Study Desk

Paul in Ephesus

While Apollos^(a) was at Corinth,^(b) Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus.^(c) There he found some disciples

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."

So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?" "John's baptism," they replied.

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)

On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.^(g)

When Paul placed his hands on them,^(h) the Holy Spirit came on them,⁽ⁱ⁾ and they spoke in tongues^[b](j) and prophesied.

There were about twelve men in all.

Paul entered the synagogue^(k) and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.^(l)

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.

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)

God did extraordinary miracles^(s) through Paul,

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.

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."

Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.

One day the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?"

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.

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.

Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done.

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]

In this way the word of the Lord^(y) spread widely and grew in power.^(z)