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ACTS 19
I refuse to judge such matters.” 16 And he threw
them out of the courtroom.
17 The crowd* then grabbed Sosthenes, the
leader of the synagogue, and beat him right
there in the courtroom. But Gallio paid no attention.
Paul Returns to Antioch of Syria
18 Paul stayed in Corinth for some time after that,
then said good-bye to the brothers and sisters*
and went to nearby Cenchrea. There he shaved
his head according to Jewish custom, marking the end of a vow. Then he set sail for Syria,
taking Priscilla and Aquila with him.
19 They stopped first at the port of Ephesus,
where Paul left the others behind. While he was
there, he went to the synagogue to reason with
the Jews. 20 They asked him to stay longer, but he
declined. 21 As he left, however, he said, “I will
come back later,* God willing.” Then he set sail
from Ephesus. 22 The next stop was at the port
of Caesarea. From there he went up and visited
the church at Jerusalem* and then went back
to Antioch.
23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul
went back through Galatia and Phrygia, visiting
and strengthening all the believers.*
Apollos Instructed at Ephesus
24 Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent
speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. 25 He
had been taught the way of the Lord, and he
taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic
spirit* and with accuracy. However, he knew
only about John’s baptism. 26 When Priscilla
and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the
synagogue, they took him aside and explained
the way of God even more accurately.
27 Apollos had been thinking about going to
Achaia, and the brothers and sisters in Ephesus encouraged him to go. They wrote to the
believers in Achaia, asking them to welcome
him. When he arrived there, he proved to be of
great benefit to those who, by God’s grace, had
believed. 28 He refuted the Jews with powerful
arguments in public debate. Using the Scriptures, he explained to them that Jesus was the
Messiah.
Paul’s Third Missionary Journey
While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions until he
reached Ephesus, on the coast, where he found
several believers.* 2 “Did you receive the Holy
Spirit when you believed?” he asked them.
“No,” they replied, “we haven’t even heard
that there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 “Then what baptism did you experience?”
he asked.
And they replied, “The baptism of John.”
4 Paul said, “John’s baptism called for repen-
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tance from sin. But John himself told the people
to believe in the one who would come later,
meaning Jesus.”
5 As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 Then
when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy
Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other
tongues* and prophesied. 7 There were about
twelve men in all.
Paul Ministers in Ephesus
8 Then Paul went to the synagogue and preached
boldly for the next three months, arguing persuasively about the Kingdom of God. 9 But some
became stubborn, rejecting his message and
publicly speaking against the Way. So Paul left
the synagogue and took the believers with him.
Then he held daily discussions at the lecture
hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for the next two
years, so that people throughout the province
of Asia—both Jews and Greeks—heard the word
of the Lord.
11 God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. 12 When handkerchiefs or
aprons that had merely touched his skin were
placed on sick people, they were healed of their
diseases, and evil spirits were expelled.
13 A group of Jews was traveling from town to
town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use
the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation,
saying, “I command you in the name of Jesus,
whom Paul preaches, to come out!” 14 Seven
sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing
this. 15 But one time when they tried it, the evil
spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul,
but who are you?” 16 Then the man with the evil
spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and
attacked them with such violence that they fled
from the house, naked and battered.
17 The story of what happened spread quickly
all through Ephesus, to Jews and Greeks alike.
A solemn fear descended on the city, and the
name of the Lord Jesus was greatly honored.
18 Many who became believers confessed their
sinful practices. 19 A number of them who had
been practicing sorcery brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire.
The value of the books was several million dollars.* 20 So the message about the Lord spread
widely and had a powerful effect.
21 Afterward Paul felt compelled by the Spirit*
to go over to Macedonia and Achaia before going
to Jerusalem. “And after that,” he said, “I must
go on to Rome!” 22 He sent his two assistants,
18:17 Greek Everyone; other manuscripts read All the
Greeks. 18:18 Greek brothers; also in 18:27. 18:21 Some
manuscripts read “I must by all means be at Jerusalem for the
upcoming festival, but I will come back later.” 18:22 Greek the
church. 18:23 Greek disciples; also in 18:27. 18:25 Or with
enthusiasm in the Spirit. 19:1 Greek disciples; also in 19:9, 30.
19:6 Or in other languages. 19:19 Greek 50,000 pieces of
silver, each of which was the equivalent of a day’s wage.
19:21 Or decided in his spirit.