Acts 19:26

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

And you see and hear that this Paul has persuaded and turned away a large crowd, not only in Ephesus but in practically all of the province of Asia, by saying that gods made by hands are not gods at all.

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Referenced Verses

  • Isa 44:10-20 : 10 Who forms a god and casts an idol that will prove worthless? 11 Look, all his associates will be put to shame; the craftsmen are mere humans. Let them all assemble and take their stand! They will panic and be put to shame. 12 A blacksmith works with his tool and forges metal over the coals. He forms it with hammers; he makes it with his strong arm. He gets hungry and loses his energy; he drinks no water and gets tired. 13 A carpenter takes measurements; he marks out an outline of its form; he scrapes it with chisels, and marks it with a compass. He patterns it after the human form, like a well-built human being, and puts it in a shrine. 14 He cuts down cedars and acquires a cypress or an oak. He gets trees from the forest; he plants a cedar and the rain makes it grow. 15 A man uses it to make a fire; he takes some of it and warms himself. Yes, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Then he makes a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire– over that half he cooks meat; he roasts a meal and fills himself. Yes, he warms himself and says,‘Ah! I am warm as I look at the fire.’ 17 With the rest of it he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships it. He prays to it, saying,‘Rescue me, for you are my god!’ 18 They do not comprehend or understand, for their eyes are blind and cannot see; their minds do not discern. 19 No one thinks to himself, nor do they comprehend or understand and say to themselves:‘I burned half of it in the fire– yes, I baked bread over the coals; I roasted meat and ate it. With the rest of it should I make a disgusting idol? Should I bow down to dry wood?’ 20 He feeds on ashes; his deceived mind misleads him. He cannot rescue himself, nor does he say,‘Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?’
  • Acts 17:29 : 29 So since we are God’s offspring, we should not think the deity is like gold or silver or stone, an image made by human skill and imagination.
  • 1 Cor 8:4 : 4 With regard then to eating food sacrificed to idols, we know that“an idol in this world is nothing,” and that“there is no God but one.”
  • Acts 19:10 : 10 This went on for two years, so that all who lived in the province of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.
  • Acts 14:15 : 15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We too are men, with human natures just like you! We are proclaiming the good news to you, so that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them.
  • Rev 9:20 : 20 The rest of humanity, who had not been killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so that they did not stop worshiping demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood– idols that cannot see or hear or walk about.
  • Jer 10:11 : 11 You people of Israel should tell those nations this:‘These gods did not make heaven and earth. They will disappear from the earth and from under the heavens.’
  • Jer 10:14-15 : 14 All these idolaters will prove to be stupid and ignorant. Every goldsmith will be disgraced by the idol he made. For the image he forges is merely a sham. There is no breath in any of those idols. 15 They are worthless, mere objects to be mocked. When the time comes to punish them, they will be destroyed.
  • Deut 4:28 : 28 There you will worship gods made by human hands– wood and stone that can neither see, hear, eat, nor smell.
  • Ps 115:4-8 : 4 Their idols are made of silver and gold– they are man-made. 5 They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see, 6 ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell, 7 hands, but cannot touch, feet, but cannot walk. They cannot even clear their throats. 8 Those who make them will end up like them, as will everyone who trusts in them.
  • Ps 135:15-18 : 15 The nations’ idols are made of silver and gold, they are man-made. 16 They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see, 17 and ears, but cannot hear. Indeed, they cannot breathe. 18 Those who make them will end up like them, as will everyone who trusts in them.
  • Isa 46:5-8 : 5 To whom can you compare and liken me? Tell me whom you think I resemble, so we can be compared! 6 Those who empty out gold from a purse and weigh out silver on the scale hire a metalsmith, who makes it into a god. They then bow down and worship it. 7 They put it on their shoulder and carry it; they put it in its place and it just stands there; it does not move from its place. Even when someone cries out to it, it does not reply; it does not deliver him from his distress. 8 Remember this, so you can be brave! Think about it, you rebels!
  • Jer 10:3-6 : 3 For the religion of these people is worthless. They cut down a tree in the forest, and a craftsman makes it into an idol with his tools. 4 He decorates it with overlays of silver and gold. He uses hammer and nails to fasten it together so that it will not fall over. 5 Such idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field. They cannot talk. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them because they cannot hurt you. And they do not have any power to help you.” 6 I said,“There is no one like you, LORD. You are great. And you are renowned for your power.
  • Hos 8:6 : 6 That idol was made by a workman– it is not God! The calf idol of Samaria will be broken to bits.
  • Acts 18:19 : 19 When they reached Ephesus, Paul left Priscilla and Aquila behind there, but he himself went into the synagogue and addressed the Jews.
  • Acts 19:18-20 : 18 Many of those who had believed came forward, confessing and making their deeds known. 19 Large numbers of those who had practiced magic collected their books and burned them up in the presence of everyone. When the value of the books was added up, it was found to total fifty thousand silver coins. 20 In this way the word of the Lord continued to grow in power and to prevail.
  • 1 Cor 10:19-20 : 19 Am I saying that idols or food sacrificed to them amount to anything? 20 No, I mean that what the pagans sacrifice is to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons.
  • 1 Cor 12:2 : 2 You know that when you were pagans you were often led astray by speechless idols, however you were led.
  • 1 Cor 16:8-9 : 8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 because a door of great opportunity stands wide open for me, but there are many opponents.
  • Gal 4:8 : 8 Heirs of Promise Are Not to Return to Law Formerly when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods at all.
  • 1 Thess 1:9 : 9 For people everywhere report how you welcomed us and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

  • 83%

    27 There is danger not only that this business of ours will come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be regarded as nothing, and she whom all the province of Asia and the world worship will suffer the loss of her greatness.”

