Acts 19:18-33

¹⁸Also, many of the believers came and confessed and admitted the evil things they had done.

¹⁹Many who practiced magical arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of everyone. When they counted the value of them, it was fifty thousand pieces of silver.

²⁰So the word of the Lord spread very widely in powerful ways.

²¹Now after Paul completed his ministry in Ephesus, he decided in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia on his way to Jerusalem; he said, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”

²²Paul sent to Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, who had helped him. But he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

²³At about that time there was no small disturbance in Ephesus concerning the Way.

²⁴A certain silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver statues of Artemis, brought in much business for the craftsmen.

²⁵So he gathered together the workmen of that occupation and said, “Sirs, you know that in this business we make much money.

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

²⁷Not only is there danger that our trade will no longer be needed, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be considered worthless. Then she would even lose her greatness, she 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 the people rushed together into the theater. They had seized Paul's travel companions, Gaius and Aristarchus, who came from Macedonia.

³⁰Paul wanted to enter in among the crowd of people, but the disciples prevented him.

³¹Also, some of the officials of the province of Asia who were his friends sent him a message strongly requesting him not to enter the theater.

³²Some people were shouting one thing, and some another, for the crowd was in confusion. Most of them did not even know why they had come together.

³³Some of the crowd informed Alexander, whom the Jews were pushing to the front, and so Alexander motioned with his hand, wanting to give an explanation to those who were assembled.