^19:13But some itinerant⁴¹ Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name⁴² of the Lord Jesus over those who were possessed by⁴³ evil spirits, saying, “I sternly warn⁴⁴ you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” ^19:14(Now seven sons of a man named⁴⁵ Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this.)⁴⁶^19:15But the evil spirit replied to them,⁴⁷ “I know about Jesus⁴⁸ and I am acquainted with⁴⁹ Paul, but who are you?”⁵⁰^19:16Then the man who was possessed by⁵¹ the evil spirit jumped on⁵² them and beat them all into submission.⁵³ He prevailed⁵⁴ against them so that they fled from that house naked and wounded.

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Footnotes

41 Grk “some Jewish exorcists who traveled about.” The adjectival participle περιερχομένων (perierchomenōn) has been translated as “itinerant.”
42 Grk “to name the name.”
43 Grk “who had.” Here ἔχω (echō) is used of demon possession, a common usage according to ἔχω 7.a.α.
44 The expression I sternly warn you means “I charge you as under oath.”
45 Grk “a certain Sceva.”
46 Within the sequence of the narrative, this amounts to a parenthetical note by the author.
47 Grk “answered and said to them.” The expression, redundant in English, has been simplified to “replied.”
48 Grk “Jesus I know about.” Here Ἰησοῦν (Iēsoun) is in emphatic position in Greek, but placing the object first is not normal in contemporary English style.
49 ἐπίσταμαι 2 has “know, be acquainted with τινά … τὸν Παῦλον Ac 19:15.” Here the translation “be acquainted with” was used to differentiate from the previous phrase which has γινώσκω (ginōskō).
50 But who are you? This account shows how the power of Paul was so distinct that parallel claims to access that power were denied. In fact, such manipulation, by those who did not know Jesus, was judged (v. 16). The indirect way in which the exorcists made the appeal shows their distance from Jesus.
51 Grk “in whom the evil spirit was.”
52 Grk “the man in whom the evil spirit was, jumping on them.” The participle ἐφαλόμενος (ephalomenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. L&N 15.239 has “ἐφαλόμενος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐπʼ αὐτούς ‘the man jumped on them’ Ac 19:16.”
53 Grk “and beating them all into submission.” The participle κατακυριεύσας (katakurieusas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. According to W. Foerster, 3:1098, the word means “the exercise of dominion against someone, i.e., to one’s own advantage.” These exorcists were shown to be powerless in comparison to Jesus who was working through Paul.
54 ἰσχύω 3 has “win out, prevail … κατά τινος over, against someone Ac 19:16.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

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 the 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 Paul I know about, 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.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Now some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists also attempted to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I command you by the Jesus that Paul preaches!” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this. The evil spirit answered them, “I know Jesus, and I recognize Paul—but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them, overpowered them all, and prevailed against them, so that they ran out of that house naked and wounded.

NLTNew Living Translation

A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!” Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this. But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?” Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

But some itinerant Jewish exorcists also attempted to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches!” (Now seven sons of a certain Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.) But the evil spirit answered and said to them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I am acquainted with, but who are you?” And the man who had the evil spirit leaped on them, subdued all of them, and prevailed against them, so that they ran away from that house naked and wounded.

KJV 1900King James Version

Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

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