Acts 19 (NMV)
1 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples there
2 and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
3 Then he asked, "Into what were you baptized?" They replied, "Into John's baptism."
4 Paul said, "John baptized with a baptism of turning from your former way of life, telling the people to believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Jesus."
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began speaking in other languages and prophesying.
7 There were about twelve men in all.
8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.
9 But when some became stubborn and refused to believe, speaking evil of the Way before the crowd, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him. He held daily discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.
11 God was performing extraordinary miracles through Paul,
12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, and their diseases left them, and evil spirits came out of them.
13 Now some of the traveling Jewish exorcists tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I command you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches."
14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.
15 But the evil spirit responded to them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?"
16 Then the man with the evil spirit jumped on them, overpowered all of them, and attacked them so violently that they ran out of the house naked and wounded.
17 This became known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. Fear fell on all of them, and the name of the Lord Jesus was honored.
18 Many who had believed came confessing and revealing what they had practiced.
19 And many of those who had practiced sorcery brought their books together and burned them in front of everyone. They calculated their value and found it to be fifty thousand silver coins [worth about 50,000 days' wages; equivalent to several million dollars today].
20 In this way, the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.
21 After all this had happened, Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem. "After I've been there," he said, "I must also see Rome."
22 He sent two of his assistants, Timothy and Erastus, ahead to Macedonia, but he stayed in the province of Asia for a while.
23 About that time, a major disturbance broke out concerning the Way.
24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen.
25 He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said, "Men, you know that we make a good living from this business.
26 You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a large number of people, saying that gods made by human hands are not gods at all.
27 Not only is our trade in danger of losing its good name, but also the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be discredited, and she, whom all of Asia and the world worship, may be robbed of her majesty."
28 When they heard this, they were filled with rage and began shouting, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
29 So the city was filled with confusion, and they rushed all together into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul's traveling companions.
30 Although Paul wanted to go in before the people, the disciples would not let him.
31 Even some of the officials of the province, who were his friends, sent word to him and urged him not to venture into the theater.
32 Some were shouting one thing, some another, because the assembly was in confusion, and most of them didn't even know why they were there.
33 Some of the crowd gave instructions to Alexander, whom the Jews pushed forward. Alexander motioned for silence and tried to make a defense before the people.
34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
35 When the city clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, "People of Ephesus! Who among you doesn't know that the city of the Ephesians is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven?
36 Since these things are undeniable, you must calm down and not do anything reckless.
37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess.
38 So if Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a case against anyone, the courts are in session and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another there.
39 If you want to bring up anything else, it must be settled in a legal assembly.
40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today, since there is no reason we can give for this uproar." And after saying this, he dismissed the assembly.