³² If at Ephesus I fought with beasts, so to speak, what benefit was it to me? If the dead are not raised:

¹⁹ When they reached Ephesus, he left them there, while he entered the synagogue and held discussions with the Jews.

Chapter 19

Paul in Ephesus. ^1 [a]While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior of the country and came [down] to Ephesus where he found some disciples. ² He said to them, “Did you receive the holy Spirit when you became believers?” They answered him, “We have never even heard that there is a holy Spirit.” ³ He said, “How were you baptized?” They replied, “With the baptism of John.” ⁴ Paul then said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.”^{(A) 5} When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul laid [his] hands on them, the holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.^{(B) 7} Altogether there were about twelve men.

⁸ He entered the synagogue, and for three months debated boldly with persuasive arguments about the kingdom of God. ⁹ But when some in their obstinacy and disbelief disparaged the Way before the assembly, he withdrew and took his disciples with him and began to hold daily discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ This continued for two years with the result that all the inhabitants of the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord, Jews and Greeks alike.