Sceva's sons were seven Jewish exorcists who attempted to cast out evil spirits by using Jesus' name without having personal faith in him. They were overpowered and injured by a demon-possessed man, which led many in Ephesus to turn to the Lord in awe.
13Some itinerant Jewish exorcists also tried invoking the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims."
The evil spirit answered them by saying that it knew Jesus and was aware of Paul, but asked who they were - exposing their lack of spiritual authority.
News of what had happened spread among Jews and Greeks in Ephesus, and everyone was filled with fear. The name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.
19A good number of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in front of everyone. When the value was added up, it came to fifty thousand silver coins.[^1]
[^1]: A silver coin was roughly a day's wage for a laborer, so this sum represented an enormous amount of money.