Paulo mu Efeso
1 Apolosi kati atjimu Korinta, Paulo kayenda ali tje mukati kwe ntuthu, ngono kaswika mu Efeso. Ikoku kawana bamwe badiyiwa, 2 ngono kababhuzwa kati, “Apa makaamutjila Meya yakayengemala pamakabe bagalimoyo kene?”
Bakadabila beti, “Aa, atithu tikahwa na iko kuti kuna Meya yakayengemala.”
3 Paulo kabhuzwa kati, “Ngono makaamutjila kudubikwa kwakatini?”
Bakadabila beti, “Kudubikwa kwa Johani.”
4 Paulo kati, “Kudubika kwa Johani kwakabe kuli kwe kushandukila matjinyo; ngono wakabudza bathu kugalamoyo muna iye wakabe ewozha shule kukwe, iye Jesu.”
5 Bakati behwa ikoku, bakadubikwa nge zina la She Jesu. 6 Paulo kabiga maboko awe pezhugwi kwabo, ngono Meya yakayengemala ikadelukila mubali; bakalebeleka nge ndimi kakale bakalebabo dama le Ndzimu. 7 Bose bakabe bangabe balume bali gumi lina babili.
8 Paulo kangina mu ng'umba ye mitembezelo, ngono mu mimwedzi ili mitatu kalebeleka ngosimamoyo ne bathu, elebeleka nabo egwisa kubagadzamoyo mu bushe gwe Ndzimu. 9 Koga kwakabe kuti bamwe bakakukutala, bakasigalemoyo, bakaleba zwakabipa ngekwe Zila ya She mbeli kwe gubungano. Ndizo Paulo kabasiya, katola ibabo bakabe begalamoyo, ngono mazhuba wose elebeleka mu ng'umba ye zwidiyo ya Tirano kudwa mu lubaka gwe gumi lina ling'ompela. 10 Ikoku kukadwilila makole mabili, ndizo bathu bose bakabe begala mu ntuthu we Ezhiya, Bajuta ne Bezwitjaba bakahwa dama la She.
Bakololo ba Sikeva
11 Ndzimu wakabe ushinga ndi Paulo makaabadzo asakawolobegwa. 12 Tukwana ne khiba dzaakashingisa dzakabe dziyisiwa ku bagwele, ngono magwele abo ebhuda mubali ne meya yakabipa ibhuda mubali. 13 Bamwe Bajuta bakabe beyenda bedusa meya yakabipa bakagwisa kushingisa zina la She Jesu kuthama ikoku. Bakati ku meya yakabipa, “Ndokulaya nge zina la Jesu, iye Paulo waanosumikila.” 14 Bakololo bali kutendeka ba Sikeva Ntungamili we bapirisiti we Tjijuta bakabe bethama ikoku. 15 Koga meya mbi ikati ku bali, “Jesu ndonziba, na Paulo ndonziba koga imwi, muboani?”
16 Nlume iwoyo wakabe ana meya mbi kabatjulukila kagwanabo kabakulila nge masimba. Bakatizha bakabhuda mu ng'umba iye basakasungila kakale bana mbonje. 17 Ikoku kukazibgwa nge bagali bose be Efeso ne Bajuta kose ne Bezwitjaba bakazhala kutja, ngono zina la She Jesu likakudziwa. 18 Bunji gwa ibabo bakabe batjibe bagalimoyo bakazha, bezwileba matjinyo abo kakale bedusila patjena mishingo yabo mibi yabakabe bethama. 19 Bunji gwa ibabo bakabe beshingisa malipa bakakubunganya hwalo dzabo, ngono bakadzipisa mbeli kwe bathu. Bakashanganya themba ye hwalo idzedzo, ngono yose yakabe zwiwulu zwili makumi mashanu (50 000) e maloso e siliva. 20 Dama la She likakula likawanda nge masimba.
Phipiti mu Efeso
21 Shule kwe zwithu izwezwi zwashingikala, Paulo kakumbula kuyenda epalama Makedoniya ne Akaiya eyenda ku Jerusalema, eti, “Kudwa ikoko ndakafanila kuyenda ku Roma.” 22 Ndizo katuma Timoti na Erasito, babili be babhatshi babe mu Makedoniya iye esala kwe tjibakana mu Ezhiya.
