Acts 19:14

Simplified Cowboy Version

These gypsies were the seven sons of a Jewish preacher named Sceva.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this.

King James Version (1611)
And there were seuen sonnes of one Sceua a Iewe, and chiefe of the Priests, which did so.

King James Version
And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.

English Standard Version
Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.

New American Standard Bible
Now there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, doing this.

New Century Version
Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this.

Amplified Bible
Seven sons of one [named] Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now seven sons of one named Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.

Berean Standard Bible
Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.

Contemporary English Version
Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this,

Complete Jewish Bible
One time, seven sons of a Jewish cohen gadol named Skeva were doing this;

Darby Translation
And there were certain [men], seven sons of Sceva, Jewish high priest, who were doing this.

Geneva Bible (1587)
(And there were certaine sonnes of Sceua a Iewe, the Priest, about seuen which did this)

George Lamsa Translation
And there were seven sons of one Sce''va, a Jew, and chief of the priests, who did this.

Good News Translation
Seven brothers, who were the sons of a Jewish High Priest named Sceva, were doing this.

Lexham English Bible
(Now seven sons of a certain Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.)

Literal Translation
And there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, doing this.

American Standard Version
And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, a chief priest, who did this.

Bible in Basic English
And there were seven sons of a man named Sceva, a Jew and a chief priest, who did this.

Hebrew Names Version
There were seven sons of one Skeva, a Yehudi chief Kohen, who did this.

International Standard Version
Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.

Etheridge Translation
There were seven sons of a man, a certain Jihudoya, chief of the priests, whose name was Skeva, who did this.

Murdock Translation
And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, who did this.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And there were seuen sonnes of one Sceua a Iewe, and chiefe of ye priestes, which dyd so.

English Revised Version
And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, a chief priest, which did this.

World English Bible
There were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did this.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And there were seven sons of one Sceva a Jewish chief priest, who did this.

Weymouth's New Testament
There were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew of high-priestly family, who were doing this.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And ther weren seuene sones of a Jewe, Steuen, a prince of preestis, that diden this thing.

Update Bible Version
And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, a chief priest, who did this.

Webster's Bible Translation
And there were seven sons of [one] Sceva a Jew, [and] chief of the priests, who did so.

New English Translation
(Now seven sons of a man named Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this.)

New King James Version
Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.

New Living Translation
Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this.

New Life Bible
A Jewish leader of the people by the name of Sceva had seven sons. These sons were trying to do this.

New Revised Standard
Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, a High-priest, who, this thing, were doing.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And there were certain men, seven sons of Sceva, a Jew, a chief priest, that did this.

Revised Standard Version
Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And ther were seven sonnes of one Sceva a Iewe and chefe of the prestes which dyd so.

Young's Literal Translation
and there were certain -- seven sons of Sceva, a Jew, a chief priest -- who are doing this thing;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
They were seuen sonnes of one Sceua a Iewe the hye prest, which dyd so.

Mace New Testament (1729)
these practitioners were seven in number, the sons of Sceva a Jew, one of the chief priests.

Contextual Overview

¹³A group of Jewish gypsies was going from town to town and claiming to cast demons out of people. They tried to imitate Paul in their little show and said, "By the power of Jesus, who Paul talks about, I'm ordering you to shuck out." ¹⁴These gypsies were the seven sons of a Jewish preacher named Sceva. ¹⁵One time while they were doing their little song and dance, a demon spoke back to them and said, "I know Jesus. I've even heard of this cowboy named Paul. But you are neither of these!" ¹⁶The demon-possessed man then lit into all seven of the men and whipped them like puppies. They barely escaped. They got out with their lives, but not without their clothes. ¹⁷Word of this spread like wildfire. Everyone living in Ephesus got real nervous, but the name of Jesus was held in high regard after that. ¹⁸A whole herd of folks who believed came forward and confessed their sins. They had finally realized this wasn't a game. ¹⁹Even some people who'd practiced witchcraft came forward and burned all their scrolls and books. The value of all the burned books and scrolls was several million dollars. ²⁰Because of this, God's message spread to the far corners of every pasture around there.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Cross-References

Matthew 1:18
Before Jesus was born, Joseph had asked for Mary's hand in marriage. Joseph had been honorable toward Mary and she was unspoiled. But before they could get hitched, Mary became pregnant through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Matthew 9:24
Jesus told 'em, "This girl ain't dead, she's just asleep." But they all just laughed and mocked him.

