Study Desk

Now it happened that while ^(C1)Apollos was in ^(C2)Corinth, Paul passed through the ^(C3)upper country and came to ^(C4)Ephesus, and found some disciples.

He said to them, "^(C1)Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said to him, "On the contrary, ^(C2)we have not even heard if there is a Holy Spirit."

And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" And they said, "^(C1)Into John's baptism."

Paul said, "^(C1)John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people ^(C2)to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus."

When they heard this, they were ^(C1)baptized ^(F1)in the name of the Lord Jesus.

And when Paul had ^(C1)laid hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they began ^(C2)speaking with tongues and ^(C3)prophesying.

There were about twelve men in all.

And he entered ^(C1)the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, having discussions and persuading them ^(C2)about the kingdom of God.

But when ^(C1)some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of ^(F1)(C2)the Way before the ^(F2)people, he withdrew from them and took ^(C3)the disciples away with him, and had discussions daily in the school of Tyrannus.

This took place for ^(C1)two years, so that all who lived in ^(F1)(C2)Asia heard ^(C3)the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

God was performing ^(C1)extraordinary ^(F1)miracles by the hands of Paul,

^(C1)so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and ^(C2)the evil spirits went out.

But also some of the Jewish ^(C1)exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to ^(F1)use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had the evil spirits, saying, "I order you in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches!"

Now there were seven sons of ^(F1)Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, doing this.

But the evil spirit responded and said to them, "I recognize Jesus, and I know of Paul, but who are you?"

And the man in whom was the evil spirit, pounced on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

This became known to all who lived in ^(C1)Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified.

Also many of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices.

And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they added up the prices of ^(F1)the books and found it to be fifty thousand ^(F2)(C1)pieces of silver.

So ^(F1)(C1)the word of the Lord ^(C2)was growing and prevailing mightily.