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.”
4 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 Gentile in Asia had heard the Lord's message.
The Sons of Sceva
11 God gave Paul the power to work great miracles. 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 Gentiles 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
21 After all this had happened, Paul decided to visit Macedonia and Achaia on his way to Jerusalem. Paul had said, “From there I will go on to Rome.” 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. 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.
Paulus muEfeso
1 Ndele Apollos fimbo a li muKorinto, Paulus okwa li ta ende nokupitapita moilongo yokombada, ndele ta fiki muEfeso, ndele okwa hanga mo ovalongwa vamwe 2 nokwa pula kuvo: “Nye omwa pewa tuu Omhepo Iyapuki eshi mwa itavela?” Vo ove mu nyamukula, tava ti: “Fye inatu uda nandenande, ngeenge oku na Omhepo Iyapuki.” 3 Ndele okwe va pula: “Nye omwa shashwa neshasho lilipi?” Vo ve mu nyamukula: “Eshasho laJohannes.” 4 Opo nee Paulus ta ti: “Johannes okwa li ta shashe neshasho lelidilululo, eshi a lombwela ovanhu ve nokwiitavela ou te mu shikula, nokutya oJesus.” 5 Ndele vo, eshi ve di uda, ova shashelwa medina lOmwene Jesus. 6 Ndele Paulus eshi e va tenheka omake aye, Omhepo Iyapuki ye uya muvo, vo ova popya omalaka ndele tava xunganeke. 7 Ndele venya va li ve fike pomulongo navavali.
8 Ndele ye okwa ya moshinagoga nokwa popya navo nouladi omafiku e fike peehani nhatu, ndele ta kendabala oku va hepaululila oinima ei yomouhamba waKalunga. 9 Ndele vamwe eshi ve likukutika nova anya okwiitavela, tava sheke ondjila moipafi yovanhu, ye okwa dja po puvo, ndele ta tongola mo ovalongwa muvo, ndele okwa li ha popi keshe efiku mofikola yaTirannus. 10 Ndele eshi pa pita omido mbali, novanhu aveshe vomuAsia, nOvajuda nOvagreka, ova uda eendjovo dOmwene.
11 Ndele Kalunga okwa longifa yo Paulus oilonga inene yeenghono, 12 ngaashi yo eenashituke noitetahema yaye oya ka tenhekwa kovanaudu, noudu we va efa, neemhepo dii oda dja mo muvo. 13 Ndele eemhule dimwe Ovajuda ovaendaendi, va hetekela yo okutumbula edina lOmwene Jesus kombada yaava va li ve neemhepo dii, ndele tava ti: “Ame ohandi mu anifa medina lOmwene Jesus, ou ta udifwa kuPaulus.” 14 Mokati kaava ve shi ninga, omwa li ovana ovamati vaheyali vaSkeva, omupristeli omukulunhu wOvajuda, 15 ndele omhepo ii oye va nyamukula tai ti: “Jesus ondi mu shii, naPaulus ondi mu wete, ndele onye oolyelye?” 16 Nomunhu ou e nomhepo ii, okwe va nhukila ndele e va finda, ngaashi ou osho naawinya, vo ova puma mo meumbo olo ve li omalutu ongaho a tosholwa oipute. 17 Ndele eshi osha udika kwaaveshe muEfeso, kOvajuda nokOvagreka, ndele va kwatwa ketilo, nedina lOmwene Jesus ola fimanekwa pombada. 18 Ndele vahapu vomuvo va ninga ovaitaveli, nove uya okuhepaulula nokuholola oilonga yavo. 19 Ndele vahapu vomwaava va li va longifa oupule wavo, ova eta omishangwa davo doupule da ndubilwa onduba, ndele ve di xwika po moipafi yovanhu, nondado yado, eshi ya valulilwa kumwe, oya ninga oimaliwa oisiliveli yomayovi omilongo itano. 20 Hano osho ngaha eendjovo dOmwene oda kula noda pama noda holola eenghono dado.
