Skutky 19

1 Kým bol Apollo v Korinte, Pavol pochodil po horných krajoch a prišiel do Efezu. Tam našiel akýchsi učeníkov2 a povedal im: „Dostali ste aj Ducha Svätého, keď ste uverili?“ Oni mu odvetili: „Ani sme nepočuli, že je Duch Svätý.“3 On sa opýtal: „Ako ste teda boli pokrstení?“ Oni odpovedali: „Jánovým krstom.“4 Pavol povedal: „Ján krstil krstom pokánia a hovoril ľudu, aby uverili v toho, ktorý prichádzal po ňom, to jest v Ježiša.“5 Keď to počuli, dali sa pokrstiť v mene Pána Ježiša.6 A keď na nich Pavol vložil ruky, zostúpil na nich Duch Svätý; i hovorili jazykmi a prorokovali.7 Spolu ich bolo asi dvanásť mužov.8 Potom vošiel do synagógy a smelo hovoril; tri mesiace rozprával a presviedčal o Božom kráľovstve.9 Ale keď sa niektorí zatvrdili a neuverili, ba pred zástupom tupili Pánovu cestu, odišiel od nich, oddelil učeníkov a každý deň hovoril v Tyrannovej škole.10 To trvalo dva roky, takže všetci, čo bývali v Ázii, Židia i Gréci, počuli Pánovo slovo.11 A Boh robil Pavlovými rukami neobyčajné divy,12 takže aj na chorých donášali šatky a zástery, ktoré sa dotkli jeho tela, a neduhy ich opúšťali a zlí duchovia vychádzali.13 Aj niektorí potulní židovskí zaklínači sa pokúsili vzývať meno Pána Ježiša nad tými, čo boli posadnutí zlými duchmi, a hovorili: „Zaklínam vás skrze Ježiša, ktorého hlása Pavol.“14 Robili to siedmi synovia istého Skevu, židovského veľkňaza.15 Ale zlý duch im povedal: „Ježiša poznám, aj o Pavlovi viem; ale kto ste vy?“16 A človek, v ktorom bol zlý duch, sa na nich vrhol, dvoch z nich sa zmocnil a tak ich doriadil, že z toho domu utekali nahí a doráňaní.17 Dozvedeli sa o tom všetci Židia aj Gréci, čo bývali v Efeze. Na všetkých doľahol strach a zvelebovali meno Pána Ježiša.18 Mnoho veriacich prichádzalo, vyznávali sa a priznávali svoje skutky.19 A mnohí z tých, čo sa zaoberali čarami, podonášali knihy a pred očami všetkých ich spálili; keď spočítali ich cenu, vyšlo im päťdesiattisíc strieborných.20 Tak mohutne sa šírilo a silnelo Pánovo slovo.21 Po týchto udalostiach si Pavol zaumienil v Duchu, že prejde cez Macedónsko a Achájsko a pôjde do Jeruzalema. Povedal: „Keď sa ta dostanem, musím sa pozrieť aj do Ríma.“22 Dvoch zo svojich pomocníkov, Timoteja a Erasta, poslal do Macedónska a sám zostal istý čas v Ázii.23 V tom čase nastalo nemalé pobúrenie pre Pánovu cestu.24 Istý zlatník, menom Demeter, čo vyrábal strieborné Dianine chrámiky, poskytoval remeselníkom nemalý zárobok.25 Zhromaždil ich, ako aj tých, čo sa zaoberali podobným remeslom, a povedal: „Muži, vy viete, že z tohto remesla máme zisk.26 A vidíte i počujete, že tento Pavol nielen v Efeze, ale skoro v celej Ázii presvedčil a odvrátil veľký zástup, lebo hovorí, že to, čo zhotovujú ruky, nie sú bohovia.27 A nielen tomuto nášmu remeslu hrozí nebezpečenstvo, že upadne, ale ani chrám veľkej bohyne Diany nebudú mať za nič a začne sa rúcať veleba tej, ktorú si ctí celá Ázia i celý svet.“28 Keď to počuli, zachvátil ich hnev a kričali: „Veľká je efezská Diana!“29 V celom meste zavládol zmätok; schopili Pavlových sprievodcov Macedónčanov Gája a Aristarcha a všetci sa hromadne hnali do divadla.30 Pavol chcel ísť medzi ľud, ale učeníci mu to nedovolili.31 Aj niektorí aziarchovia, čo mu boli priateľmi, poslali za ním s prosbou, aby nešiel do divadla.32 Každý vykrikoval niečo iné, lebo v zhromaždení bol zmätok, a mnohí ani nevedeli, prečo sa zišli.33 Tu naviedli zo zástupu akéhosi Alexandra a Židia ho potisli dopredu. Alexander si rukou vyžiadal ticho a chcel vysvetľovať ľudu.34 Ale keď zbadali, že je Žid, všetci jedným hlasom asi dve hodiny kričali: „Veľká je efezská Diana!“35 Až mestský tajomník utíšil zástup a povedal: „Efezania, ktorý človek by nevedel, že mesto Efez je ctiteľom veľkej Diany a jej obrazu, ktorý padol z neba?!36 Keď to teda nemožno poprieť, musíte sa upokojiť a nesmiete robiť nič nerozvážne.37 Lebo ste priviedli týchto ľudí, hoci sa nedopustili svätokrádeže, ani sa nerúhali našej bohyni.38 Ak teda Demeter a jeho remeselníci majú niečo proti niekomu, na to sú verejné súdy a prokonzuli; nech sa tam žalujú.39 Ak chcete niečo iné, možno to vyriešiť na zákonitom zhromaždení.40 Veď sa vystavujeme nebezpečenstvu, že nás za dnešok obvinia zo vzbury, lebo niet vinníka, a nemohli by sme zdôvodniť, prečo tento zhon.“ Ako to dopovedal, zhromaždenie rozpustil.

