Veritable King James Version
1While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples
2and said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
3And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.”
4And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the One who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.”
5On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.
7There were about twelve individuals in all.
8And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.
9But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus.
10This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
11And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul,
12so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.
13Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists attempted to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.”
14Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.
15But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”
16And the person in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
17And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.
18Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices.
19And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they calculated the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.
20So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.
21Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”
22And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.
23About that time there arose no small disturbance concerning the Way.
24For a silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen.
25These he gathered together, with the workers of similar trade, and said, “Friends, you know that from this business we have our wealth.”
26“And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods.
27And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.”
28When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
29So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s companions.
30But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him.
31And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater.
32Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together.
33Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd.
34But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
35And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “People of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis and of the image that fell from heaven?”
36“Since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash.
37For you have brought these individuals here, who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess.
38If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges against one another.”
39“But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the lawful assembly.
40For we are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.”
41And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
Translation notes
The NA28 Greek text uses “μαθητάς” in verse 1, translated as “disciples” gender-neutrally, as the group is unspecified. “They” refers to these disciples, kept neutral for “αὐτοί.” Capitalized “Holy Spirit” follows instructions. “John’s baptism” renders “τὸ Ἰωάννου βάπτισμα,” referring to John the Baptist, consistent with Acts 18:25 and the KJV’s terminology. The dialogue preserves the KJV’s theological inquiry in modern English, per the NA28.
“People” and “they” translate “λαὸν” and “αὐτοί” gender-neutrally, referring to the disciples. Capitalized “One,” “Jesus,” “Lord Jesus,” and “Holy Spirit” follow instructions. “Baptism of repentance” renders “βάπτισμα μετανοίας,” echoing Acts 13:24 and the KJV. “Speaking in tongues and prophesying” translates “λαλεῖν γλώσσαις καὶ προφητεύειν,” per the NA28, preserving the KJV’s miraculous tone. “Individuals” renders “ἄνδρες” inclusively, as the group is unspecified.
“Some,” “them,” and “residents” translate “τινὲς,” “αὐτοῖς,” and “κατοικοῦντας” gender-neutrally. Capitalized “God” and “Lord” follow instructions. “The Way” renders “τὴν Ὁδὸν,” a term for early Christianity, per the NA28, echoing the KJV. “Hall of Tyrannus” translates “σχολῇ Τυράννου,” a specific location, preserved as in the KJV. “Jews and Greeks” renders “Ἰουδαίους τε καὶ Ἕλληνας,” inclusive of the audience.
Capitalized “God” follows instructions. “Extraordinary miracles” translates “οὐ τὰς τυχούσας δυνάμεις,” echoing the KJV’s “special miracles.” “Handkerchiefs or aprons” renders “σουδάρια ἢ σιμικίνθια,” specific items, per the NA28, preserving the KJV’s vivid detail. “Their” and “them” refer to the sick, translated gender-neutrally. “Evil spirits” renders “πνεύματα τὰ πονηρὰ,” consistent with the KJV’s supernatural tone.
“Some” and “those” translate “τινὲς” and “τοὺς ἔχοντας” gender-neutrally. Capitalized “Lord Jesus” and “Jesus” follow instructions. “Itinerant Jewish exorcists” renders “Ἰουδαίων ἐξορκιστῶν περιερχομένων,” per the NA28, echoing the KJV’s specificity. “Seven sons” translates “ἑπτὰ υἱοί,” gender-specific as in the Greek. The evil spirit’s response preserves the KJV’s dramatic confrontation, modernized for clarity.
“Person” translates “ἄνθρωπος” gender-neutrally, as the individual is unspecified in the NA28. “Them” and “residents” render “αὐτοὺς” and “κατοικοῦντας” inclusively. Capitalized “Lord Jesus” follows instructions. “Overpowered them” translates “ἐγκρατὴς γενόμενος,” echoing the KJV’s vivid narrative. “Fear fell upon them all” renders “ἐπέπεσεν φόβος,” per the NA28, preserving the KJV’s awe-inspiring tone.
“Believers” and “those” translate “πεπιστευκότες” and “οἱ” gender-neutrally. Capitalized “Lord” follows instructions. “Magic arts” renders “περίεργα,” per the NA28, echoing the KJV’s “curious arts.” “Fifty thousand pieces of silver” translates “ἀργυρίου μυριάδας πέντε,” likely drachmas, preserving the KJV’s economic detail. “Word of the Lord” renders “λόγος τοῦ Κυρίου,” emphasizing gospel growth, per the KJV.
Capitalized “Spirit” follows instructions, referring to the Holy Spirit, as “πνεύματι” in the NA28 suggests divine guidance (cf. Acts 16:7). “Helpers” translates “διακονούντων,” gender-neutral for Timothy and Erastus. “Resolved in the Spirit” renders “ἔθετο ἐν τῷ πνεύματι,” echoing the KJV’s “purposed in the spirit.” The mention of Rome foreshadows Acts 28, per the NA28.
“The Way” renders “τὴν Ὁδὸν,” consistent with verse 9, per the NA28. “Craftsmen” and “workers” translate “τεχνίτας” and “ἐργάτας” gender-neutrally, as unspecified. “Friends” renders “ἄνδρες,” gender-neutral in addressing the group. “No small disturbance” translates “τάραχος οὐκ ὀλίγος,” echoing the KJV’s understated intensity. “Artemis” retains the Greek deity’s name, per the KJV.
“People” translates “ὄχλον” gender-neutrally. “Gods made with hands” renders “χειροποίητοι θεοί,” lowercase as pagan deities, echoing Acts 17:24 and the KJV’s polemic. “Artemis” remains specific, per the NA28. “Come into disrepute” translates “εἰς ἀπελεγμὸν,” modernizing the KJV’s “should be set at nought.” The speech preserves the KJV’s economic and religious concerns in modern English.
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