7. There were about twelve men in this group.
8. For three months Paul went to the Jewish meeting place and talked bravely with the people about God's kingdom. He tried to win them over,
9. but some of them were stubborn and refused to believe. In front of everyone they said terrible things about God's Way. Paul left and took the followers with him to the lecture hall of Tyrannus. He spoke there every day
10. for two years, until every Jew and Gentile in Asia had heard the Lord's message.
11. God gave Paul the power to perform great miracles.
12. People even took handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched Paul's body, and they carried them to everyone who was sick. All the sick people were healed, and the evil spirits went out.
13. Some Jewish men started going around trying to force out evil spirits by using the name of the Lord Jesus. They said to the spirits, “Come out in the name of that same Jesus that Paul preaches about!”
14. Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this,
15. when an evil spirit said to them, “I know Jesus! And I have heard about Paul. But who are you?”
16. Then the man with the evil spirit jumped on them and beat them up. They ran out of the house, naked and bruised.
17. When the Jews and Gentiles in Ephesus heard about this, they were so frightened that they praised the name of the Lord Jesus.
18. Many who were followers now started telling everyone about the evil things they had been doing.
19. Some who had been practising witchcraft even brought their books and burnt them in public. These books were worth about fifty thousand silver coins.
20. So the Lord's message spread and became even more powerful.