Acts 19

King James Version

Full text for Acts Chapter 19

1¶ 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,

2He 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.

3And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.

4Then 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.

5When they heard [this], they were baptized in 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 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.

9But 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.

10And 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.

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

12So 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.

14And there were seven sons of [one] Sceva, a Jew, [and] chief of the priests, which did so.

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

16And 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.

17And 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.

18And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.

19Many 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.

20So 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.

22So he sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and Erastus; but he himself stayed in Asia for a season.

23And the same time there arose no small stir about that way.

24For a certain [man] named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen;

25Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth.

26Moreover 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:

27So 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.

28And when they heard [these sayings], they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great [is] Diana of the Ephesians.

29And 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.

30And when Paul would have entered in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not.

31And certain of the chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent unto him, desiring [him] that he would not adventure himself into the theatre.

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

33And 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.

34But 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.

35And 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?

36Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly.

37For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess.

38Wherefore 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.

39But if ye enquire any thing concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly.

40For 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.

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

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Paul arrived in Ephesus and encountered disciples who had only received John's baptism; he re-baptized them in the name of Jesus, and they received the Holy Ghost with miraculous signs. His two-year ministry, marked by special miracles, led to a dramatic incident where Jewish exorcists were overcome by an evil spirit, causing many to renounce magic and burn their books, signifying the mighty growth of God's word. This spiritual transformation, however, provoked a riot by Demetrius and other silversmiths, who feared the loss of their trade and the diminishing worship of the goddess Diana. The city was filled with confusion until the townclerk skillfully appeased the multitude and dismissed the unlawful assembly.

Medium Summary

Upon arriving in Ephesus, Paul encountered disciples who had only known John's baptism and were unaware of the Holy Ghost. After explaining the fulfillment of John's message in Christ Jesus, he baptized them in the Lord's name, and they subsequently received the Holy Ghost with manifestations of tongues and prophecy. Paul then ministered for over two years, first in the synagogue and then daily in the school of Tyrannus, spreading the word throughout Asia and performing special miracles. A significant event involved the sons of Sceva, Jewish exorcists, who attempted to cast out spirits using Jesus' name but were violently overcome by a demon, leading to widespread fear and the magnification of Christ's name. Consequently, many believers confessed their practices, and those involved in "curious arts" publicly burned their valuable magical books, demonstrating the powerful triumph of God's word. This spiritual upheaval, however, incited a riot led by Demetrius, a silversmith, who feared the decline of his trade and the worship of the goddess Diana, but the townclerk skillfully appeased the chaotic multitude and dismissed the unlawful assembly.

Long Summary

Paul, arriving in Ephesus while Apollos was in Corinth, encountered a group of disciples who had received only John's baptism and were ignorant of the Holy Ghost. He clarified that John's baptism was one of repentance, pointing to belief in Christ Jesus, after which they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus and received the Holy Ghost with the gifts of tongues and prophecy through Paul's laying on of hands. For three months, Paul boldly taught in the synagogue, but when some became hardened, he separated the disciples and continued disputing daily in the school of Tyrannus for two years, ensuring the word of the Lord Jesus was heard throughout all Asia by both Jews and Greeks. During this period, God wrought special miracles through Paul, even to the extent that handkerchiefs and aprons from his body brought healing and cast out evil spirits. A notable incident involved seven sons of Sceva, Jewish exorcists, who attempted to invoke the name of Jesus over a demon-possessed man, only for the evil spirit to declare, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?" The possessed man then violently overcame them, leaving them naked and wounded, which instilled fear in the city and greatly magnified the name of the Lord Jesus. This event prompted many believers to confess their deeds and those practicing "curious arts" to publicly burn their valuable magical books, signifying the mighty growth and prevalence of God's word. Following these events, Paul purposed in the spirit to travel through Macedonia and Achaia to Jerusalem, and then to Rome, sending Timothy and Erastus ahead while he remained in Asia. However, a significant disturbance arose concerning "that way," instigated by Demetrius, a silversmith who profited from making silver shrines for Diana. Demetrius rallied fellow craftsmen, arguing that Paul's preaching, which declared handmade gods to be no gods, threatened not only their livelihood but also the honor of the great goddess Diana, worshipped throughout Asia and the world. This incited the craftsmen to wrath, and they filled the city with confusion, seizing Paul's companions, Gaius and Aristarchus, and rushing into the theatre. Paul was prevented from entering by disciples and local officials. The assembly in the theatre was chaotic, with many not understanding the cause of their gathering, and an attempt by a Jew named Alexander to speak was met with two hours of shouting, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" Finally, the townclerk skillfully appeased the multitude, reminding them of Ephesus's undisputed devotion to Diana and cautioning against unlawful assembly, advising legal channels for grievances, and warning of the danger of being called to account for the day's uproar, before dismissing the assembly.

Core Concepts

  • Baptism and the Holy GhostPaul encounters disciples who had only received John's baptism and were unaware of the Holy Ghost, leading him to re-baptize them in the name of the Lord Jesus, after which they received the Spirit with miraculous manifestations.
  • Power of the Name of JesusThe incident with the sons of Sceva demonstrates that merely uttering the name of Jesus is insufficient; the evil spirit recognized Jesus and Paul, but not those who invoked the name without true spiritual authority, leading to their violent defeat.
  • Renunciation of Idolatry and MagicFollowing the Sceva incident, many believers confessed their deeds and publicly burned their expensive books of magic, signifying a complete turning away from practices contrary to the Gospel.
  • Spread of the GospelPaul's two-year ministry in Ephesus ensured that "all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus," demonstrating the mighty growth and prevalence of God's word.
  • Economic Conflict and IdolatryDemetrius, a silversmith, instigated a riot because Paul's preaching threatened the lucrative trade of making shrines for Diana, highlighting how the Gospel challenged both religious and economic foundations of pagan society.
  • Civic Order and Mob RuleThe riot in Ephesus, fueled by Demetrius's appeal to both economic loss and religious zeal, descended into confusion until the townclerk skillfully intervened to restore peace and dismiss the unlawful assembly, emphasizing the importance of lawful process.