Acts 19-20

Acts 19

¹And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper country came to Ephesus, and found certain disciples:

²and he said unto them, Did ye receive the Holy Ghost when ye believed? And they said unto him, Nay, we did not so much as hear whether the Holy Ghost was given.

³And he said, Into what then were ye baptized? And they said, Into John’s baptism.

⁴And Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Jesus.

⁵And when they heard this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.

⁶And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

⁷And they were in all about twelve men.

⁸And he entered into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, reasoning and persuading as to the things concerning the kingdom of God.

⁹But 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.

¹⁰And this continued for the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

¹¹And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:

¹²insomuch that unto the sick were carried away from his body handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out.

¹³But certain also of the strolling Jews, exorcists, took upon them to name over them which had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.

¹⁴And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, a chief priest, which did this.

¹⁵And the evil spirit answered and said unto them, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

¹⁶And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and mastered both of them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

¹⁷And this became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, that dwelt at Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

¹⁸Many also of them that had believed came, confessing, and declaring their deeds.

¹⁹And not a few of them that practised curious arts brought their books together, and burned them in the sight of all: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.

²⁰So mightily grew the word of the Lord and prevailed.

²¹Now 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.

²²And having sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

²³And about that time there arose no small stir concerning the Way.

²⁴For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines of Diana, brought no little business unto the craftsmen;

²⁵whom he gathered together, with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this business we have our wealth.

²⁶And 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:

²⁷and not only is there danger that this our trade come into disrepute; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana be made of no account, and that she should even be deposed from her magnificence, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth.

²⁸And when they heard this, they were filled with wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.

²⁹And the city was filled with the confusion: and they rushed with one accord into the theatre, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul’s companions in travel.

³⁰And when Paul was minded to enter in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not.

³¹And certain also of the chief officers of Asia, being his friends, sent unto him, and besought him not to adventure himself into the theatre.

³²Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was in confusion; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together.

³³And they brought Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made a defence unto the people.

³⁴But when they perceived that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.

³⁵And when the townclerk had quieted the multitude, he saith, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there who knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is temple-keeper of the great Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter?

³⁶Seeing then that these things cannot be gainsaid, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rash.

³⁷For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess.

³⁸If therefore Demetrius, and the craftsmen that are with him, have a matter against any man, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls: let them accuse one another.

³⁹But if ye seek anything about other matters, it shall be settled in the regular assembly.

⁴⁰For indeed we are in danger to be accused concerning this day’s riot, there being no cause for it: and as touching it we shall not be able to give account of this concourse.

⁴¹And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.

Acts 20

¹And after the uproar was ceased, Paul having sent for the disciples and exhorted them, took leave of them, and departed for to go into Macedonia.

²And when he had gone through those parts, and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece.

³And when he had spent three months there, and a plot was laid against him by the Jews, as he was about to set sail for Syria, he determined to return through Macedonia.

⁴And there accompanied him as far as Asia Sopater of Beroea, the son of Pyrrhus; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus.

⁵But these had gone before, and were waiting for us at Troas.

⁶And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we tarried seven days.

⁷And upon the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul discoursed with them, intending to depart on the morrow; and prolonged his speech until midnight.

⁸And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where we were gathered together.

⁹And there sat in the window a certain young man named Eutychus, borne down with deep sleep; and as Paul discoursed yet longer, being borne down by his sleep he fell down from the third story, and was taken up dead.

¹⁰And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Make ye no ado; for his life is in him.

¹¹And when he was gone up, and had broken the bread, and eaten, and had talked with them a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.

¹²And they brought the lad alive, and were not a little comforted.

¹³But we, going before to the ship, set sail for Assos, there intending to take in Paul: for so had he appointed, intending himself to go by land.

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

¹⁵And sailing from thence, we came the following day over against Chios; and the next day we touched at Samos; and the day after we came to Miletus.

¹⁶For Paul had determined to sail past Ephesus, that he might not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hastening, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.

¹⁷And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called to him the elders of the church.

¹⁸And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, after what manner I was with you all the time,

¹⁹serving the Lord with all lowliness of mind, and with tears, and with trials which befell me by the plots of the Jews:

²⁰how that I shrank not from declaring unto you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly, and from house to house,

²¹testifying both to Jews and to Greeks repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

²²And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:

²³save that the Holy Ghost testifieth unto me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.

²⁴But I hold not my life of any account, as dear unto myself, so that I may accomplish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

²⁵And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, shall see my face no more.

²⁶Wherefore I testify unto you this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.

²⁷For I shrank not from declaring unto you the whole counsel of God.

²⁸Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in the which the Holy Ghost hath made you bishops, to feed the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood.

²⁹I know that after my departing grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock;

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

³¹Wherefore watch ye, remembering that by the space of three years I ceased not to admonish every one night and day with tears.

³²And now I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you the inheritance among all them that are sanctified.

³³I coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel.

³⁴Ye yourselves know that these hands ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.

³⁵In all things I gave you an example, how that so labouring ye ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

³⁶And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.

³⁷And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul’s neck, and kissed him,

³⁸Sorrowing most of all for the word which he had spoken, that they should behold his face no more. And they brought him on his way unto the ship.