21. After this, Paul made plans to go to Jerusalem. He planned to go through the regions of Macedonia and Achaia, and then go to Jerusalem. He thought, “After I visit Jerusalem, I must also visit Rome.”
22. Timothy and Erastus were two of his helpers. Paul sent them ahead to Macedonia. But he stayed in Asia for a while.
23. But during that time there was some trouble in Ephesus about the Way. This is how it all happened:
24. There was a man named Demetrius. He worked with silver. He made little silver models that looked like the temple of the goddess Artemis. The men who did this work made a lot of money.
25. Demetrius had a meeting with these men and some others who did the same kind of work. He told them, “Men, you know that we make a lot of money from our business.
26. But look at what this man Paul is doing. Listen to what he is saying. He has convinced many people in Ephesus and all over Asia to change their religion. He says the gods that people make by hand are not real.
27. I’m afraid this is going to turn people against our business. But there is also another problem. People will begin to think that the temple of the great goddess Artemis is not important. Her greatness will be destroyed. And Artemis is the goddess that everyone in Asia and the whole world worships.”
28. When the men heard this, they became very angry. They shouted, “Great is Artemis, the goddess of Ephesus!”
29. The whole city was thrown into confusion. The people grabbed Gaius and Aristarchus, men from Macedonia who were traveling with Paul, and rushed all together into the stadium.
30. Paul wanted to go in and talk to the people, but the Lord’s followers did not let him go.
31. Also, some leaders of the country who were friends of Paul sent him a message telling him not to go into the stadium.
32. Some people were shouting one thing and others were shouting something else. The meeting was very confused. Most of the people did not know why they had come there.