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Acts 19
Disciples’ Literal New Testament
Acts 19
Disciples’ Literal New Testament
Paul Arrives In Ephesus. He Baptizes Some Disciples of Apollos
19 And it came about during Apollos’s being in Corinth that Paul, having gone through the upper regions, came down to Ephesus and found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit, having believed?” And the ones said to him, “But we did not even hear if [a] the Holy Spirit is given”. 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And the ones said, “Into John’s baptism”. 4 And Paul said, “John baptized a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe in the One coming after him, that is, in Jesus”. 5 And having heard it, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And Paul having laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they were speaking in tongues and prophesying. 7 And all the men were [totaling] about twelve.
Paul Ministers In Ephesus For Over Two Years, Teaching And Doing Miracles
8 And having entered into the synagogue, he was speaking-boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading as to the things concerning the kingdom of God. 9 But when some were becoming-hardened, and were disobeying, speaking-evil-of the Way before the assembly— having departed from them, he separated the disciples, reasoning daily in the school[b] of Tyrannus. 10 And this took place for two[c] years, so that all the ones dwelling-in Asia heard the word of the Lord— both Jews and Greeks. 11 And God was doing not the ordinary[d] miracles by the hands of Paul— 12 so that handkerchiefs or aprons[e] were even being carried-forth[f] from his skin to the ones being sick, and the diseases were being released from them, and the evil spirits were going out.
Even Some Non-Believing Priests Tried To Utilize Paul’s Power
13 And even some of the Jewish exorcists[g] going-around attempted to name the name of the Lord Jesus over the ones having the evil spirits, saying, “I make you swear[h] by the Jesus Whom Paul is proclaiming”. 14 Now there were seven sons of a certain Sceva[i], a Jewish chief priest, doing this. 15 But having responded, the evil spirit said to them, “I know Jesus and know-about Paul, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit— having leaped on them, having subdued[j] all[k] of them— prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and having been wounded. 17 And this became known to all the ones dwelling-in Ephesus— both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all.
Jesus Was Being Magnified And The Word of The Lord Was Prevailing
18 And the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified. And many of the ones having believed were coming, confessing-out[l] and declaring[m] their [evil] practices. 19 And many of the ones having practiced sorceries, having brought-together their books, were burning them up in the presence of everyone. And they calculated-up the prices of them, and found it to be fifty thousand silver-coins[n]. 20 Thus in accordance with the might[o] of the Lord, the word was growing and prevailing.
Paul Decides To Return To Jerusalem And Then Go To Rome. He Sends Timothy Ahead
21 Now when these[p] things were completed, Paul put[q] in his spirit that, having gone through Macedonia and Achaia, he should be going to Jerusalem, having said that “After I come-to-be there, I must also see Rome”. 22 And having sent-out two of the ones ministering with him to Macedonia— Timothy and Erastus— he himself held-on in Asia for a time.
There Is a Big Uproar In Ephesus Over a Decline In The Sale of Idols Due To Paul
23 Now about that time, no small disturbance took place concerning the Way. 24 For a certain Demetrius by name, a silversmith making silver shrines[r] of Artemis[s], was bringing-about no small business for the craftsmen— 25 whom having assembled-together, and the workers with respect to such things, he said, “Men, you know that prosperity for us is from this business. 26 And you are seeing and hearing that this Paul— having persuaded people not only from Ephesus, but from almost all Asia— turned-away a considerable crowd, saying that the gods being made with hands are not gods. 27 But not only is-there-a-danger for us that this[t] part may come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted for nothing, and that she whom all Asia and the world worships may even be about to be torn-down[u] from her majesty”.
Amid The City-Wide Confusion, Friends of Paul Are Seized
28 And having heard it, and having become full of rage, they were crying-out, saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 And the city was filled with confusion. And they rushed with-one-accord into the theater, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus— Macedonian fellow-travelers of Paul. 30 And while Paul was wanting to enter into the public-assembly, the disciples were not letting him. 31 And even some of the Asian-officials[v]— being friends with him, having sent to him— were urging him not to give himself to the theater. 32 Then indeed, other ones were crying-out another[w] thing. For the assembly was confused, and the majority did not know for what reason they had come together. 33 And some from the crowd gave-instructions-to[x] Alexander— the Jews having put him forward. And Alexander, having waved his hand, was intending to speak-a-defense to the public-assembly. 34 But having recognized that he was a Jew, one voice came[y] from everyone— crying-out for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
The Town Mayor Calms And Dismisses The Crowd
35 And the town-mayor[z], having calmed the crowd, says, “Men, Ephesians, who indeed is there of mankind who does not know the city of the Ephesians as being temple-keeper[aa] of the great Artemis, and of the image fallen-from-heaven[ab]? 36 These things then being undeniable, you must continue-being calmed[ac] and doing nothing reckless— 37 for you brought here these men being neither temple-robbers nor ones blaspheming our goddess. 38 So indeed if Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, courts are being led[ad], and there are proconsuls. Let them bring-a-charge against one another. 39 Now if you are seeking-for anything further[ae], it will be settled in the lawful assembly. 40 For indeed we are in-danger-of being charged with a riot because of today— there being no cause[af] for it— in relation to which[ag] we will not be able to render an account for this gathering”. 41 And having said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
Footnotes
- Acts 19:2 Or, whether there is [yet] a Holy Spirit. They had not heard that John’s prediction had come to pass, Mt 3:11.
- Acts 19:9 That is, school building.
- Acts 19:10 During this time, Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, and perhaps Galatians (see 14:28).