    28 When they heard this they became enraged and began to shout,“Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

    29 The city was filled with the uproar, and the crowd rushed to the theater together, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, the Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions.

    30 But when Paul wanted to enter the public assembly, the disciples would not let him.

  • 81%

    23 At that time a great disturbance took place concerning the Way.

    24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought a great deal of business to the craftsmen.

    25 He gathered these together, along with the workmen in similar trades, and said,“Men, you know that our prosperity comes from this business.

  • 77%

    33 Some of the crowd concluded it was about Alexander because the Jews had pushed him to the front. Alexander, gesturing with his hand, was wanting to make a defense before the public assembly.

    34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison,“Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” for about two hours.

    35 After the city secretary quieted the crowd, he said,“Men of Ephesus, what person is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the keeper of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image that fell from heaven?

    36 So because these facts are indisputable, you must keep quiet and not do anything reckless.

    37 For you have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess.

  • Acts 19:9-11
    3 verses
    73%

    9 But when some were stubborn and refused to believe, reviling the Way before the congregation, he left them and took the disciples with him, addressing them every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.

    10 This went on for two years, so that all who lived in the province of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.

    11 The Seven Sons of Sceva God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands,

  • 73%

    11 So when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language,“The gods have come down to us in human form!”

    12 They began to call Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

    13 The priest of the temple of Zeus, located just outside the city, brought bulls and garlands to the city gates; he and the crowds wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

    14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard about it, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting,

    15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We too are men, with human natures just like you! We are proclaiming the good news to you, so that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them.

  • 13 saying,“This man is persuading people to worship God in a way contrary to the law!”

  • 72%

    27 When the seven days were almost over, the Jews from the province of Asia who had seen him in the temple area stirred up the whole crowd and seized him,

    28 shouting,“Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people, our law, and this sanctuary! Furthermore he has brought Greeks into the inner courts of the temple and made this holy place ritually unclean!”

    29 (For they had seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him previously, and they assumed Paul had brought him into the inner temple courts.)

    30 The whole city was stirred up, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple courts, and immediately the doors were shut.

  • 72%

    21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there used to spend their time in nothing else than telling or listening to something new.)

    22 So Paul stood before the Areopagus and said,“Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in all respects.

    23 For as I went around and observed closely your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:‘To an unknown god.’ Therefore what you worship without knowing it, this I proclaim to you.

    24 The God who made the world and everything in it, who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by human hands,

  • 16 Paul at Athens While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was greatly upset because he saw the city was full of idols.

  • 71%

    17 This became known to all who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; fear came over them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised.

    18 Many of those who had believed came forward, confessing and making their deeds known.

  • 71%

    18 Even by saying these things, they scarcely persuaded the crowds not to offer sacrifice to them.

    19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and after winning the crowds over, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, presuming him to be dead.

  • 70%

    16 Paul and Silas Are Thrown Into Prison Now as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit that enabled her to foretell the future by supernatural means. She brought her owners a great profit by fortune-telling.

    17 She followed behind Paul and us and kept crying out,“These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.”

  • 9 For people everywhere report how you welcomed us and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God

  • 4 He addressed both Jews and Greeks in the synagogue every Sabbath, attempting to persuade them.

  • 19 But when her owners saw their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities.

  • 69%

    18 Also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him, and some were asking,“What does this foolish babbler want to say?” Others said,“He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods.”(They said this because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.)

    19 So they took Paul and brought him to the Areopagus, saying,“May we know what this new teaching is that you are proclaiming?

  • 22 But we would like to hear from you what you think, for regarding this sect we know that people everywhere speak against it.”

  • 19 When Paul had greeted them, he began to explain in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

  • 6 When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, screaming,“These people who have stirred up trouble throughout the world have come here too,

  • 4 Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large group of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.

  • 18 They have burned the gods of the nations, for they are not really gods, but only the product of human hands manufactured from wood and stone. That is why the Assyrians could destroy them.

  • 18 When they arrived, he said to them,“You yourselves know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I set foot in the province of Asia,

  • 29 Paul replied,“I pray to God that whether in a short or a long time not only you but also all those who are listening to me today could become such as I am, except for these chains.”

  • 2 You know that when you were pagans you were often led astray by speechless idols, however you were led.

  • 19 They have burned the gods of the nations, for they are not really gods, but only the product of human hands manufactured from wood and stone. That is why the Assyrians could destroy them.