MDO 19

Paulo katika Efeso

1 Ikawa, Apolo alipokuwa Korintho, Paulo, akiisha kupita kati ya nchi za juu, akafika Efeso; akakutana na wanafunzi kadha wa kadha huko; 2 takawauliza, Je! Mlipokea Roho Mtakatifu mlipoamini? Wakamjibu, La, hata kusikia kwamba kuna Roho Mtakatifu hatukusikia. 3 Akawauliza, Basi mlibatizwa kwa ubatizo gani? Wakasema, Kwa ubatizo wa Yohana. 4 tPaulo akasema, Yohana alibatiza kwa ubatizo wa toba, akiwaambia watu wamwamini yeye atakayekuja nyuma yake, yaani, Yesu. 5 Waliposikia haya wakabatizwa kwa jina la Bwana Yesu. 6 tNa Paulo, alipokwisha kuweka mikono yake juu yao, Roho Mtakatifu akaja juu yao; wakaanza kunena kwa lugha, na kutabiri.

7 Na jumla yao walipata wanaume kumi na wawili.
8 Akaingia ndani ya sinagogi, akanena kwa ushujaa kwa muda wa miezi mitatu, akihojiana na watu, na kuwavuta katika mambo ya ufalme wa Mungu. 9 tLakini wengine walikaidi, wakakataa kuamini, wakiitukana ile Njia mbele ya mkutano; basi, akaondoka akawaacha, akawatenga wanafunzi, akahojiana na watu kila siku katika darasa ya mtu mmoja, jina lake Tirano.

10 Mambo haya yakaendelea kwa muda wa miaka miwili, hata wote waliokaa Asia wakalisikia neno la Bwana, Wayahudi kwa Wayunani.

Wana wa Skewa

12 thata wagonjwa wakaletewa leso na nguo zilizotoka mwilini mwake, magonjwa yao yakawaondokea, pepo wachafu wakawatoka.
13  tBaadhi ya Wayahudi wenye kutanga-tanga, nao ni wapunga pepo, wakajaribu kutaja jina la Bwana Yesu juu yao waliopagawa na pepo wachafu, wakisema, Nawaapisha kwa Yesu, yule anayehubiriwa na Paulo. 14 Walikuwako wana saba wa mtu mmoja Skewa, Myahudi, kuhani mkuu, waliofanya hivyo. 15 tYule pepo mchafu akawajibu, akawaambia, Yesu namjua na Paulo namfahamu, lakini ninyi ni nani?

16 Na yule mtu aliyepagawa na pepo mchafu akawarukia wawili, akawaweza, akawashinda, hata wakatoka mbio katika nyumba ile hali wa uchi na kujeruhiwa.
17  tHabari hii ikajulikana na Wayahudi wote na Wayunani waliokaa Efeso, hofu ikawaingia wote, na jina la Bwana Yesu likatukuzwa. 18 Na wengi wa wale walioamini wakaja wakaungama, wakidhihirisha matendo yao. 19 Na watu wengi katika wale waliotumia mambo ya uganga wakakusanya vitabu vyao, wakavichoma moto mbele ya watu wote; wakafanya hesabu ya thamani yake, wakaona ya kwamba yapata fedha hamsini elfu.t

20 tHivyo ndivyo neno la Bwana lilivyozidi na kushinda kwa nguvu.

Ghasia katika Efeso

22 tAkatuma watu wawili miongoni mwa wale waliomtumikia kwenda Makedonia, nao ni Timotheo na Erasto, yeye mwenyewe akakaa katika Asia kitambo.
23  tWakati huo kukatukia ghasia si haba katika habari ya Njia ile. 24 tKwa maana mtu mmoja, jina lake Demetrio, mfua fedha, aliyekuwa akifanya vihekalu vya fedha vya Artemi, alikuwa akiwapatia mafundi faida nyingi. 25 Akawakusanya hao, pamoja na wengine wenye kazi ile ile, akasema, Enyi wanaume, mnajua ya kuwa utajiri wetu hutoka katika kazi hii. 26 tTena mnaona na kusikia ya kwamba si katika Efeso tu, bali katika Asia yote pia Paulo huyo ameshawishi watu wengi na kuwageuza nia zao, akisema ya kwamba hiyo inayofanywa kwa mikono siyo miungu. 27 Si kwamba kazi hii yetu ina hatari ya kudharauliwa tu; bali na hekalu la mungu mke aliye mkuu, Artemi, kuhesabiwa si kitu, na kuondolewa utukufu wake, ambaye Asia yote pia na walimwengu wote humwabudu.

28 Waliposikia haya wakajaa ghadhabu, wakapiga kelele, wakisema, Artemi wa Waefeso ni mkuu.
29  tMji wote ukajaa ghasia, wakaenda mbio wakaingia mahali pa michezo kwa nia moja, wakiisha kuwakamata Gayo na Aristarko, watu wa Makedonia waliosafiri pamoja na Paulo. 30 Na Paulo alipotaka kuingia kati ya watu, wanafunzi hawakumwacha aingie. 31 Na baadhi ya wakuu wa Asia, walio rafiki zake, wakatuma watu kwake, wakimsihi asijihudhurishe nafsi yake ndani ya mahali pa michezo. 32 Basi wengine walikuwa wakilia hivi na wengine hivi; kwa maana ule mkutano ulikuwa umechafuka-chafuka, na wengi wao hawakuijua sababu ya kukusanyika kwao pamoja. 33 Wakamtoa Iskanda katika mkutano, Wayahudi wakimweka mbele ya watu. Iskanda akawapungia mkono, akitaka kujitetea mbele ya wale watu.

34 Lakini walipotambua ya kuwa yeye ni Myahudi, wakapiga kelele wote pia kwa sauti moja kwa muda wa kama saa mbili, wakisema, Artemi wa Waefeso ni mkuu.
35 Na karani wa mji alipokwisha kuwatuliza watu, akasema, Enyi wanaume wa Efeso, ni mtu gani asiyejua ya kuwa mji wa Efeso ni mtunzaji wa hekalu la Artemi, aliye mkuu, na wa kitu kile kilichoanguka kutoka mbinguni? 36 Basi kwa kuwa mambo haya hayawezi kukanushwa, imewapasa kutulia; msifanye neno la haraka haraka. 37 Kwa maana mmewaleta watu hawa, wasioiba vitu vya hekalu wala kumtukana mungu mke wetu. 38 Basi ikiwa Demetrio na mafundi walio pamoja naye wana neno juu ya mtu, baraza ziko, na maliwali wako; na washitakiane. 39 Bali mkitafuta neno lo lote katika mambo mengine, yatatengenezwa katika kusanyiko lililo halali. 40 Kwa maana tuna hatari ya kushitakiwa kwa ajili ya matata haya ya leo, ambayo hayana sababu; na katika neno hilo, hatutaweza kujiudhuru kwa mkutano huu. 41 Alipokwisha kusema haya akauvunja mkutano.

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.