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.
Pawulu be Efesus saatewo kono
1 Apollos be Korinti saatewo kono waatoo meŋ na, Pawulu tambita niŋ konkotundoolu* la fo a futata Efesus saatewo ma. A ye baadiŋ doolu tara jee, 2 a ye mennu ñininkaa ko, “Fo ali ye Noora Kuliŋo soto le baŋ, biriŋ ali laata?” Ì ye a jaabi ko, “Hanii! M̀ maŋ a moyi faŋ ko, Noora Kuliŋo be sotoriŋ ne.” 3 Bituŋ Pawulu ko ì ye ko, “Ali batiseeta* muŋ batisee siifaa le la?” Ì ko a ye ko, “Yaayaa la batiseeroo.” 4 Wo to le Pawulu ko ì ye ko, “Yaayaa la batiseeroo mu tuuboo batiseeroo le ti, meŋ ka a yitandi ko, i ye i koo dii i la junuboolu la le. Aduŋ a ka a fo nuŋ moolu ye le ko, ì ñanta laa la wo kiliŋo le la, meŋ be naa la ate koolaa. Wo le mu Yeesu ti.”
5 Kabiriŋ ì ye ñiŋ moyi, ì batiseeta niŋ Maarii Yeesu too la. 6 Pawulu ye a buloo laa ì kaŋ doroŋ, ì faata niŋ Noora Kuliŋo la. Ì diyaamuta niŋ kaŋ koteŋolu la, aniŋ ì ka kiilaariyaa kumoolu fo. 7 Ì mu kee taŋ niŋ fula ñoŋ ne ti.
8 Bituŋ Pawulu dunta diina bendulaa* kono. A ka diyaamoo ke fatiyaa kono jee fo kari saba. A niŋ moolu ka kacaa, a ka a kata ka ì sondi Alla la mansabaayaa la kuwo la. 9 Bari doolu kuŋo jaata baake le, ì maŋ soŋ ka laa. Biriŋ ì ka kuu jawoolu fo ñiŋ siloo ma kafoo ñaa la, Pawulu bota ì kono, a ye baadiŋolu* samba a fee. Bituŋ a ka karandiroo ke luŋ-wo-luŋ Tirannus la karandiridulaa to. 10 A tententa ñiŋ na le fo sanji fula fo moolu bee mennu be sabatiriŋ Asiya*, Yahuudoolu niŋ Jirisinkoolu, si Maariyo la kumoo moyi.
11 Alla ye kaawakuu sembemaa baalu ke ka bo niŋ Pawulu buloo la. 12 Hani moolu ye serebetoolu niŋ faanoolu samba, mennu ye Pawulu baloo maa, ì ye ì maa kuurantoolu la, ì la kuuraŋolu ka ì bula le, aduŋ seetaani jawoolu ka finti ì kono.
Sekewa dinkewolu
13 Bituŋ Yahuudi doolu naata taa dulaalu to taariŋ, ka seetaani jawoo bayi moolu bala. Ì fanaa ye Maarii Yeesu too kumandi moolu kunto, mennu ye seetaani jawoo soto. Ì ko, “Ŋà ali yaamari niŋ wo Yeesu too la, Pawulu ka meŋ na kuwo kawandi, ali bo ì bala!” 14 Piriisi* ñaatonka Sekewa dinkee woorowuloo be ñiŋ moolu kono le, mennu ka ñiŋ ke. 15 Bari seetaani jawoo ye ì jaabi ko, “Ŋa Yeesu loŋ ne, aduŋ ŋa Pawulu fanaa la kuwo loŋ ne, bari jumaa le mu alitolu ti?” 16 Bituŋ kewo meŋ ye seetaani jawoo soto, a podita ì kaŋ. A ye ì bee noo niŋ a semboo la, a ye ì barama jawuke fo ì bala kenseŋo borita ka finti buŋo kono.
17 Moolu bee mennu be sabatiriŋ Efesus, Yahuudoolu niŋ Jirisinkoolu, naata ñiŋ loŋ. Ì bee faata niŋ silaŋo la, aduŋ Maarii Yeesu too naata kuliyaa baake. 18 Moo jamaa mennu naata laa, ì ye ì la kuu jawoolu lankenema, ì ye mennu ke nuŋ. 19 Ì jamaa mennu be batuutaayaa la nuŋ, ì ye ì la wo kitaaboolu juruma ñoo kaŋ, ì ye ì jani kenebaa to. Wolu bee soŋo kafuriŋo ñoo ma, a si kaañaŋ kodiforo kuntu wuli taŋ luulu fee. 20 Ka bo niŋ ñiŋ siloolu la Maariyo la kumoo la semboo naata je, aduŋ a ka janjaŋ doroŋ.
