Acts 19:14-31

¹⁴There were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did this.

¹⁵The evil spirit answered, “Yeshua I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?”

¹⁶The man in whom the evil spirit was leapt on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

¹⁷This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived at Ephesus. Fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Yeshua was magnified.

¹⁸Many also of those who had believed came, confessing and declaring their deeds.

¹⁹Many of those who practised magical arts brought their books together and burnt them in the sight of all. They counted their price, and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver.

²⁰So the word of the Lord was growing and becoming mighty.

²¹Now after these things had ended, Paul determined in the Spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”

²²Having sent into Macedonia two of those who served him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

²³About that time there arose no small disturbance concerning the Way.

²⁴For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen,

²⁵whom he gathered together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, “Sirs, you know that by this business we have our wealth.

²⁶You see and hear that not at Ephesus alone, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are no gods that are made with hands.

²⁷Not only is there danger that this our trade come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be counted as nothing and her majesty destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worships.”

²⁸When they heard this they were filled with anger, and cried out, saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

²⁹The whole city was filled with confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theatre, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul’s companions in travel.

³⁰When Paul wanted to enter in to the people, the disciples didn’t allow him.

³¹Certain also of the Asiarchs, being his friends, sent to him and begged him not to venture into the theatre.