21
Afterthesethings were ended, Paulpurposedin the spirit, when he had passed throughMacedoniaandAchaia, to gotoJerusalem,saying, After*I have beenthere,ImustalsoseeRome.
22
So he sentintoMacedoniatwo of them that ministered unto him,TimotheusandErastus; but he himselfstayedinAsia for a season.
23
Andthesametime there arosenosmallstirabout that way.
24
For a certain man namedDemetrius, a silversmith, which madesilvershrines for Diana,broughtnosmallgain unto the craftsmen;
25
Whom he called together with the workmenof like occupation,andsaid, Sirs, ye knowthatbythiscraft we haveourwealth.
26
Moreover ye seeandhear, thatnotalone at Ephesus,butalmost throughout allAsia,thisPaul hath persuaded and turned awaymuchpeople,sayingthat they benogods,which are madewithhands:
27
So that notonlythisourcraft is in danger to be setatnought;[a]butalso that the temple of the greatgoddessDiana should be despised**, and*hermagnificenceshould be destroyed, whomallAsiaand the worldworshippeth.
28
And when they heard these sayings, they werefull of wrath,and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
29
And the wholecity was filled with confusion:and having caughtGaiusandAristarchus, men of Macedonia,Paul's companions in travel, they rushed with one accordinto the theatre.
30
AndwhenPaulwould have enteredin unto the people, the disciplessufferedhimnot.
31
And*certain of the chief of Asia, which werehisfriends,sentuntohim,desiring him that he wouldnotadventurehimselfinto the theatre.
32
Sometherefore*cried one thing, and some another:for the assemblywasconfused; and the more partknewnotwhereforethey were come together.
33
And they drewAlexander out of the multitude, the Jewsputtinghimforward. AndAlexanderbeckoned with the hand, and would have made his defence unto the people.
34
But when they knewthat he was a Jew,all*withonevoiceabout the space of twohours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
35
And when the townclerk had appeased the people, he said, Ye men of Ephesus,what*man is therethatknowethnot how that the city of the Ephesiansis a worshipper[b] of the greatgoddessDiana,and of the image which fell down from Jupiter?
36
Seeingthen that these things cannot be spoken against,yeought* to bequiet, and to donothingrashly.
37
For ye have brought hitherthesemen, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yetblasphemers of yourgoddess.
38
Wherefore*ifDemetrius,and the craftsmen which are withhim,have a matteragainst any man, the law[c] is open, and there aredeputies: let them implead one another.
39
Butif ye enquire any thingconcerning other matters, it shall be determinedin a lawful[d]assembly.
40
Forwe are in danger to be called in questionfor this day'suproar, there beingnocausewherebywemaygive an account of thisconcourse.
41
And when he hadthusspoken, he dismissed the assembly.