18
Also many of those who were now believers came,
1confessing and divulging their practices.
19
And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.
20
So the word of the Lord
2continued to increase and prevail mightily.
A Riot at Ephesus
21 Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit
3to pass through
4Macedonia and Achaia and
5go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there,
6I must also see Rome. ”
22
And having sent into Macedonia two of
7his helpers,
8Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia
9for a while.
23
About that time
10there arose no little disturbance concerning
11the Way.
24
For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis,
12brought no little business to the craftsmen.
25
13These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth.
26
And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people,
14saying that
15gods made with hands are not gods.
27
And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the
16great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship. ”
28
When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out,
17“Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! ”