God did extraordinary miracles
through Paul, 12so that
even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the
sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
Some Jews who went around
driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus
over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, "In the
name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come
out."
Seven
sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the
evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about
Paul, but who are you?" Then the man who had the evil spirit
jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating
that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
Fear and Honor
When this became known to
the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with
fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.
Many
of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil
deeds. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls
together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of
the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.
In
this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.
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