ACTS 19

Paul in Ephesus

1 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled across the hill country to Ephesus, where he met some of the Lord's followers.

2 He asked them, “When you put your faith in Jesus, were you given the Holy Spirit?”
“No!” they answered. “We have never even heard of the Holy Spirit.”

3 “Then why were you baptized?” Paul asked.
They answered, “Because of what John taught.”t
4  t Paul replied, “John baptized people so they would turn to God. But he also told them someone else was coming, and they should put their faith in him. Jesus is the one that John was talking about.” 5 After the people heard Paul say this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 Then Paul placed his hands on them. The Holy Spirit was given to them, and they spoke unknown languages and prophesied.

7 There were about twelve men in this group.
8 For three months Paul went to the synagogue and talked bravely with the people about God's kingdom. He tried to win them over, 9 but some of them were stubborn and refused to believe. In front of everyone they said terrible things about God's Way. Paul left and took the followers with him to the lecture hall of Tyrannus. He spoke there every day

10 for two years, until every Jew and Gentilet in Asia had heard the Lord's message.

The Sons of Sceva

12 People even took handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched Paul's body, and they carried them to everyone who was sick. All of the sick people were healed, and the evil spirits went out.

13 Some Jewish men started going around trying to force out evil spirits by using the name of the Lord Jesus. They said to the spirits, “Come out in the name of that same Jesus that Paul preaches about!”
14 Seven sons of a high priest named Sceva were doing this, 15 when an evil spirit said to them, “I know Jesus! And I have heard about Paul. But who are you?”

16 Then the man with the evil spirit jumped on them and beat them up. They ran out of the house, naked and bruised.
17 When the Jews and Gentilest in Ephesus heard about this, they were so frightened that they praised the name of the Lord Jesus. 18 Many who were followers now started telling everyone about the evil things they had been doing. 19 Some who had been practicing witchcraft even brought their books and burned them in public. These books were worth about 50,000 silver coins.

20 So the Lord's message spread and became even more powerful.

The Riot in Ephesus

22 So he sent his two helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia. But he stayed on in Asia for a while.
23 At that time there was serious trouble because of the Lord's Way.t 24 A silversmith named Demetrius had a business that made silver models of the temple of the goddess Artemis. Those who worked for him earned a lot of money.

25 Demetrius brought together everyone who was in the same business and said:
Friends, you know we make a good living at this. 26 But you have surely seen and heard how this man Paul is upsetting a lot of people, not only in Ephesus, but almost everywhere in Asia. He claims that the gods we humans make are not really gods at all.

27 Everyone will start saying terrible things about our business. They will stop respecting the temple of the goddess Artemis, who is worshiped in Asia and all over the world. Our great goddess will be forgotten!
28 When the workers heard this, they got angry and started shouting, “Great is Artemis, the goddess of the Ephesians!”

29 Soon the whole city was in a riot, and some men grabbed Gaius and Aristarchus, who had come from Macedonia with Paul. Then everyone in the crowd rushed to the place where the town meetings were held.
30 Paul wanted to go out and speak to the people, but the Lord's followers would not let him.

31 A few of the local officials were friendly to Paul, and they sent someone to warn him not to go.

32 Some of the people in the meeting were shouting one thing, and others were shouting something else. Everyone was completely confused, and most of them did not even know why they were there.
33 Several of the Jewish leaders pushed a man named Alexander to the front of the crowd and started telling him what to say. He motioned with his hand and tried to explain what was going on.

34 But when the crowd saw that he was Jewish, they all shouted for two hours, “Great is Artemis, the goddess of the Ephesians!”

35 Finally, a town official made the crowd be quiet. Then he said:
People of Ephesus, who in the world doesn't know that our city is the center for worshiping the great goddess Artemis? Who doesn't know that her image which fell from heaven is right here? 36 No one can deny this, and so you should calm down and not do anything foolish.

37 You have brought men in here who have not robbed temples or spoken against our goddess.
38 If Demetrius and his workers have a case against these men, we have courts and judges. Let them take their complaints there. 39 But if you want to do more than that, the matter will have to be brought before the city council.

40 We could easily be accused of starting a riot today. There is no excuse for it! We cannot even give a reason for this uproar.
41 After saying this, he told the people to leave.