Acts 18:23–19:20

Third Missionary Journey

23 And having spent some time there, he left and passed successively through the aGalatian region and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

24 Now a Jew named aApollos, an bAlexandrian by birth, 1an eloquent man, came to cEphesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures.

25 This man had been instructed in athe way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with bthe baptism of John;

26 and 1he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when aPriscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him bthe way of God more accurately.

27 And when he wanted to go across to aAchaia, bthe brethren encouraged him and wrote to cthe disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly 1helped those who had believed through grace,

28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating aby the Scriptures that bJesus was the 1Christ.

Chapter 19

Paul at Ephesus

1 It happened that while aApollos was at bCorinth, Paul passed through the cupper country and came to dEphesus, and found some disciples.

2 He said to them, “aDid you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, bwe have not even heard whether 1there is a Holy Spirit.”

3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “aInto John’s baptism.”

4 Paul said, “aJohn baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people bto believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”

5 When they heard this, they were abaptized 1in the name of the Lord Jesus.

6 And when Paul had alaid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began bspeaking with tongues and cprophesying.

7 There were in all about twelve men.

8 And he entered athe synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them babout the kingdom of God.

9 But when asome were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of bthe Way before the 1people, he withdrew from them and took away cthe disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.

10 This took place for atwo years, so that all who lived in 1bAsia heard cthe word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

Miracles at Ephesus

11 God was performing aextraordinary 1miracles by the hands of Paul,

12 aso that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and bthe evil spirits went out.

13 But also some of the Jewish aexorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.”

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

15 And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”

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

17 This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in aEphesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified.

18 Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices.

19 And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they counted up the price of them and found it 1fifty thousand apieces of silver.

20 So 1athe word of the Lord bwas growing mightily and prevailing.