Acts 19:8-20

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

⁸ He entered the synagogue and for three months spoke out boldly and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God.^{(A) 9} When some stubbornly refused to believe and spoke evil of the Way before the congregation, he left them, taking the disciples with him, and argued daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.^{[a](B) 10} This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.^(C)

The Sons of Sceva

¹¹ God did extraordinary miracles through Paul,^{(D) 12} so that when the handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, their diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.^{(E) 13} Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.”^{(F) 14} Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. ¹⁵ But the evil spirit said to them in reply, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?” ¹⁶ Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered them all, and so overpowered them that they fled out of the house naked and wounded. ¹⁷ When this became known to all residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, everyone was awestruck, and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised.^{(G) 18} Also many of those who became believers confessed and disclosed their practices. ¹⁹ A number of those who practiced magic collected their books and burned them publicly; when the value of these books^[b] was calculated, it was found to come to fifty thousand silver coins. ²⁰ So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.^(H)