Spirits Cast Out: Scripture Accounts

14 After the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, a spirit of distress from the LORD began to torment him.
15 Saul’s servants said to him, “Surely a spirit of distress from God is tormenting you.
16 Let our lord command your servants here to seek out someone who can skillfully play the harp. Whenever the spirit of distress from God is upon you, he is to play it, and you will be well.”
17 And Saul commanded his servants, “Find me someone who plays well, and bring him to me.”
18 One of the servants answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a mighty man of valor, a warrior, eloquent and handsome, and the LORD is with him.”
19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.”
20 And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and one young goat, and sent them to Saul with his son David.
21 When David came to Saul and entered his service, Saul admired him greatly, and David became his armor-bearer.
22 Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.”
23 And whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would pick up his harp and play, and Saul would become well, and the spirit of distress would depart from him.

23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
24 News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed—and He healed them.
25 The large crowds that followed Him came from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

16 When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to Jesus, and He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.
17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took on our infirmities and carried our diseases.”

28 When Jesus arrived on the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, He was met by two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs. They were so violent that no one could pass that way.
29 “What do You want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have You come here to torture us before the appointed time?”
30 In the distance a large herd of pigs was feeding.
31 So the demons begged Jesus, “If You drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”
32 “Go!” He told them. So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and died in the waters.
33 Those tending the pigs ran off into the town and reported all this, including the account of the demon-possessed men.
34 Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to leave their region.

32 As they were leaving, a demon-possessed man who was mute was brought to Jesus.
33 And when the demon had been driven out, the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”
34 But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that He drives out demons.”

22 Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed the man so that he could speak and see.
23 The crowds were astounded and asked, “Could this be the Son of David?”
24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “Only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, does this man drive out demons.”
25 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.
26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?
27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.
28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29 Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.

21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.
22 And a Canaanite woman from that region came to Him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.”
23 But Jesus did not answer a word. So His disciples came and urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
25 The woman came and knelt before Him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
26 But Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she said, “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
28 “O woman,” Jesus answered, “your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

14 When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus and knelt before Him.
15 “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water.
16 I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not heal him.”
17 “O unbelieving and perverse generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to Me.”
18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.
19 Afterward the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
20 “Because you have so little faith,” He answered. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

21 Then Jesus and His companions went to Capernaum, and right away Jesus entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and began to teach.
22 The people were astonished at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.
23 Suddenly a man with an unclean spirit cried out in the synagogue:
24 “What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”
25 But Jesus rebuked the spirit. “Be silent!” He said. “Come out of him!”
26 At this, the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and came out with a loud shriek.
27 All the people were amazed and began to ask one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him!”
28 And the news about Jesus spread quickly through the whole region of Galilee.

32 That evening, after sunset, people brought to Jesus all who were sick and demon-possessed,
33 and the whole town gathered at the door.
34 And He healed many who were ill with various diseases and drove out many demons. But He would not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.

39 So He went throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

7 So Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea, accompanied by a large crowd from Galilee, Judea,
8 Jerusalem, Idumea, the region beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon. The large crowd came to Him when they heard what great things He was doing.
9 Jesus asked His disciples to have a boat ready for Him so that the crowd would not crush Him.
10 For He had healed so many that all who had diseases were pressing forward to touch Him.
11 And when the unclean spirits saw Him, they fell down before Him and cried out, “You are the Son of God!”
12 But He warned them sternly not to make Him known.

20 Then Jesus went home, and once again a crowd gathered, so that He and His disciples could not even eat.
21 When His family heard about this, they went out to take custody of Him, saying, “He is out of His mind.”
22 And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul, ” and, “By the prince of the demons He drives out demons.”
23 So Jesus called them together and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan?
24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, it cannot stand.
25 If a house is divided against itself, it cannot stand.
26 And if Satan is divided and rises against himself, he cannot stand; his end has come.
27 Indeed, no one can enter a strong man’s house to steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.
28 Truly I tell you, the sons of men will be forgiven all sins and blasphemies, as many as they utter.
29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of eternal sin.”
30 Jesus made this statement because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

