17This incident came to the knowledge of all the Jews and Greeks living at Ephesus; they were all awe-struck, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in the highest honour.
18Many, too, of those who had become believers in Christ came with a full confession of their practices;
19while a number of people, who had practised magic, collected their books and burnt them publicly; and on reckoning up the price of these, they found it amounted to fifty thousand silver coins.
20So irresistibly did the Lord's message spread and prevail.
21Sometime after these events Paul resolved to go through Macedonia and Greece, and then make his way to Jerusalem. “And after I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.”
22So he sent to Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, while he himself stayed for some time longer in Roman Asia.
23Just about that time a great disturbance arose about the Way.
24A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver models of the shrine of Artemis, and so gave a great deal of work to the artisans,
25got these men together, as well as the workmen engaged in similar occupations, and said: “Men, you know that our prosperity depends on this work,
26and you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but in almost the whole of Roman Asia, this Paul has convinced and won over great numbers of people, by his assertion that those Gods which are made by hands are not Gods at all.
27So that not only is this business of ours likely to fall into discredit, but there is the further danger that the Temple of the great Goddess Artemis will be thought nothing of, and that she herself will be deprived of her splendour — though all Roman Asia and the whole world worship her.”
28When they heard this, the men were greatly enraged, and began shouting — “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
29The commotion spread through the whole city, and the people rushed together into the amphitheater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, two Macedonians who were Paul's travelling companions.
30Paul wished to go into the amphitheater and face the people, but the disciples would not let him,
Acts 19
Acts 19:17-30