Acts 19Book 44 of 66 · 41 verses · MBT primary, NKJV fallback where MBT pending

And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus and found some disciples.
he said to them, 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?' So they said to him, 'We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.'
And he said to them, 'Into what then were you baptized?' So they said, 'Into John's baptism.'
Then Paul said, 'John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.'
When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began to speak in other tongues and to prophesy.
Now there were about twelve men in all.
And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God.
But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus.
And this continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
Now God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands,
so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, 'I command you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.'
Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.
And the evil spirit answered and said, 'Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize; but who are you?'
Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
This became known both to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.
And many who had become believers came confessing and disclosing their practices.
Also, many of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all, and they counted the value of them and found it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver.
So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.
When these things were accomplished, Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, 'After I have been there, I must also see Rome.'
So he sent into Macedonia two of those who assisted him, Timothy and Erastus, but he himself stayed in Asia for a while.
About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way.
For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen.
He called them together with the workmen in similar trades and said, 'Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth.'
Moreover, you see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods.
So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and her magnificence come to the verge of ruin, whom all Asia and the world worship.
Now when they heard this, they were filled with rage and began to cry out, 'Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!'
So the city was filled with confusion, and they rushed all together into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s companions in travel.
And when Paul wanted to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him.
Then some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him pleading that he would not venture into the theater.
Some were shouting one thing and some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together.
And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander motioned with his hand and wanted to make a defense to the crowd.
But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours, 'Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!'
And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, 'Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple guardian of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky?'
Therefore, since these things cannot be denied, you ought to keep calm and do nothing rash.
For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess.
Therefore, if Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another.
But if you seek anything further, it must be decided in a legal assembly.
For we are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.
And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.