30
Paul himself wanted to go before the crowd, but the believers would not let him.
31
Some of the provincial authorities, who were his friends, also sent him a message begging him not to show himself in the theater.
32
Meanwhile the whole meeting was in an uproar: some people were shouting one thing, others were shouting something else, because most of them did not even know why they had come together.
33
Some of the people concluded that Alexander was responsible, since the Jews made him go up to the front. Then Alexander motioned with his hand for the people to be silent, and he tried to make a speech of defense.
34
But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all shouted together the same thing for two hours: "Great is Artemis of Ephesus!"
35
At last the city clerk was able to calm the crowd. "Fellow Ephesians!" he said. "Everyone knows that the city of Ephesus is the keeper of the temple of the great Artemis and of the sacred stone that fell down from heaven.
36
Nobody can deny these things. So then, you must calm down and not do anything reckless.
37
You have brought these men here even though they have not robbed temples or said evil things about our goddess.
38
If Demetrius and his workers have an accusation against anyone, we have the authorities and the regular days for court; charges can be made there.
39
But if there is something more that you want, it will have to be settled in a legal meeting of citizens.
40
For after what has happened today, there is the danger that we will be accused of a riot. There is no excuse for all this uproar, and we would not be able to give a good reason for it."