Luke 9:42
Jesus looked at the boy and told the demon that was possessing him to get out. The demon knocked the boy down one final time and then it was gone. From that moment, the boy was fine.

Luke 24:11
The cowboys scoffed at the idea of such a thing and didn't believe a word of it.

Acts 17:32
When Paul talked about people being raised from the dead, that's when some people started making fun of him. But a few said, "Tell us more, later."

1 Thessalonians 5:3
When everyone is complacent and content with the ways of this sorry world, the fires of the prescribed burn will be lit. And just like a pregnant woman can't stop the birth, neither will the scoffers be able to escape the fire.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And there were seven sons of one Sceva a Jew,.... Who strolled about the country, and used exorcisms: and

chief of the priests; that were at Ephesus; not the high priest of the Jews, for he would have been at Jerusalem, and not at Ephesus; though indeed it does not necessarily follow from the words, that Sceva himself was there, only his seven sons: however, no such name appears in the catalogue of the Jewish high priests, nor is it reasonable to think, that seven sons of an high priest should follow such a vagabond course of life: Beza's ancient copy only calls him "a priest"; and the Alexandrian copy reads his name, Sceuta, and the Ethiopic version omits it; it is the same with סכואה, and signifies a spectator, or observer; see the Targum on 2 Samuel 13:34.

which did so; adjured the devils in the name of Jesus, to come out; at least they did so in one case, as follows.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

One Sceva - Sceva is a Greek name, but nothing more is known of him.

Chief of the priests - This cannot mean that he was high priest among the Jews, as it is wholly improbable that his sons would be wandering exorcists. But it denotes that he was of the sacerdotal order. He was a Jewish chief priest; a priest of distinction, and had held the office of a ruler. The word “chief priest,” in the New Testament, usually refers to men of the sacerdotal order who were also rulers in the Sanhedrin.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 19:14. Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests — The original Ιουδαιου αρχιερεως, dignifies a Jewish high priest; but it is not probable that any sons, much less seven sons of a Jewish high priest, should be strolling exorcists: it is therefore likely that υιοισκευατινοςιερεως, the sons of Skeva, a certain priest, as it stands in the Codex Bezae, is the true reading. The whole verse in that MS. reads thus: Among them there also the sons of Skeva, a priest, who wished to do the same: for they were accustomed to exorcise such persons. And entering in to the demoniac, they began to invoke that Name, saying, We command thee by Jesus, whom Paul preacheth, to go out. And the evil spirit angered, and said unto them, Jesus I know, c. It has been often remarked that in our Lord's time there were many of the Jews that professed to cast out demons and perhaps to this our Lord alludes, Matthew 12:27. See Clark's note there; "Matthew 12:27".

Josephus, in speaking of the wisdom of Solomon, says that he had that skill by which demons are expelled; and that he left behind him the manner of using exorcisms, by which they are cast out; and that those arts were known among his countrymen down to his own time; and then gives us the following relation: "I have seen a certain man of my own country whose name was Eleazar, releasing people that were demoniacs, in the presence of Vespasian, his sons, his captains, and the whole multitude of his soldiers. The manner of the cure was this: He put a ring, that had a root of one of those sorts mentioned by Solomon, to the nostrils of the demoniac, after which he drew out the demon through his nostrils; and, when the man fell down, immediately he adjured him to return into him no more, making still mention of Solomon, and reciting the incantations that he had composed. And when Eleazar would persuade the spectators that he had such power, he set at a little distance a cup of water, and commanded the demon, as he went out of the man, to overturn it; and, when this was done, the skill and wisdom of Solomon were showed very manifestly." Joseph. ANTIQ. book viii. cap. 2, sect. 5. Whiston's edition.

That there were such incantations among the Jews we know well, and that there are still such found, and that they are attributed to Solomon; but that they are his remains to be proved; and could this even be done, a point remains which can never be proved, viz. that those curious arts were a part of that wisdom which he received from God, as Josephus intimates. Indeed, the whole of the above account gives the strongest suspicion of its being a trick by the Jewish juggler, which neither Josephus nor the emperor could detect; but the ring, the root, the cup of water, the spell, c. all indicate imposture. Magicians among the Jews were termed בעלי שם baaley shem, Masters of the Name, that is, the name of Jehovah יהוה by a certain pronunciation of which they believed the most wonderful miracles could be wrought. There were several among them who pretended to this knowledge; and, when they could not deny the miracles of our Lord, they attributed them to his knowledge of the true pronunciation of this most sacred name.