Acts · 41 verses

Acts 19

Every verse links to the people and places named in it, and to the passages readers connect it with.

The chapter

What happens here

Atlas's own reading, written from this chapter and nothing else, and published only once a person has approved it. Each scene names the verses it covers; the names inside it link to the people and places they name.

An evil spirit recognized Jesus and Paul, questioned the credentials of seven exorcists, and sent them running from the house naked and wounded.

A name that would not serve as a charmvv. 1–20

Paul found about twelve men in Ephesus who had received only John’s baptism. He explained its place, baptized them into the name of the Lord Jesus, and laid hands on them; the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. For three months he argued in the synagogue, then moved with his disciples to the lecture hall of Tyrannus, where the discussions continued daily for two years. God worked extraordinary miracles through Paul, even sending diseases and evil spirits away from people who received handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him. The itinerant exorcists tried to use Jesus’ name as a formula, but the evil spirit answered with a rather pointed interview: it knew Jesus, knew about Paul, and did not know them. The possessed man then overpowered all seven, and their escape involved both nudity and injury. Fear followed, along with confessions and a public burning of magic books. Their value was calculated at fifty thousand drachmas, an oddly precise sum amid the flames.

A journey planned beyond the disturbancevv. 21–22

After these things, Paul resolved to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia, and then to see Rome. Timothy and Erastus were sent to Macedonia while Paul remained for a time in the province of Asia. The journey was still a plan; the chapter leaves it there, with the destinations named and the travellers divided.

The theatre discovers its subjectvv. 23–41

A great disturbance about the Way began with Demetrius, a silversmith whose silver shrines of Artemis brought prosperity to the craftsmen. He warned that Paul’s preaching threatened both the trade and the goddess’s reputation, and the craftsmen answered with the slogan, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Soon the whole city was in disarray, and Gaius and Aristarchus were dragged into the theatre. Paul wanted to enter, but the disciples and some officials who were his friends sent him away from the danger. Inside, the assembly shouted one thing and another, with most not knowing why they had gathered. Alexander was pushed forward by the Jews, but once the crowd realized that he was a Jew, it shouted the same slogan for about two hours. At last the city clerk quieted them, pointed out that the men had neither robbed the temple nor blasphemed the goddess, and directed Demetrius and the craftsmen towards the courts. Then he dismissed the assembly, which had arrived at a riot without quite knowing its subject and departed under the heading of legal procedure.

The text

Read it

Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Names the Hebrew and Greek put in the verse link to the person, place or people they name; the address beside each verse is a link to that verse, which is what a reader copies and shares.

