14
Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.
15
But the evil spirit answered them, "I know Jesus, and I'm acquainted with Paul, but who are you?"
16
Then the man possessed by the evil spirit attacked them. He beat them up so badly that they ran out of that house naked and wounded.
17
All the Jews and Greeks living in the city of Ephesus heard about this. All of them were filled with awe for the name of the Lord Jesus and began to speak very highly about it.
18
Many believers openly admitted their involvement with magical spells and told all the details.
19
Many of those who were involved in the occult gathered their books and burned them in front of everyone. They added up the cost of these books and found that they were worth 50,000 silver coins.
20
In this powerful way the word of the Lord was spreading and gaining strength.
21
After all these things had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem by traveling through Macedonia and Greece. He said, "After I have been there, I must see Rome."
22
So he sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed longer in the province of Asia.
23
During that time a serious disturbance concerning the way [of Christ] broke out in the city of Ephesus.
24
Demetrius, a silversmith, was in the business of making silver models of the temple of Artemis. His business brought a huge profit for the men who worked for him.