^19:23At⁸⁰ that time⁸¹ a great disturbance⁸² took place concerning the Way.⁸³^19:24For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines⁸⁴ of Artemis,⁸⁵ brought a great deal⁸⁶ of business⁸⁷ to the craftsmen. ^19:25He gathered⁸⁸ these⁸⁹ together, along with the workmen in similar trades,⁹⁰ and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity⁹¹ comes from this business. ^19:26And you see and hear that this Paul has persuaded⁹² and turned away⁹³ a large crowd,⁹⁴ not only in Ephesus⁹⁵ but in practically all of the province of Asia,⁹⁶ by saying⁹⁷ that gods made by hands are not gods at all.⁹⁸^19:27There is danger not only that this business of ours will come into disrepute,⁹⁹ but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis¹⁰⁰ will be regarded as nothing,¹⁰¹ and she whom all the province of Asia¹⁰² and the world worship will suffer the loss of her greatness.”¹⁰³

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Footnotes

80 Grk “There happened at that time.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. Instead the verb “took place” has been supplied in the translation.
81 κατά B.2.a, “in definite indications of time … Of the past: κ. ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρόν at that time, then … Ac 12:1; 19:23.”
82 Grk “no little disturbance” (an idiom; see τάραχος 2).
83 The Way refers to the Christian movement (Christianity).
84 ναός 1.a states, “Specif. of temples: of replicas of the temple of Artemis at Ephesus 19:24 … but here, near ἱερόν vs. 27 … ναός can be understood in the more restricted sense shrine, where the image of the goddess stood.”
85 Artemis was the name of a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.
86 Grk “brought not a little business” (an idiom).
87 A great deal of business. The charge that Christianity brought economic and/or social upheaval was made a number of times in Acts: 16:20–21; 17:6–7; 18:13.
88 Grk “gathering.” The participle συναθροίσας (sunathroisas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
89 Grk “whom”; because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced with a pronoun (“these”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.
90 Workmen in similar trades. In effect, Demetrius gathered the Ephesian chamber of commerce together to hear about the threat to their prosperity.
91 Another possible meaning is “that this business is an easy way for us to earn a living.”
92 Grk “persuading.” The participle πείσας (peisas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
93 Or “misled.”
94 ἱκανός 3.a has “of pers. ὄχλος a large crowd … Ac 11:24, 26; 19:26.”
95 For location see ; ; ; .
96 Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. .
97 The participle λέγων (legōn) has been regarded as indicating instrumentality.
98 The words “at all” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Gods made by hands are not gods at all. Paul preached against paganism’s idolatry. Here is a one-line summary of a speech like that in Acts 17:22–31.
99 Or “come under public criticism.” ἀπελεγμός has “come into disrepute Ac 19:27.”
100 Artemis was the name of a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.
101 λογίζομαι 1.b has “εἰς οὐθὲν λογισθῆναι be looked upon as nothing … Ac 19:27.”
102 Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. .
103 Or “her magnificence.” καθαιρέω 2.b has “καθαιρεῖσθαι τῆς μεγαλειότητος αὐτῆς suffer the loss of her magnificence Ac 19:27”; L&N 13.38 has “ ‘and to have her greatness done away with’ Ac 19:27.” Suffer the loss of her greatness. It is important to appreciate that money alone was not the issue, even for the pagan Ephesians. The issue was ultimately the dishonor of their goddess to whom they were devoted in worship. The battle was a “cosmic” one between deities.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. 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. 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.”

NIVNew International Version (2011)

About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. 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. And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. 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.”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

About that time there was a major disturbance about the Way. For a person named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, provided a great deal of business for the craftsmen. When he had assembled them, as well as the workers engaged in this type of business, he said, “Men, you know that our prosperity is derived from this business. You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this man Paul has persuaded and misled a considerable number of people by saying that gods made by hand are not gods. Not only do we run a risk that our business may be discredited, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be despised and her magnificence come to the verge of ruin—the very one all of Asia and the world worship.”

NLTNew Living Translation

About that time, serious trouble developed in Ephesus concerning the Way. It began with Demetrius, a silversmith who had a large business manufacturing silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis. He kept many craftsmen busy. He called them together, along with others employed in similar trades, and addressed them as follows:

“Gentlemen, you know that our wealth comes from this business. But as you have seen and heard, this man Paul has persuaded many people that handmade gods aren’t really gods at all. And he’s done this not only here in Ephesus but throughout the entire province! Of course, I’m not just talking about the loss of public respect for our business. I’m also concerned that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will lose its influence and that Artemis—this magnificent goddess worshiped throughout the province of Asia and all around the world—will be robbed of her great prestige!”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Now there happened at that time no little disturbance concerning the Way. For someone named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver replicas of the temple of Artemis, was bringing no little business to the craftsmen. These he gathered together, and the workers occupied with such things, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we get our prosperity, and you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this man Paul has persuaded and turned away a large crowd by saying that the gods made by hands are not gods. So not only is there a danger this line of business of ours will come into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be regarded as nothing—and she is about to be brought down even from her grandeur, she whom the whole of Asia and the entire world worship!”

KJV 1900King James Version

And the same time there arose no small stir about that way. For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen; Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth. Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands: So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth.

Public Domain