30Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.
32The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
35The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. 37You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. 38If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. 39If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” 41After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
保羅在以弗所傳道
1當亞波羅在哥林多時，保羅已取道內陸重回以弗所，在那裡遇見幾個門徒。 2保羅問他們：「你們信的時候有沒有領受聖靈？」
他們說：「沒有！我們甚至都沒有聽過有聖靈。」
3保羅說：「那麼，你們受的是什麼洗禮呢？」
他們說：「是約翰的洗禮。」
4保羅說：「約翰的洗禮是悔改的洗禮，他告訴百姓要信在他以後來的那一位，就是耶穌。」
5他們聽後，立刻奉主耶穌的名受了洗。 6保羅把手按在他們身上時，聖靈便降在他們身上，他們就說方言，講預言。 7他們約有十二個人。
8保羅一連三個月勇敢地在會堂裡傳道，與人辯論上帝國的事，勸導他們。 9可是有些人仍然硬著心不信，還當眾毀謗主的道。保羅便帶著門徒離開他們，天天在推喇奴的學堂講論。 10這樣持續了兩年，亞細亞所有的居民，無論是猶太人還是希臘人，都聽見了主的道。 11上帝又藉著保羅的手行了一些非凡的神蹟， 12甚至只要將保羅身上的手帕或圍裙放在病人身上，病人就痊癒了，邪靈也會離開所附的人。
13那時，有幾個走江湖的猶太術士也想用耶穌的名趕鬼，他們向那些被邪靈附身的人說：「我奉保羅所傳講的耶穌之名，命令你們出來！」 14做這事的有猶太祭司長士基瓦的七個兒子。
15邪靈回答說：「耶穌，我認識；保羅，我也知道。但你們是誰？」 16被邪靈附身的人隨即撲向他們，攻擊他們，制伏了他們，使他們赤著身子帶著傷從屋裡逃走了。
17住在以弗所的猶太人和希臘人知道了這件事，都驚懼不已。主耶穌的名因此大受尊崇。 18許多已經信耶穌的人都前來認罪，公開承認自己的惡行。 19又有許多行邪術的人把他們的書堆在一起，當眾焚燒。根據當時的估價，這些書約值五萬銀幣。 20主的道就這樣傳開了，大大興旺起來。
21這些事以後，保羅決定經過馬其頓和亞該亞回到耶路撒冷。他說：「到了那裡之後，我必須去羅馬看看。」 22於是，他派提摩太和以拉都兩位同工先去馬其頓，自己暫時留在亞細亞。
以弗所的騷亂
23就在這時，由於主的道，以弗所起了很大的騷亂。 24一個名叫底米丟的銀匠以製造亞底米女神銀龕為業，使從事這門生意的工匠獲利豐厚。 25他召集了工匠和同行的人，說：「各位都知道我們靠這一行發財， 26可是你們都耳聞目睹了那個保羅在以弗所和亞細亞全境說服、誤導了許多人，說什麼人手所造的不是神。 27這樣下去，不但我們的行業會遭人貶抑，連亞底米女神廟也會被人輕看，甚至全亞細亞及普世尊崇的女神也會威嚴掃地！」
28眾人聽後，怒氣填胸，高聲喊叫：「以弗所人的亞底米真偉大！」 29全城陷入一片混亂。眾人抓住保羅的兩個同伴馬其頓人該猶和亞里達古，拖著他們衝進戲院。 30保羅想進去，但門徒不許他去。 31他的好友——亞細亞的幾位官員也派人勸他別冒險進入戲院。
32這時，戲院裡面有人這樣喊，有人那樣喊，混亂不堪。其實大部分人根本不知道自己為什麼聚在那裡。 33這時，人群中的猶太人把亞歷山大推到前面，請他解釋。亞歷山大舉手示意大家安靜，聽他發言。 34但眾人認出他是個猶太人，便又開始一起高呼：「以弗所人的亞底米真偉大！」這樣喊了大約兩個小時。
35最後，城裡的書記官使民眾安靜下來，說：「各位以弗所市民，誰不知道以弗所城守護著亞底米神廟和從宙斯那裡掉下來的神像呢？ 36既然這是無可否認的事實，你們就該安靜，不可魯莽行事。 37你們帶來的這些人既沒有偷廟裡的東西，也沒有褻瀆我們的女神。 38底米丟和他的同行如果要控告誰，大可到法庭或總督那裡提出訴訟。 39你們若還有其他要求，也可以通過合法的會議解決。 40今天的騷亂實在沒有道理，難免會被查問，到時候我們很難交代。」 41說完，便叫眾人散去。
