THE DAMSEL WITH THE SPIRIT OF DIVINATION
Evil Spirit Rebuked.
One day when the elders were going out to the place of prayer, they met an unfortunate woman who caused them no little annoyance. She was a damsel who seemed to be "possessed by some spirit of divination" which her masters (for she had more than one) used for making money. When she would meet the elders, she would cry out:
"These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation."
After she had done this on several different days, Paul became "grieved," not particularly because of what she said, but because he knew the evil spirit was tormenting her. So he turned to her one day, and said to the evil spirits:
"I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her," and immediately she was healed.
Effect.
When her masters realized that their female slave had been cured, and that the hope of their gains was gone, they became very angry. "They caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the court unto the rulers." But they were shrewd enough not to tell the magistrates the real reason why Paul and Silas had been brought there. They didn't say "these men cured our slave, and we cannot any longer fool the people for money." No, they accused them of breaking the Roman law by introducing "customs" and beliefs which it was unlawful for Romans to observe.
When the mob cried out "That is so," the magistrates gave the elders no opportunity to defend themselves, but condemned them to be taken out and beaten.