Williams(i)
23 Now just about that time a great commotion arose about The Way.
24 A silversmith named Demetrius, by manufacturing silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing in great profits to his workmen.
25 He called together his workmen, and others engaged in similar trades, and said to them: "Men, you well know that our prosperity depends on this business of ours,
26 and you see and hear that, not only in Ephesus but all over the province of Asia, this man Paul has led away a vast number of people by persuading them, telling them that gods made by human hands are not gods at all.
27 Now the danger facing us is, not only that our business will lose its reputation but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be brought into contempt and that she whom all Asia and all the world now worship will soon be dethroned from her majestic glory!"
28 When they heard this, they became furious and kept on shouting, "Great Artemis of Ephesus!"
29 So the whole city was thrown into confusion and with one impulse the people rushed into the theatre and dragged with them two Macedonians, Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions.
30 Paul wanted to go into the assembly and address the people, but the disciples would not let him.
31 Some of the public officials in Asia, who were friendly to him, also sent word to him, begging him not to risk himself in the theatre.
32 So they kept on shouting, some one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and the majority of them did not know why they had met.
33 Some of the crowd concluded that it was Alexander, since the Jews had pushed him to the front, and since Alexander had made a gesture of the hand as though he would make a defense before the people.
34 But as soon as they saw that he was a Jew, a shout went up from them all as the shout of one man, lasting for two hours: "Great Artemis of Ephesus!"