21 Ndele ashishe osho eshi sha ningwa ko, Paulus e litokolela okupitila muMakedonia nomuAkaia nokuya kuJerusalem, ndele ta ti: “Ame nge nda di ko, ondi noku ka mona yo Roma.” 22 Ye okwa tuma ko ovakwafi vaye vavali, Timoteus naErastus muMakedonia, fimbo ye mwene ta kala efimbo limwe muAsia natango.
Euyaano laDemetrius
23 Ndele momafiku enya euyaano linene la tukulukila ondjila ei. 24 Osheshi omuhambwidi umwe woshisiliveli, edina laye Demetrius, ou ha hambula moshisiliveli omafano eetembeli daDiana (Artemis) e a likolifila ovalongi eenghulungu vakwao ovo ve mu longela eliko linene. 25 Ndele okwa ifana ava novalongi vakwao, va longa oshilonga osho, ndele ta ti: “Ovalumenhu nye, omu shi shii eliko letu ola dja moilonga ei. 26 Ndele paife omu shi wete ndele hamu shi udu, Paulus ou nhumbi a ivalaleka, haamo omu muEfeso amuke, ndele nomuAsia alishe ndele ta hongaula ovanhu vahapu eshi ta ti: Oinima ei ya hongwa nomake kai fi ookalunga. 27 Hano paife oshiponga eshi oshi li popepi: hashilonga eshi shetu ashike sha nyika okudinika, ndelenee otembeli yakalungakadona Diana yakula, tai xutuka, nako vene yo taka kanifa etumbalo lako, oko tuu aka ka fimanekwa muAsia ashishe nomounyuni.”
28 Ndele vo eshi ve di uda, ova yada ehandu, va ingida mokule tava ti: “Omwene oove Diana wOvaefeso!” 29 Noshilando ashishe sha hovela okupiyaana, ndele ova lotokela kumwe kondabo youdano nova kokololela mo Gaius naAristarkus, Ovamakedonia, ava va enda pamwe naPaulus. 30 Ndele Paulus eshi a hala okuya mokati kovanhu, ovalongwa inave mu efa. 31 Novakulunhu vamwe vomuAsia ava va li ookaume kaye, ova tuma kuye, ndele tave mu indile, aha ye ko kondabo youdano. 32 Vo aveshe ova uyaana va popya, vamwe eshi novakwao shinya, osheshi ongudu aishe oya dundakana, navahapu ova li vehe shii eshi she va ongaleka ko. 33 Ndele mongudu omwa shililwa Aleksander, Ovajuda ve mu undula moipafi. Aleksander okwe va mweneka neke, a hala okulombwela ongudu eendjovo delipopilo. 34 Ndelenee vo eshi ve mu koneka nokutya, ye Omujuda, opo nee aveshe va hovela okwiingida mokule unene ngaashi okanya kamwe, ndele tava uyaana eetundi mbali, tava ti: “Omwene oove Diana wOvaefeso!”
35 Ndele hamushanga woshilando, eshi a li a mweneka ovanhu, ta ti: “Ovalumenhu nye Ovaefeso, oku na tuu nande oumwe ou ehe shii kutya oshilando shOvaefeso hashi pashukile otembeli inene yaDiana nefano laye la wile meulu? 36 Hano eshi shi li ngaha noshihe fi okutuwa eemhata, omu nokumwena muha longe osho inashi yuka. 37 Nye mwa eta apa ovanhu ava, vehe fi ovanyeki votembeli ile ovasheki vakalungakadona aka ketu. 38 Ngeenge hano Demetrius novalongi eenghulungu ve neemhata nomunhu, oku na omafiku okuhokololifa, novatokoli veendjovo oko ve li, nava ye hano va hokololifafane. 39 Ndelenee ngeenge mu neendjovo donhumba nodongadi dimwe di lili, odo odi nokutokolwa moshiongalele shoshiwana konghedi yoveta yoshilongo. 40 Osheshi oshinima eshi sha ningwa mefiku eli lonena, osha nyika oku tu pa etimba tu hokololifwe omolwondubo, nande inatu nyona sha, ndele fye itatu dulu okulipopila euyaano eli.” 41 Hano eshi a popya ngaha, oshiongalele osha hanauka nee.