21 Ñiŋ kuwolu bee koolaa, Pawulu ye a muta Nooroo kono ka taa niŋ Makedoniya niŋ Akaya tundoolu la fo Yerusalaamu. A ko, “Niŋ m bota jee, ŋa taa Rooma fanaa.” 22 Bituŋ a ye a la maakoyirilaa fula kii Makedoniya, Timoti niŋ Erastus, bari a faŋo sabatita Asiya le fo waatindiŋ.
Fitinoo wulita Efesus
23 Wo waatoo kono, fitina baa wulita Maariyo la siloo kamma. 24 Kodiforo tunkannaa doo le tarata jee, meŋ too mu Demetiriyus ti. A ka Aritimis batubuŋo muluŋolu le dadaa niŋ kodiforoo la. Ñiŋ dookuwo ka nafaa baa le naati kodiforo tunkannaalu ye jee. 25 Demetiriyus ye ì bee kumandi ñoo kaŋ, a ko ì ye ko, “Kewolu, ali ye a loŋ ne ko, ǹ ka naafuloo soto ñiŋ dookuwo le to. 26 Ali ye a je le, aduŋ ali ye a moyi le fanaa, ñiŋ Pawulu ka meŋ ke. A ka moolu sondi, aduŋ a ye ì jamaa yelemandi niŋ kumoo le la ko, ‘Alla te keriŋ, meŋ dadaata niŋ buloo la.’ A la ñiŋ dookuwo maŋ daŋ Efesus dammaa to, bari a ye a ke ñiŋ Asiya tundoo bee le kaŋ. 27 A maŋ ke ko, ǹ na dookuwo doroŋ ne be tiñaa la, bari Aritimis batubuŋo fanaa be ke la jutunna feŋo le ti. Hani a si ke noo faŋ, ñiŋ batu musumansoo Aritimis, Asiya niŋ duniyaa bee ka meŋ batu, a be foo la a la horomoo la le.”
28 Kabiriŋ ì ye ñiŋ moyi, ì kamfaata baake, aduŋ ì sarita santo ko, “Efesus moolu la Aritimis warabaata le!” 29 Bituŋ saatewo bee jakasita. Ì bee wafuta ka taa beŋ ì la bayee to. Ì ye Kayus niŋ Aristakus muta ka ì kuruntu jee. Wolu mu Pawulu taamañoolu le ti, mennu bota Makedoniya. 30 Pawulu lafita taa la moolu kono, bari baadiŋolu maŋ soŋ. 31 Wo maralibankoo ñaatonkoo doolu mennu mu Pawulu teeroolu ti, ì ye kumoo kii a ye ka a daani ko, a kana taa bayee to.
32 Kafoo dunta jakasoo kono. Doolu be sari kaŋ kuu kiliŋ ne la, doolu kuu doo, aduŋ moo jamaa maŋ a loŋ, meŋ ye a tinna ì be bendiŋ ñoo kaŋ jee. 33 Kabiriŋ Yahuudoolu be Alesanda ñori kaŋ kafoo ñaato, moo doolu mennu be kafoo kono, ì ye a wakiilindi ka feŋ fo. Bituŋ a ye taamanseeroo ke niŋ a buloo la fo a si ì faŋolu kanandi. 34 Bari biriŋ ì ye a kalamuta ko, a mu Yahuudoo le ti, ì bee wuurita ñoo la fo montoroo waati fula ñoŋ na ko, “Efesusinkoolu la Aritimis warabaata le!”
35 Labaŋo la saatewo la safeerilaa le ye kafoo deyindi noo. A ko ì ye ko, “Efesus moolu! Moo jumaa le maŋ a loŋ ko, Efesus le mu saatewo ti, meŋ ka Aritimis sembemaa la batubuŋo kanta, a niŋ a la bere senuŋo, meŋ boyita naŋ ka bo saŋo santo? 36 Baawo ñiŋ kuwolu te soosoo noo la, ali ñanta i deyi la le, ali kana kuu ke korontoo kono. 37 Ali ye ñiŋ kewolu samba naŋ jaŋ, mennu maŋ suuñaari ke batubuŋo kono, aduŋ ì maŋ ǹ na batumusumansoo tooñee. 38 Wo to, niŋ Demetiriyus niŋ kodiforo tunkannaalu mennu be a fee ye tuumiroo soto moo doo ma, kiitiidulaalu be yeleriŋ ne, aduŋ kumandaŋolu be jee le. Ì si taa luwaa siloo la. 39 Bari niŋ ali lafita feŋ doo le kafu la ñiŋ kuwo kaŋ, a si ke kansulu kafoo kono. 40 Ñiŋ kuwo meŋ be keriŋ bii, a maŋ koyi ntolu ye. Niŋ Roomankoolu ye ǹ tuumi jerewo la, ǹ te daliila soto la, ka ǹ tankandi.”
41 Kabiriŋ a ye ñiŋ kumoolu fo a kafoo naata janjaŋ.