Acts 19:1While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the interior and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples
Acts 19:2and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” “No,” they answered, “we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
Acts 19:3“Into what, then, were you baptized?” Paul asked. “The baptism of John,” they replied.
Acts 19:4 Paul explained: “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the One coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”
Acts 19:5On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
Acts 19:6And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
Acts 19:7There were about twelve men in all.
Acts 19:8Then Paul went into the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.
Acts 19:9But when some of them stubbornly refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way, Paul took his disciples and left the synagogue to conduct daily discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
Acts 19:10This continued for two years, so that everyone who lived in the province of Asia, Jews and Greeks alike, heard the word of the Lord.
Acts 19:11God did extraordinary miracles through the hands of Paul,
Acts 19:12so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and the diseases and evil spirits left them.
Acts 19:13Now there were some itinerant Jewish exorcists who tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those with evil spirits. They would say, “I command you by Jesus, whom Paul proclaims.”
Acts 19:14Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.
Acts 19:15But one day the evil spirit responded, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”
Acts 19:16Then the man with the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. The attack was so violent that they ran out of the house naked and wounded.
Acts 19:17This became known to all the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, and fear came over all of them. So the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.
Acts 19:18Many who had believed now came forward, confessing and disclosing their deeds.
Acts 19:19And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books and burned them in front of everyone. When the value of the books was calculated, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.
Acts 19:20So the word of the Lord powerfully continued to spread and prevail.
Acts 19:21After these things had happened, Paul resolved in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must see Rome as well.”
Acts 19:22He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed for a time in the province of Asia.
Acts 19:23About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way.
Acts 19:24It began with a silversmith named Demetrius who made silver shrines of Artemis, bringing much business to the craftsmen.
Acts 19:25Demetrius assembled the craftsmen, along with the workmen in related trades. “Men,” he said, “you know that this business is our source of prosperity.
Acts 19:26And you can see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in nearly the whole province of Asia, this Paul has persuaded a great number of people to turn away. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all.
Acts 19:27There is danger not only that our business will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited and her majesty deposed—she who is worshiped by all the province of Asia and the whole world.”
Acts 19:28When the men heard this, they were enraged and began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
Acts 19:29Soon the whole city was in disarray. They rushed together into the theatre, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia.
Acts 19:30 Paul wanted to go before the assembly, but the disciples would not allow him.
Acts 19:31Even some of Paul’s friends who were officials of the province of Asia sent word to him, begging him not to venture into the theatre.
Acts 19:32Meanwhile the assembly was in turmoil. Some were shouting one thing and some another, and most of them did not even know why they were there.
Acts 19:33The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander forward to explain himself, and he motioned for silence so he could make his defense to the people.
Acts 19:34But when they realized that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
Acts 19:35Finally the city clerk quieted the crowd and declared, “Men of Ephesus, doesn’t everyone know that the city of Ephesus is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven?
Acts 19:36Since these things are undeniable, you ought to be calm and not do anything rash.
Acts 19:37For you have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed our temple nor blasphemed our goddess.
Acts 19:38So if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open and proconsuls are available. Let them bring charges against one another there.
Acts 19:39But if you are seeking anything beyond this, it must be settled in a legal assembly.
Acts 19:40For we are in jeopardy of being charged with rioting for today’s events, and we have no justification to account for this commotion.”
Acts 19:41After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.

01 — Also here

Who else the chapter reaches

Names written in the English are linked in the text above. These are the ones that are not: an entity the Hebrew or Greek names under a spelling the translation does not use, or one reached only by an assertion about a verse of this chapter.

Named in the Hebrew or Greek somewhere in this chapter, under a form the English renders differently — the registry's Ludim against the translation's Ludites — so there is no word in the sentence to hang the link on.

Reached by an assertion Atlas extracted from a verse of this chapter rather than by a name written in it — a pronoun, a title, or a participant the sentence carries without naming. This layer is model-read and measured at 88.6–90.3% precision, and it is kept separate from the names above for that reason.

02 — Read alongside

Where this is echoed

Readers' own connections, from OpenBible's crowd-voted cross-references — agreement about relevance, and not scholarly confidence. 391 passages were voted onto 38 verses of this chapter; the 16 shown lead on votes, and each is listed at the verse it was voted onto most strongly.

11 Acts 5:12The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people, and with one accord the believers gathered together in Solomon’s Colonnade.
11 Mark 16:17–20And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
11 Romans 15:18–19I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed,
20 Acts 12:24But the word of God continued to spread and multiply.
20 Acts 6:7So the word of God continued to spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem grew rapidly, and a great number of priests became obedient to the faith.
11 Hebrews 2:4and was affirmed by God through signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will.
12 Acts 5:15As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.
12 2 Kings 13:20–21And Elisha died and was buried. Now the Moabite raiders used to come into the land every spring.
20 Isaiah 55:11so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.
20 2 Thessalonians 3:1Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may spread quickly and be held in honor, just as it was with you.
11 Galatians 3:5Does God lavish His Spirit on you and work miracles among you because you practice the law, or because you hear and believe?
11 Acts 8:13Even Simon himself believed and was baptized. He followed Philip closely and was astounded by the great signs and miracles he observed.
11 Acts 16:18She continued this for many days. Eventually Paul grew so aggravated that he turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” And the spirit left her at that very moment.
13 Matthew 12:27And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.
15 Acts 16:17–18This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!”
5 Acts 8:16For the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.

Onward

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