⁹ Why do you prophesy in the Lord’s name that this house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted?”^(A) And all the people crowded^(B) around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.

Paul the Roman Citizen

²² The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him!^(A) He’s not fit to live!”^(B)

³⁰ The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul,^(A) they dragged him^(B) from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut.

²⁴ A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. ²⁵ He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business.^{(A) 26} And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus^(B) and in practically the whole province of Asia.^(C) He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all.^{(D) 27} There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”

²⁸ When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”^{(E) 29} Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius^(F) and Aristarchus,^(G) Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia,^(H) and all of them rushed into the theater together. ³⁰ Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples^(I) would not let him. ³¹ Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.

³² The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another.^(J) Most of the people did not even know why they were there.

⁵ But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city.^(A) They rushed to Jason’s^(B) house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.^{[a] 6} But when they did not find them, they dragged^(C) Jason and some other believers^(D) before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world^(E) have now come here,^{(F) 7} and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.”^{(G) 8} When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil.

¹⁹ When her owners realized that their hope of making money^(A) was gone, they seized Paul and Silas^(B) and dragged^(C) them into the marketplace to face the authorities. ²⁰ They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar^{(D) 21} by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans^(E) to accept or practice.”^(F)

²² The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.^(G)

⁵⁰ But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.^(A)

¹⁴ For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place^(A) and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”^(B)

²⁸ “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,”^(A) he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”^(B)