Chapter 19

Paul at Ephesus

1 It happened that while aApollos was at bCorinth, Paul passed through the cupper country and came to dEphesus, and found some disciples.

2 He said to them, “aDid you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, bwe have not even heard whether 1there is a Holy Spirit.”

3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “aInto John’s baptism.”

4 Paul said, “aJohn baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people bto believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”

5 When they heard this, they were abaptized 1in the name of the Lord Jesus.

6 And when Paul had alaid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began bspeaking with tongues and cprophesying.

7 There were in all about twelve men.

8 And he entered athe synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them babout the kingdom of God.

9 But when asome were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of bthe Way before the 1people, he withdrew from them and took away cthe disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.

10 This took place for atwo years, so that all who lived in 1bAsia heard cthe word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

Miracles at Ephesus

11 God was performing aextraordinary 1miracles by the hands of Paul,

12 aso that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and bthe evil spirits went out.

13 But also some of the Jewish aexorcists, 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.”

14 Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.

15 And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”

16 And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

17 This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in aEphesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified.

18 Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices.

19 And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they counted up the price of them and found it 1fifty thousand apieces of silver.

20 So 1athe word of the Lord bwas growing mightily and prevailing.

21 Now after these things were finished, Paul purposed in the 1Spirit to ago to Jerusalem bafter he had passed through cMacedonia and dAchaia, saying, “After I have been there, eI must also see Rome.”

22 And having sent into aMacedonia two of bthose who ministered to him, cTimothy and dErastus, he himself stayed in 1eAsia for a while.

23 About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning athe Way.

24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of 1Artemis, awas bringing no little 2business to the craftsmen;

25 these he gathered together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity 1depends upon this business.

26 “You see and hear that not only in aEphesus, but in almost all of 1bAsia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that 2cgods made with hands are no gods at all.

27 “Not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess 1Artemis be regarded as worthless and that she whom all of 2aAsia and bthe 3world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence.”

28 When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began crying out, saying, “Great is 1Artemis of the aEphesians!”

29 The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed 1with one accord into the theater, dragging along aGaius and bAristarchus, Paul’s traveling ccompanions from dMacedonia.

30 And when Paul wanted to go into the 1assembly, athe disciples would not let him.

31 Also some of the 1Asiarchs who were friends of his sent to him and repeatedly urged him not to 2venture into the theater.

32 aSo then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the 1assembly was in confusion and the majority did not know 2for what reason they had come together.

33 Some of the crowd 1concluded it was Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward; and having amotioned with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to the 2assembly.

34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single outcry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours, “Great is 1Artemis of the Ephesians!”

35 After quieting the crowd, the town clerk * said, “Men of aEphesus, what man is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great 1Artemis and of the image which fell down from 2heaven?

36 “So, since these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash.

37 “For you have brought these men here who are neither arobbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess.

38 “So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against any man, the courts are in session and 1aproconsuls are available; let them bring charges against one another.

39 “But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the 1lawful 2assembly.

40 “For indeed we are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today’s events, since there is no real cause for it, and in this connection we will be unable to account for this disorderly gathering.”

41 After saying this he dismissed the 1assembly.

Chapter 20

Paul in Macedonia and Greece

1 After the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for athe disciples, and when he had exhorted them and taken his leave of them, he left bto go to cMacedonia.

2 When he had gone through those districts and had given them much exhortation, he came to Greece.

3 And there he spent three months, and when aa plot was formed against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for bSyria, he decided to return through cMacedonia.

4 And 1he was accompanied by Sopater of aBerea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by bAristarchus and Secundus of the cThessalonians, and bGaius of dDerbe, and eTimothy, and fTychicus and gTrophimus of 2hAsia.

5 But these had gone on ahead and were waiting for aus at bTroas.

6 aWe sailed from bPhilippi after cthe days of Unleavened Bread, and came to them at dTroas within five days; and there we stayed seven days.

7 On athe first day of the week, when bwe were gathered together to cbreak bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his 1message until midnight.

8 There were many alamps in the bupper room where we were gathered together.

9 And there was a young man named 1Eutychus sitting 2on the window sill, sinking into a deep sleep; and as Paul kept on talking, he was overcome by sleep and fell down from the third floor and was picked up dead.

10 But Paul went down and afell upon him, and after embracing him, he bsaid, “1Do not be troubled, for his life is in him.”

11 When he had gone back up and had abroken the bread and 1eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left.

12 They took away the boy alive, and were 1greatly comforted.

Troas to Miletus

13 But awe, going ahead to the ship, set sail for Assos, intending from there to take Paul on board; for so he had arranged it, intending himself to go 1by land.

14 And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene.

15 Sailing from there, we arrived the following day opposite Chios; and the next day we crossed over to Samos; and the day following we came to aMiletus.

16 For Paul had decided to sail past aEphesus so that he would not have to spend time in 1bAsia; for he was hurrying cto be in Jerusalem, if possible, don the day of Pentecost.