- Acts 19:11 In other words, unusual, uncommon.
- Acts 19:12 That is, such as a worker would wear.
- Acts 19:12 Or, brought, taken.
- Acts 19:13 These men cast out demons using magical formulas and oaths. They tried using the sentence that follows as part of their ritual.
- Acts 19:13 This seems to be intended to force the demon to leave rather than swear allegiance to Christ.
- Acts 19:14 This is the man’s name.
- Acts 19:16 Or, overpowered.
- Acts 19:16 Or, both, if only two were active participants in this case.
- Acts 19:18 Or, confessing-openly. That is, confessing Jesus; or, confessing their practices.
- Acts 19:18 Or, disclosing.
- Acts 19:19 This probably refers to the drachma, which is equivalent to a denarius, one day’s wage for a laborer. Thus, this is a considerable sum of money.
- Acts 19:20 Or, His might, the word of the Lord (the emphasis being upon ‘of the Lord’).
- Acts 19:21 That is, Paul’s work in Asia, based in Ephesus, 19:1-20.
- Acts 19:21 Or, resolved in the Spirit. Note 20:22.
- Acts 19:24 That is, miniature replicas of this world-famous temple, which was considered one of the wonders of the world.
- Acts 19:24 She was a many-breasted goddess of fertility, and perhaps is the same goddess known to the Romans as Diana.
- Acts 19:27 That is, their personal line of work.
- Acts 19:27 Or, thrown-down.
- Acts 19:31 Or, Asiarchs, high officials of the province.
- Acts 19:32 That is, something different than Demetrius. Perhaps it was something anti-Jewish, causing them to put forth Alexander to defend themselves.
- Acts 19:33 Or, concluded it was.
- Acts 19:34 Or, arose.
- Acts 19:35 Or, town-secretary. This man was the chief executive of the city, and answered to the proconsul.
- Acts 19:35 Or, temple-guardian.
- Acts 19:35 The Ephesians claimed that the statue of this goddess fell from heaven.
- Acts 19:36 Or, restrained, quiet.
- Acts 19:38 That is, are in session.
- Acts 19:39 That is, beyond what can be settled in a private court action, and thus requiring a town meeting.
- Acts 19:40 No crime or guilty person can be pointed to as the cause of this gathering.
- Acts 19:40 That is, a charge of rioting.
Acts 19
New International Version
Acts 19
New International Version
Paul in Ephesus
19 While Apollos(A) was at Corinth,(B) Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus.(C) There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit(D) when[a] you believed?”
They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”
“John’s baptism,” they replied.
4 Paul said, “John’s baptism(E) was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”(F) 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.(G) 6 When Paul placed his hands on them,(H) the Holy Spirit came on them,(I) and they spoke in tongues[b](J) and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
8 Paul entered the synagogue(K) and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.(L) 9 But some of them(M) became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way.(N) So Paul left them. He took the disciples(O) with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years,(P) so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia(Q) heard the word of the Lord.(R)
11 God did extraordinary miracles(S) through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured(T) and the evil spirits left them.
13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits(U) tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus(V) whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16 Then 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.
17 When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus,(W) they were all seized with fear,(X) and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A 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.[c] 20 In this way the word of the Lord(Y) spread widely and grew in power.(Z)
21 After all this had happened, Paul decided[d] to go to Jerusalem,(AA) passing through Macedonia(AB) and Achaia.(AC) “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.”(AD) 22 He sent two of his helpers,(AE) Timothy(AF) and Erastus,(AG) to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia(AH) a little longer.
The Riot in Ephesus
23 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way.(AI) 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. 25 He 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.(AJ) 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus(AK) and in practically the whole province of Asia.(AL) He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all.(AM) 27 There 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.”
28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”(AN) 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius(AO) and Aristarchus,(AP) Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia,(AQ) and all of them rushed into the theater together. 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples(AR) would not let him. 31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.
32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another.(AS) Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned(AT) for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”(AU)
35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians,(AV) 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? 36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples(AW) nor blasphemed our goddess. 38 If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen(AX) have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls.(AY) They can press charges. 39 If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40 As 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.” 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
Footnotes
- Acts 19:2 Or after
- Acts 19:6 Or other languages
- Acts 19:19 A drachma was a silver coin worth about a day’s wages.
- Acts 19:21 Or decided in the Spirit
Acts 19
King James Version
Acts 19
King James Version
19 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,
2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.
4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
7 And all the men were about twelve.
8 And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.
9 But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.
10 And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
11 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:
12 So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.
13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.
15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
17 And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
18 And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.
19 Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.
20 So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.
21 After these things were ended, Paul purposed 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 into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and Erastus; but he himself stayed in Asia for a season.
23 And the same time there arose no small stir about that way.
24 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen;
25 Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth.
26 Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands:
27 So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth.
28 And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
29 And the whole city was filled with confusion: and having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel, they rushed with one accord into the theatre.
30 And when Paul would have entered in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not.
31 And certain of the chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent unto him, desiring him that he would not adventure himself into the theatre.
32 Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused: and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together.
33 And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made his defence unto the people.
34 But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
35 And when the townclerk had appeased the people, he said, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter?
36 Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly.
37 For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess.
38 Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are with him, have a matter against any man, the law is open, and there are deputies: let them implead one another.
39 But if ye enquire any thing concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly.
40 For we are in danger to be called in question for this day's uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse.
41 And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.
Disciples’ Literal New Testament (DLNT) 
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing
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