Good News Translation GNT
World English Bible WEB
1 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior of the province and arrived in Ephesus. There he found some disciples
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It happened that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper country, came to Ephesus, and found certain disciples.
2 and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?" "We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit," they answered.
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He said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They said to him, "No, we haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
3 "Well, then, what kind of baptism did you receive?" Paul asked. "The baptism of John," they answered.
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He said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They said, "Into John's baptism."
4 Paul said, "The baptism of John was for those who turned from their sins; and he told the people of Israel to believe in the one who was coming after him - that is, in Jesus."
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Paul said, "John indeed baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, on Jesus."
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
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When they heard this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 Paul placed his hands on them, and the Holy Spirit came upon them; they spoke in strange tongues and also proclaimed God's message.
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When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke with other languages, and prophesied.
7 They were about twelve men in all.
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They were about twelve men in all.
8 Paul went into the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly with the people, holding discussions with them and trying to convince them about the Kingdom of God.
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He entered into the synagogue, and spoke boldly for a period of three months, reasoning and persuading about the things concerning the kingdom of God.
9 But some of them were stubborn and would not believe, and before the whole group they said evil things about the Way of the Lord. So Paul left them and took the believers with him, and every day he held discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
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But when some were hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.
10 This went on for two years, so that all the people who lived in the province of Asia, both Jews and Gentiles, heard the word of the Lord.
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This continued for the space of two years, so that all those who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
11 God was performing unusual miracles through Paul.
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God worked special miracles by the hands of Paul,
12 Even handkerchiefs and aprons he had used were taken to the sick, and their diseases were driven away, and the evil spirits would go out of them.
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so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and the evil spirits went out.
13 Some Jews who traveled around and drove out evil spirits also tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus to do this. They said to the evil spirits, "I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches."
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But some of the itinerant Jews, exorcists, took on themselves to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, "We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches."
14 Seven brothers, who were the sons of a Jewish High Priest named Sceva, were doing this.
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There were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did this.
15 But the evil spirit said to them, "I know Jesus, and I know about Paul; but you - who are you?"
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The evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?"
16 The man who had the evil spirit in him attacked them with such violence that he overpowered them all. They ran away from his house, wounded and with their clothes torn off.
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The man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
17 All the Jews and Gentiles who lived in Ephesus heard about this; they were all filled with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was given greater honor.
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This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived at Ephesus. Fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
18 Many of the believers came, publicly admitting and revealing what they had done.
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Many also of those who had believed came, confessing, and declaring their deeds.
19 Many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in public. They added up the price of the books, and the total came to fifty thousand silver coins.
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Many of those who practiced magical arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. They counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.
20 In this powerful way the word of the Lord kept spreading and growing stronger.
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So the word of the Lord was growing and becoming mighty.
21 After these things had happened, Paul made up his mind to travel through Macedonia and Achaia and go on to Jerusalem. "After I go there," he said, "I must also see Rome."
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Now after these things had ended, Paul determined in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome."
22 So he sent Timothy and Erastus, two of his helpers, to Macedonia, while he spent more time in the province of Asia.
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Having sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.
23 It was at this time that there was serious trouble in Ephesus because of the Way of the Lord.
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About that time there arose no small stir concerning the Way.
24 A certain silversmith named Demetrius made silver models of the temple of the goddess Artemis, and his business brought a great deal of profit to the workers.
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For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen,
25 So he called them all together with others whose work was like theirs and said to them, "Men, you know that our prosperity comes from this work.
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whom he gathered together, with the workmen of like occupation, and said, "Sirs, you know that by this business we have our wealth.
26 Now, you can see and hear for yourselves what this fellow Paul is doing. He says that hand-made gods are not gods at all, and he has succeeded in convincing many people, both here in Ephesus and in nearly the whole province of Asia.
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You see and hear, that not at Ephesus alone, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are no gods, that are made with hands.
27 There is the danger, then, that this business of ours will get a bad name. Not only that, but there is also the danger that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will come to mean nothing and that her greatness will be destroyed - the goddess worshiped by everyone in Asia and in all the world!"
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Not only is there danger that this our trade come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be counted as nothing, and her majesty destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worships."
28 As the crowd heard these words, they became furious and started shouting, "Great is Artemis of Ephesus!"
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When they heard this they were filled with anger, and cried out, saying, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
29 The uproar spread throughout the whole city. The mob grabbed Gaius and Aristarchus, two Macedonians who were traveling with Paul, and rushed with them to the theater.
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The whole city was filled with confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel.
30 Paul himself wanted to go before the crowd, but the believers would not let him.
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When Paul wanted to enter in to the people, the disciples didn't allow him.
31 Some of the provincial authorities, who were his friends, also sent him a message begging him not to show himself in the theater.
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Certain also of the Asiarchs, being his friends, sent to him and begged him not to venture into the theater.
32 Meanwhile the whole meeting was in an uproar: some people were shouting one thing, others were shouting something else, because most of them did not even know why they had come together.
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Some therefore cried one thing, and some another, for the assembly was in confusion. Most of them didn't know why they had come together.
33 Some of the people concluded that Alexander was responsible, since the Jews made him go up to the front. Then Alexander motioned with his hand for the people to be silent, and he tried to make a speech of defense.
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They brought Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. Alexander beckoned with his hand, and would have made a defense to the people.
34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all shouted together the same thing for two hours: "Great is Artemis of Ephesus!"
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But when they perceived that he was a Jew, all with one voice for a time of about two hours cried out, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
35 At last the city clerk was able to calm the crowd. "Fellow Ephesians!" he said. "Everyone knows that the city of Ephesus is the keeper of the temple of the great Artemis and of the sacred stone that fell down from heaven.
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When the town clerk had quieted the multitude, he said, "You men of Ephesus, what man is there who doesn't know that the city of the Ephesians is temple-keeper of the great goddess Artemis, and of the image which fell down from Zeus?
36 Nobody can deny these things. So then, you must calm down and not do anything reckless.
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Seeing then that these things can't be denied, you ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rash.
37 You have brought these men here even though they have not robbed temples or said evil things about our goddess.
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For you have brought these men here, who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess.
38 If Demetrius and his workers have an accusation against anyone, we have the authorities and the regular days for court; charges can be made there.
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If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him, have a matter against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them press charges against one another.
39 But if there is something more that you want, it will have to be settled in a legal meeting of citizens.
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But if you seek anything about other matters, it will be settled in the regular assembly.
40 For after what has happened today, there is the danger that we will be accused of a riot. There is no excuse for all this uproar, and we would not be able to give a good reason for it."
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For indeed we are in danger of being accused concerning this day's riot, there being no cause. Concerning it, we wouldn't be able to give an account of this commotion."
41 After saying this, he dismissed the meeting.
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When he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.
The World English Bible is in the public domain.