Farewell to Ephesus

17 From Miletus he sent to aEphesus and called to him bthe elders of the church.

18 And when they had come to him, he said to them,

“You yourselves know, afrom the first day that I set foot in 1Asia, how I was with you the whole time,

19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me 1through athe plots of the Jews;

20 how I adid not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and 1from house to house,

21 solemnly atestifying to both Jews and Greeks of brepentance toward God and cfaith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

22 “And now, behold, bound by the 1Spirit, aI am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there,

23 except that athe Holy Spirit solemnly btestifies to me in every city, saying that cbonds and afflictions await me.

24 “But aI do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may bfinish my course and cthe ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to dtestify solemnly of the gospel of ethe grace of God.

25 “And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about apreaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face.

26 “Therefore, I 1testify to you this day that aI am 2innocent of the blood of all men.

27 “For I adid not shrink from declaring to you the whole bpurpose of God.

28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all athe flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you 1overseers, to shepherd bthe church of God which cHe 2purchased 3with His own blood.

29 “I know that after my departure asavage wolves will come in among you, not sparing bthe flock;

30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away athe disciples after them.

31 “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of athree years I did not cease to admonish each one bwith tears.

32 “And now I acommend you to God and to bthe word of His grace, which is able to cbuild you up and to give you dthe inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

33 “aI have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes.

34 “You yourselves know that athese hands ministered to my own needs and to the bmen who were with me.

35 “In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

36 When he had said these things, he aknelt down and prayed with them all.

37 And 1they began to weep aloud and 2aembraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him,

38 1grieving especially over athe word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were baccompanying him to the ship.

Chapter 21

Paul Sails from Miletus

1 When awe had parted from them and had set sail, we ran ba straight course to Cos and the next day to Rhodes and from there to Patara;

2 and having found a ship crossing over to aPhoenicia, we went aboard and set sail.

3 When we came in sight of aCyprus, leaving it on the left, we kept sailing to bSyria and landed at cTyre; for there the ship was to unload its cargo.

4 After looking up athe disciples, we stayed there seven days; and they kept telling Paul 1bthrough the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem.

5 When 1our days there were ended, we left and started on our journey, while they all, with wives and children, aescorted us until we were out of the city. After bkneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another.

6 Then we went on board the ship, and they returned ahome again.

7 When we had finished the voyage from aTyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and after greeting bthe brethren, we stayed with them for a day.

8 On the next day we left and came to aCaesarea, and entering the house of bPhilip the cevangelist, who was bone of the seven, we stayed with him.

9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who were aprophetesses.

10 As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named aAgabus came down from Judea.

11 And coming to us, he atook Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This bis what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will cbind the man who owns this belt and ddeliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ”

12 When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him anot to go up to Jerusalem.

13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For aI am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for bthe name of the Lord Jesus.”

14 And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, “aThe will of the Lord be done!”

Paul at Jerusalem

15 After these days we got ready and astarted on our way up to Jerusalem.

16 Some of athe disciples from bCaesarea also came with us, taking us to Mnason of cCyprus, a ddisciple of long standing with whom we were to lodge.

17 After we arrived in Jerusalem, athe brethren received us gladly.

18 And the following day Paul went in with us to 1aJames, and all bthe elders were present.

19 After he had greeted them, he abegan to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his bministry.

20 And when they heard it they began aglorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many 1thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all bzealous for the Law;

21 and they have been told about you, that you are ateaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them bnot to circumcise their children nor to 1walk according to cthe customs.

22 “What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come.

23 “Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who 1aare under a vow;

24 take them and apurify yourself along with them, and 1pay their expenses so that they may bshave their 2heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law.

25 “But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote, ahaving decided that they should abstain from 1meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication.”

26 Then Paul 1took the men, and the next day, apurifying himself along with them, bwent into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.

Paul Seized in the Temple

27 When athe seven days were almost over, bthe Jews from 1cAsia, upon seeing him in the temple, began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him,

28 crying out, “Men of Israel, come to our aid! aThis is the man who preaches to all men everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has bdefiled this holy place.”

29 For they had previously seen aTrophimus the bEphesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.

30 Then all the city was provoked, and 1the people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul they adragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut.

31 While they were seeking to kill him, a report came up to the 1commander of the aRoman 2cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion.

32 At once he atook along some soldiers and centurions and ran down to them; and when they saw the 1commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

33 Then the 1commander came up and took hold of him, and ordered him to be abound with btwo chains; and he began asking who he was and what he had done.

34 But among the crowd asome were shouting one thing and some another, and when he could not find out the 1facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into bthe barracks.

35 When he got to athe stairs, he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the 1mob;

36 for the multitude of the people kept following them, shouting, “aAway with him!”

37 As Paul was about to be brought into athe barracks, he said to the 1commander, “May I say something to you?” And he * said, “Do you know Greek?

38 “Then you are not athe Egyptian who some 1time ago stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out binto the wilderness?”

39 But Paul said, “aI am a Jew of Tarsus in bCilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.”

40 When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on athe stairs, bmotioned to the people with his hand; and when there 1was a great hush, he spoke to them in the 2cHebrew dialect, saying,