Paulus ta longo aantu muEfeso: Ondjenda ontintatu
1 Ano Apollos manga a li muKorinto, Paulus okwa taakana pokati koshitopolwa shoka, sigo a thiki kuEfeso. Hwiyaka okwa adha ooitaali yamwe 2 nokwe ya pula ta ti: “Omwa pewa tuu Ombepo Ondjapuki, sho mwa ningi ooitaali?”
Oyo oye mu yamukula ya ti: “Otse inatu uva nando olumwe kutya oku na Ombepo Ondjapuki.”
3 Nena Paulus okwe ya pula ta ti: “Ano omwa shashwa eshasho lya tya ngiini?”
Oyo oye mu yamukula ya ti: “Tse otwa shashwa eshasho ndyoka Johannes e li ningi.”
4 Nena Paulus okwe ya lombwele ihe ta ti: “Johannes okwa shasha mboka yi itedhulula nokweetha oondjila dhawo oombwinayi, ihe okwa lombwele aantu kutya naa itaale ngoka te ya konima ye — kokutya naa itaale Jesus.”
5 Ano oyo sho yu uvu shoka sha popiwa kuPaulus, oyi ishashithile medhina lyOmuwa Jesus. 6 Paulus sho e ya tenteke iikaha ye, Ombepo Ondjapuki oya kulukile muyo. Nena oyo oya tameke okupopya omalaka gaa shiwike noyu uvitha wo oohapu dhaKalunga. 7 Aalumentu mboka oya li ye thike lwopomulongo nayaali ayehe kumwe.
8 Pethimbo lyoomwedhi ndatu Paulus okwa li ha yi mosinagoga e tu uvithile aantu nuulaadhi ta popi Oshilongo shaKalunga. 9 Ihe yamwe oyi ikukutike, ya tindi okwiitaala noya sheke montaneho yaayehe ondjila yaKalunga. Onkee Paulus okwe ya thigi po, a yoolola mo ooitaali nokwa kala ha kundathana nayo esiku kehe mosikola yaTirannus. 10 Pamukalo nguka Paulus okwa tsikile okulonga aantu uule woomvula mbali, naayehe mboka ya kala moshitopolwa shaAsia, Aajuda naapagani, oyu uvu oohapu dhOmuwa.
Aana aamati yaSkeva
11 Kalunga okwa longitha Paulus iikumithalonga iinene. 12 Nokuli iipugulitho niitetahema mbyoka a li e yi longitha, sho ya tentekwa kaavu, oya aluka komavu gawo, noombepo dha nyata odha zi mo muyo.
13 Nena Aajuda yamwe mboka ya li haa endagula nokutidha mo oombepo dha nyata maantu, oya kambadhala wo oku shi ninga nokulongitha edhina lyOmuwa Jesus. Oyo oya lombwele oombepo dha nyata taa ti: “Otandi mu lombwele medhina lyaJesus, ngoka tu uvithwa kuPaulus, zii mo momuntu nguka.” 14 Mokati kawo omwa li wo aana aamati yaheyali yomuyambimukuluntu gwAajuda, edhina lye Skeva.
15 Ihe ombepo ya nyata oye ya yamukula ya ti: “Jesus ondi mu shi, naPaulus ondi mu shi, ihe ne one oolye ano?”
16 Omulumentu ngoka a li e niwe kombepo ya nyata, okwe ya nukile nokwe ya kondjitha noonkondo adhihe e te ya sindi. Nena oyo oya gwaya mo megumbo e taa fadhuka po nomalutu ga toshagulwa noonguwo dha tuulwa.
17 Aajuda ayehe naapagani mboka ya kala muEfeso, oya kundana oshinima shika; oya tila noonkondo noya simaneke unene edhina lyOmuwa Jesus. 18 Oyendji yomooitaali oye ya e taa hempulula nokuhokolola montaneho yaayehe iinima mbyoka ye yi ninga. 19 Oyendji yomwaamboka ya li haa longitha uumpulile, oye eta omambo gawo agehe taga popi uumpulile e taye ga fike po montaneho yaantu ayehe. Sho ya tula kumwe ondando yomambo ngoka agehe, oya ningi iimaliwa yoshisiliveli omayuvi omilongo ntano.
20 Osho ngeyi oohapu dhaKalunga odha taandele noonkondo, naantu oyendji oye dhi itaale.
Ombuyagano muEfeso
21 Konima yaambika Paulus okwa tokola okupitila muMakedonia nomuGreka, a ye kuJerusalem. Oye okwa popi a ti: “Ongame ngele nda thiki ko hoka, nena ondi na wo oku ka talela po kuRoma. 22 Onkee okwa tumu aakwathi ye yaali, Timoteus naErastus, kuMakedonia, manga ye ta kala natango okathimbo muAsia.”
