8
1 Saul was in agreement with the execution of Stephen. So there began on that day a great persecution against the church that was in Jerusalem; indeed, the believers were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him.
3 But Saul greatly harmed the church; entering into house after house, dragging out both men and women, he put them in prison.
4 Therefore the very believers who had been scattered went about proclaiming the good news of the word.
5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria, proclaiming to them the Christ.
6 Now the crowds paid attention together to the things being spoken by Philip when they heard them and saw the signs that he was doing.
7 For many of them had unclean spirits, which came out of them, crying out with a loud voice. Many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.
8 So there was much joy in that city.
9 But a certain man in the city named Simon, had formerly been practicing sorcery and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming himself to be someone great.
10 All the Samaritans, from the least to the greatest, were paying attention to him, saying, “This man is that power of God which is called Great.”
11 They listened to him, because he had astonished them for a long time with his sorceries.
12 But when they believed Philip, proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
13 But Simon himself also believed, and after he was baptized he stayed with Philip constantly. When he saw signs and mighty deeds taking place, he was amazed.
14 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John.
15 When they had come down, they prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit.
16 For the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon any of them, but they had only been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the hands of the apostles, he offered them money.
19 He said, “Give to me also this authority, that whoever I place my hands on might receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish along with you, because you thought to obtain the gift of God with money.
21 You have no part or share in this matter, because your heart is not right with God.
22 Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord, so that he might perhaps forgive you for the intention of your heart.
23 For I see that you are in the poison of bitterness and in the bond of sin.”
24 Then Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing of which you have spoken may happen to me.”
25 When therefore they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, proclaiming the gospel even to many villages of the Samaritans.
26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This road is in a desert.)
27 So he arose and went. Now there was a man from Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship.
28 He was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.
29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and stay close to this chariot.”
30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you really understand what you are reading?”
31 Then he said, “How indeed can I, unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up into the chariot to sit with him.
32 Now the passage of the scripture which the Ethiopian was reading was this, “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb before his shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
33 In humiliation his justice was taken away. Who can fully describe his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.”
34 So the eunuch asked Philip, saying, “I beg you, who is the prophet saying this about, concerning himself, or concerning some other person?”
35 So Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this scripture, he proclaimed the gospel about Jesus to him.
36 As they went along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What prevents me from being baptized?”
37 [ Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may be baptized.” The Ethiopian answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”]
38 So the Ethiopian commanded the chariot to stop. Then they both 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 took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him anymore, but went on his way rejoicing.
40 But Philip appeared at Azotus and he went through that region, proclaiming the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.
The Acts of the Apostles