23 Kwakabe kuna kudzongeka kukulu mu Efeso mu tjibaka itjetjo ngekwe Zila ya She. 24 Mmwe nthuli we siliva wakabe eyi Demetiriyo wakabe ethama zwifano zwe siliva zwe ng'umba ye ndzimukadzi Aritemisi, ngono nshingo uwe wakabe ubuzila bashingi kwazo. 25 Ndizo kabadana bose ne bamwe bakabe bana nshingo unoyendidzana ne wabo, kati ku bali, “Balume, moziba kuti fumwa yedu inodwa mu nshingo iwoyu. 26 Ngwenu, mobona mukazwihwigwa tjinoshingwa nge nthu iwoyu Paulo. Kati midzimu yakabezhiwa nge bathu ate ili midzimu dumbu, ndizo wakatubula kugadzamoyo bathu banjinji kabatungamilila ntome kose muno mu Efeso ne mu ntuthu wose we Ezhiya. 27 Ndizo kuna mbhatsha dze kuti nshingo wedu iwoyu ube ne zina lakabipa. Ate ikoku koga, kuna mbatshabo dze kuti ng'umba ye ndzimukadzi nkulu Aritemisi inowolengudzika nge kuti unowodelusiwa mu bukulu gwawo, ndzimukadzi unonamatiwa nge mmwe ne mmwe mu Ezhiya ne mu shango yose!”
28 Bakati behwa matama iyawa, bakazhala bushongola bakatangisa kumimila beti, “Nkulu Aritemisi we Baefeso!” 29 Zhoba ikayenda nge nzi wose. Mbunga wose ukalabuka ukangina mu ng'umba ye mizano ukazuzuta Gayo na Arisitako be Makedoniya ibo bakabe beyenda na Paulo mu njendo dzidze. 30 Paulo nge kukwe wakabe eshaka kungina pakati kwe mbunga, koga badiyiwa bakasin'dumile. 31 Bamwe be babusi be Ezhiya, bakabe bali bazwalani babe, bakayisa thumo kunli benkumbila kuti asitongo zwilakidza mu ng'umba ye mizano. 32 Mu tjibaka itjetjo gubungano lose lakabe lili mu phipiti, bamwe bathu bakabe bemimila beleba tjabanoleba, bamwe bemimila beleba tjipoga, ngono bunji gwabo gwakabe gusingazibe kuti bakubunganilani. 33 Bamwe be bathu ipapo bakatola kuti Alekizanda wakabe ali iye u nlandu, se Bajuta bakanthama kuti ayende mbeli. Ipapo Alekizanda kalakidza nge luboko kuti bathu banyalale, ngono kagwisa kulebeleka ezwimila. 34 Koga bakati beziba kuti Njuta, bakamimila bose beleba tjithu tjing'ompela mu awara mbili beti, “Aritemisi we Efeso ndiye nkulu!”
35 Ku bupelo nkwalili we nzi katubula kudzikamisa mbunga. Kati, “Bakanyi kwedu Baefeso! Mmwe ne mmwe unoziba kuti nzi we Efeso nlondolodzi we ng'umba ya Aritemisi nkulu nenge bgwe lakayengemala lakawa lidwa kudzimu. 36 Aapo ungalandula zwithu izwezwi. Ndizo makafanila dzikama, musithame tjimwe nge phupu. 37 Mazhisa balume ibaba ngeno nenguba basatolela ng'umba dze midzimu yedu kene kuli kuleba tjakabipa ngekwe ndzimukadzi wedu. 38 Ha Demetiriyo ne bashingi babe bana nlandu wabanopa mmwe, mabazhe akazhuka ne balauli bayapo ndizo ngabatjetane. 39 Koga ha kuna tjimwe kakale tjamunoshaka, pana itjetji tjowolulwamisiwa mu gubungano le babaki bamuno kuyendidzana nge nlayo. 40 Ngobe ngekwe tjashingikala nasi, kuna mbatsha dze kuti tingatjetegwa phipiti. Akuna dama latingaleba labanga zhoba iyeyi.” 41 Kati aleba ikoku kapaladza nshangano.
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.