16. Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on Sceva's sons. He overpowered them all. He gave them a terrible beating. They ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
17. The Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus heard about this. They were all overcome with fear. They held the name of the Lord Jesus in high honor.
18. Many who believed now came and openly admitted the evil they had done.
19. A number of those who had practiced evil magic brought their scrolls together. They set them on fire out in the open. They added up the value of the scrolls. They found that it would take more than two lifetimes to earn what the scrolls were worth.
20. The word of the Lord spread everywhere. It became more and more powerful.
21. After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem. He went through Macedonia and Achaia. "After I have been to Jerusalem," he said, "I must visit Rome also."
22. He sent Timothy and Erastus, two of his helpers, to Macedonia. But he stayed a little longer in Asia Minor.