15. But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”
16. And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
17. And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.
18. Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing 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 continued to increase and prevail mightily.
21. Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”
22. And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.
23. About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way.
24. For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen.
25. These 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, saying that gods 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 great 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, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
29. So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s companions in travel.
30. But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him.