1 On the other side of the sea, they arrived in the region of the Gerasenes.
2 As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, He was met by a man with an unclean spirit, who was coming from the tombs.
3 This man had been living in the tombs and could no longer be restrained, even with chains.
4 Though he was often bound with chains and shackles, he had broken the chains and shattered the shackles. Now there was no one with the strength to subdue him.
5 Night and day in the tombs and in the mountains he kept crying out and cutting himself with stones.
6 When the man saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees before Him.
7 And he shouted in a loud voice, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You before God not to torture me!”
8 For Jesus had already declared, “Come out of this man, you unclean spirit!”
9 “What is your name?” Jesus asked. “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.”
10 And he begged Jesus repeatedly not to send them out of that region.
11 There on the nearby hillside a large herd of pigs was feeding.
12 So the demons begged Jesus, “Send us to the pigs, so that we may enter them.”
13 He gave them permission, and the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs, and the herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the water.
14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened.
15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons sitting there, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.
16 Those who had seen it described what had happened to the demon-possessed man and also to the pigs.
17 And the people began to beg Jesus to leave their region.
18 As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed by the demons begged to go with Him.
19 But Jesus would not allow him. “Go home to your own people,” He said, “and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy He has shown you.”
20 So the man went away and began to proclaim throughout the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.

7 Then Jesus called the Twelve to Him and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits.
8 He instructed them to take nothing but a staff for the journey—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts—
9 and to wear sandals, but not a second tunic.
10 And He told them, “When you enter a house, stay there until you leave that area.
11 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that place, as a testimony against them.”
12 So they set out and preached that the people should repent.
13 They also drove out many demons and healed many of the sick, anointing them with oil.

24 Jesus left that place and went to the region of Tyre. Not wanting anyone to know He was there, He entered a house, but was unable to escape their notice.
25 Instead, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit soon heard about Jesus, and she came and fell at His feet.
26 Now she was a Greek woman of Syrophoenician origin, and she kept asking Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
27 “First let the children have their fill,” He said. “For it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
28 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
29 Then Jesus told her, “Because of this answer, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.”
30 And she went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone.

14 When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them.
15 As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were filled with awe and ran to greet Him.
16 “What are you disputing with them?” He asked.
17 Someone in the crowd replied, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a spirit that makes him mute.
18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked Your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable.”
19 “O unbelieving generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to Me.”
20 So they brought him, and seeing Jesus, the spirit immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been with him?” “From childhood,” he said.
22 “It often throws him into the fire or into the water, trying to kill him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
23 “If You can?” echoed Jesus. “All things are possible to him who believes!”
24 Immediately the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd had come running, He rebuked the unclean spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” He said, “I command you to come out and never enter him again.”
26 After shrieking and convulsing him violently, the spirit came out. The boy became like a corpse, so that many said, “He is dead.”
27 But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up.
28 After Jesus had gone into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
29 Jesus answered, “This kind cannot come out, except by prayer.”

38 John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone else driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not accompany us.”
39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus replied. “For no one who performs a miracle in My name can turn around and speak evil of Me.
40 For whoever is not against us is for us.

9 Early on the first day of the week, after Jesus had risen, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had driven out seven demons.
10 She went and told those who had been with Him, who were mourning and weeping.
11 And when they heard that Jesus was alive and she had seen Him, they did not believe it.

31 Then He went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath He began to teach the people.
32 They were astonished at His teaching, because His message had authority.
33 In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon. He cried out in a loud voice,
34 “Ha! What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”
35 But Jesus rebuked the demon. “Be silent!” He said. “Come out of him!” At this, the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without harming him.
36 All the people were overcome with amazement and asked one another, “What is this message? With authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!”
37 And the news about Jesus spread throughout the surrounding region.

40 At sunset, all who were ill with various diseases were brought to Jesus, and laying His hands on each one, He healed them.
41 Demons also came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But He rebuked the demons and would not allow them to speak, because they knew He was the Christ.

17 Then Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of His disciples was there, along with a great number of people from all over Judea, Jerusalem, and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon.
18 They had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases, and those troubled by unclean spirits were healed.
19 The entire crowd was trying to touch Him, because power was coming from Him and healing them all.

