casting out demons

¹⁰Concerning the rest, brothers, be strengthened in the Lord, by the power of his virtue. ¹¹Be clothed in the armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the treachery of the devil. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the directors of this world of darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in high places. ¹³Because of this, take up the armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand the evil day and remain perfect in all things. ¹⁴Therefore, stand firm, having been girded about your waist with truth, and having been clothed with the breastplate of justice, ¹⁵and having feet which have been shod by the preparation of the Gospel of peace.

⁷Therefore, be subject to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

⁴³Now when an unclean spirit departs from a man, he walks through dry places, seeking rest, and he does not find it. ⁴⁴Then he says, ‘I will return to my house, from which I departed’. And arriving, he finds it vacant, swept clean, and decorated. ⁴⁵Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and live there. And in the end, the man becomes worse than he was at first. So, too, shall it be with this most wicked generation.”

¹⁶Whoever will have believed and been baptized will be saved. Yet truly, whoever will not have believed will be condemned. ¹⁷Now these signs will accompany those who believe. In my name, they shall cast out demons. They will speak in new languages. ¹⁸They will take up serpents, and, if they drink anything deadly, it will not harm them. They shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they will be well.”

⁸Be sober and vigilant. For your adversary, the devil, is like a roaring lion, traveling around and seeking those whom he might devour.

¹⁷Then the seventy-two returned with gladness, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us, in your name.”

¹¹And the unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell prostrate before him. And they cried out, saying,

¹³Then, even some of the traveling Jewish exorcists had attempted to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I bind you by oath through Jesus, whom Paul preaches.” ¹⁴And there were certain Jews, the seven sons of Sceva, leaders among the priests, who were acting in this way. ¹⁵But a wicked spirit responded by saying to them: “Jesus I know, and Paul I know. But who are you?” ¹⁶And the man, in whom there was a wicked spirit, leaping at them and getting the better of them both, prevailed against them, so that they fled from that house, naked and wounded.

²⁹And setting out from there, they passed through Galilee. And he intended that no one know about it.

¹⁶Then it happened that, as we were going out to prayer, a certain girl, having a spirit of divination, met with us. She was a source of great profit to her masters, through her divining. ¹⁷This girl, following Paul and us, was crying out, saying: “These men are servants of the Most High God! They are announcing to you the way of salvation!” ¹⁸Now she behaved in this way for many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you, in the name of Jesus Christ, to go out from her.” And it went away in that same hour.

¹Most beloved, do not be willing to believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are of God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. ²The Spirit of God may be known in this way. Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has arrived in the flesh is of God; ³and every spirit who contradicts Jesus is not of God. And this one is the Antichrist, the one that you have heard is coming, and even now he is in the world.

³³And in the synagogue, there was a man who had an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, ³⁴saying: “Let us alone. What are we to you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know you who you are: the Holy One of God.” ³⁵And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and depart from him.” And when the demon had thrown him into their midst, he departed from him, and he no longer harmed him. ³⁶And fear fell over them all. And they discussed this among themselves, saying: “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they depart.”

³⁸But Jesus said: “Do not prohibit him. For there is no one who can act with virtue in my name and soon speak evil about me.

¹⁹Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and upon all the powers of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.

¹⁷Now these signs will accompany those who believe. In my name, they shall cast out demons. They will speak in new languages.

¹¹Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? ¹²Or else, believe because of these same works. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me shall also do the works that I do. And greater things than these shall he do, for I go to the Father. ¹³And whatever you shall ask the Father in my name, that I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.