< Acts 8 >
1 And Saul approved of his execution. On that day a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem, and all the believers except the apostles were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria.
2 Devout men carried Stephen away for burial and made great lamentation over him.
3 But Saul was ravaging the church. Entering house after house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.
4 Now those who had been scattered went around preaching the message of good news.
5 Philip went down to a city of Samaria and began proclaiming to them the Christ.
6 With one accord the crowds paid close attention to what Philip said as they listened to him and saw the signs he was performing.
7 For unclean spirits came out of many who had them, crying out with a loud voice, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.
8 And there was great joy in that city.
9 Now a man named Simon had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, declaring himself to be someone great.
10 From the least to the greatest, they paid close attention to him, saying, “This man is the great power of God.”
11 They all paid close attention to him because he had amazed them with his magical arts for a long time.
12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
13 Even Simon himself believed. After he was baptized, he kept close company with Philip and was amazed as he saw miracles and signs taking place.
14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John.
15 These two went down and prayed for the Samaritan believers to receive the Holy Spirit,
16 for the Spirit had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of Christ Jesus.
17 Then Peter and John laid their hands on the Samaritan believers, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 When Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money,
19 saying, “Give this power to me as well, so that whomever I lay my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 But Peter said to him, “May yoʋr silver be destroyed with yoʋ, because yoʋ thought yoʋ could acquire the gift of God with money!
21 Yoʋ have no share or portion in this matter, for yoʋr heart is not right before God.
22 Therefore repent of this wickedness of yoʋrs, and plead with God in the hope that the intention of yoʋr heart might be forgiven yoʋ.
23 For I see that yoʋ are bitterly envious and in bondage to unrighteousness.”
24 In response Simon said, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said will happen to me.”
25 After Peter and John had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the good news in many villages of the Samaritans as they went.
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south, to the road that goes from Jerusalem down to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.)
27 So he rose and went. And behold, there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official in charge of the entire treasury of Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians. This man had come to Jerusalem to worship
28 and was sitting in his chariot on his way back home, reading the prophet Isaiah.
29 The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join that chariot.”
30 So Philip ran up to it and heard the man reading the prophet Isaiah. He said, “Do yoʋ understand what yoʋ are reading?”
31 The man said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 This is the passage of Scripture that he was reading: “Like a sheep he was led to slaughter, and like a lamb is silent before its shearer, so he did not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation he was denied justice. Who will tell of his posterity? For his life was taken from the earth.”
34 The eunuch said to Philip, “I ask yoʋ, who does the prophet say this about? About himself, or about someone else?”
35 Then Philip opened his mouth to speak, and beginning from this Scripture, he told him the good news about Jesus.
36 As they were going along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Behold, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?”
37
38 So he ordered the chariot to stop, and the two of them went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and Philip baptized him.
39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing.
40 Philip, however, found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through that region, he preached the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