18 Then John’s disciples informed him about all these things.
19 So John called two of his disciples and sent them to ask the Lord, “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?”
20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?’”
21 At that very hour Jesus healed many people of their diseases, afflictions, and evil spirits, and He gave sight to many who were blind.
22 So He replied, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
23 Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me. ”

1 Soon afterward, Jesus traveled from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with Him,
2 as well as some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
3 Joanna the wife of Herod’s household manager Chuza, Susanna, and many others. These women were ministering to them out of their own means.

26 Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee.
27 When Jesus stepped ashore, He was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothing or lived in a house, but he stayed in the tombs.
28 When the man saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before Him, shouting in a loud voice, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You not to torture me!”
29 For Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was bound with chains and shackles, he had broken the chains and been driven by the demon into solitary places.
30 “What is your name?” Jesus asked. “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him.
31 And the demons kept begging Jesus not to order them to go into the Abyss.
32 There on the hillside a large herd of pigs was feeding. So the demons begged Jesus to let them enter the pigs, and He gave them permission.
33 Then the demons came out of the man and went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside.
35 So the people went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man whom the demons had left, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.
36 Meanwhile, those who had seen it reported how the demon-possessed man had been healed.
37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to depart from them, because great fear had taken hold of them. So He got into the boat and started back.
38 The man whom the demons had left begged to go with Jesus. But He sent him away, saying,
39 “Return home and describe how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and proclaimed all over the town how much Jesus had done for him.

37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, Jesus was met by a large crowd.
38 Suddenly a man in the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only child.
39 A spirit keeps seizing him, and he screams abruptly. It throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It keeps mauling him and rarely departs from him.
40 I begged Your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable.”
41 “O unbelieving and perverse generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”
42 Even while the boy was approaching, the demon slammed him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
43 And they were all astonished at the greatness of God. While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus was doing, He said to His disciples,

49 “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not accompany us.”
50 “Do not stop him,” Jesus replied, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”

17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your name.”
18 So He told them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you.
20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

14 One day Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. And when the demon was gone, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowds were amazed,
15 but some of them said, “It is by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons, that He drives out demons.”
16 And others tested Him by demanding a sign from heaven.
17 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and a house divided against a house will fall.
18 If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? After all, you say that I drive out demons by Beelzebul.
19 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.
20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his house, his possessions are secure.
22 But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted, and then he divides up his plunder.
23 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

10 One Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues,
11 and a woman there had been disabled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was hunched over and could not stand up straight.
12 When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your disability.”
13 Then He placed His hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and began to glorify God.
14 But the synagogue leader was indignant that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. “There are six days for work,” he told the crowd. “So come and be healed on those days and not on the Sabbath.”
15 “You hypocrites!” the Lord replied. “Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it to water?
16 Then should not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be released from her bondage on the Sabbath day?”
17 When Jesus said this, all His adversaries were humiliated. And the whole crowd rejoiced at all the glorious things He was doing.

12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people, and with one accord the believers gathered together in Solomon’s Colonnade.
13 Although the people regarded them highly, no one else dared to join them.
14 Yet more and more believers were brought to the Lord—large numbers of both men and women.
15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.
16 Crowds also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and all of them were healed.

4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.
5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them.
6 The crowds gave their undivided attention to Philip’s message and to the signs they saw him perform.
7 With loud shrieks, unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, and many of the paralyzed and lame were healed.
8 So there was great joy in that city.

16 One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl with a spirit of divination, who earned a large income for her masters by fortune-telling.
17 This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!”
18 She continued this for many days. Eventually Paul grew so aggravated that he turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” And the spirit left her at that very moment.

11 God did extraordinary miracles through the hands of Paul,
12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and the diseases and evil spirits left them.
13 Now there were some itinerant Jewish exorcists who tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those with evil spirits. They would say, “I bind you by Jesus, whom Paul proclaims.”
14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.
15 Eventually, one of the evil spirits answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”
16 Then the man with the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. The attack was so violent that they ran out of the house naked and wounded.
17 This became known to all the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, and fear came over all of them. So the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.
18 Many who had believed now came forward, confessing and disclosing their deeds.
19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books and burned them in front of everyone. When the value of the books was calculated, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.
20 So the word of the Lord powerfully continued to spread and prevail.