23 Pomasiku ngeyaka muEfeso omwa tukuluka uupyakadhi uunene omolwokulandula Omuwa. 24 Omuhambudhi gumwe gwoshisiliveli, edhina lye Demetrius, okwa li ha hambula iiyelekela iishona yoshisiliveli yotempeli yoshikalunga oshikiintu Artemis. Iipindi mbika oye etele oonakulonga pamwe naye uuyamba owindji. 25 Onkee okwi ithana aantu ayehe mboka haa longo puye nosho wo ooyakwawo yalwe mboka haa longo iilonga ya fa yawo, e te ya lombwele ta ti: “Aalumentu ne, omu shi shi nawa kutya uuyamba wetu ohau zi miilonga mbika. 26 Ihe ngashingeyi omu shi wete nomu shi uvite ko ne yene shoka omulumentu nguka Paulus ta ningi. Oye ota popi kutya omafano giikalunga ngoka ga hongwa kaantu, kage shi Kalunga. Oye okwi itaalitha aantu oyendji moshinima shika, haamuka ashike muEfeso, ihe okonyala moshitopolwa ashihe shaAsia. 27 Ano ngashingeyi ope na oshiponga shi li popepi kutya iilonga mbika yetu otayi ka dhinika. Nokuli haashika ashike, ihe ope na wo oshiponga oshikwawo kutya otempeli yakalunga omukiintu a simana, Artemis, otayi ka dhinika, nesimano lye enene otali ka shunduka, nonando oye kalunga ngoka ha simanekwa kaantu ayehe yomuAsia noyomuuyuni auhe.”
28 Ano ongundu yaantu sho yu uvu oohapu ndhika, oya geyea noya tameke okwiigidha mokule taa ti: “Artemis gwaEfeso oye omunene!”
29 Epiyagano ndika oli ihanene oshilando ashihe. Nena aantu oya nukile Aamakedonia yaali, Gaius naAristarkus, mboka ye ende pamwe naPaulus, noye ya tidhile kongulu yomaudhano.
30 Paulus okwa li a hala okupopya komeho gongundu, ihe ooitaali inaye shi pitika. 31 Yamwe yomaaleli yoshilongo, mboka ya li ookuume kaPaulus, oye mu tumine elaka noye mu indile, kaa ye ko nando kongulu yomaudhano. 32 Mongulu yomaudhano omwa li epiyagano alike. Aantu oya li taa igidha taa popi shontumba noshongandi, yo oyendji oya li kaaye shi wo kutya oya gongalele shike. 33 Yamwe oya dhiladhila kutya Aleksander oye e etitha epiyagano, Aajuda sho ye mu undulile komeho gaantu. Nena Aleksander okwa mweneke aantu noshikaha she, oshoka okwa li a hala okupopila Aajuda komeho gongundu. 34 Ihe aantu sho ya dhimbulula kutya oye Omujuda, oya tameke okwiigidha mokulekule ongomuntu gumwe uule wootundi mbali taa ti: “Artemis gwaEfeso oye omunene!”
35 Hugunina amushanga gwoshilando okwa mweneke aantu. Oye okwe ya lombwele ta ti: “Aaefeso ne, aantu ayehe oye shi shi kutya oshilando shaEfeso ohashi gamene otempeli yakalunga omukiintu omunene, Artemis, noyemanya eyapuki ndyoka lya gwa megulu. 36 Kape na nando ogumwe ta ludhike iinima mbika. Onkee ano gundjileni, inamu longa nando osha shaa fele. 37 One omwe eta aalumentu mbaka huka, nando oyo inaa yaka mo iinima iiyapuki yomotempeli nongaashi inaa sheka nando kalunga haka ketu. 38 Demetrius naalongeli ye ngele oye na oombudhi dhasha nomuntu gwontumba, omasiku gu uthwa gompangu oko ge li, naatokoli yoohapu opo ye li, naa ka tamanekathane hwiyaka. 39 Nongele ope na natango sha shilwe shoka mwe shi hala, nena oshi na okukundathanwa moshigongi shoshigwana pamukalo gwompango yoshilongo. 40 Oshoka oshinima shika sha ningwa nena, otashi vulu oku tu talitha kutya otse aapiyaganeki yaantu, nando hasho. Kape na nando eipopilo lyasha okupopila epiyagano ndika.”
41 Ano sho a popi ngeyi, aantu oya halakana.
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.
