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New Testament
Acts 8
Saul Agreed With Putting Stephen to Death.
81On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. 2Godly men buried Stephen, and they mourned deeply for him.
3But Saul was trying to destroy the church by going into one house after another, dragging off both men and women, and putting them in prison.
The Word of God Spreads in Samaria
4So those believers who were scattered went around proclaiming the gospel message. 5Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began preaching the Christ to them. 6With one mind, the crowds paid close attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the miraculous signs he was doing. 7Unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed, and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. 8So there was great joy in that city.
9Now there was a man by the name of Simon, who had been practicing magic arts[] in the city. He amazed the people of Samaria while claiming that he was someone great. 10They all paid attention to him, from the least of them to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called ‘Great.’” 11They paid attention to him, because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic arts. 12But when they believed Philip, as he preached the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
13Then even Simon himself believed. After he was baptized, he stayed close to Philip. As he observed the signs and great miracles that were taking place, he was amazed.
The Apostles Send Peter and John to Samaria
14When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15When Peter and John arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16for he had not yet come upon any of them. They had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18When Simon saw that the Holy[] Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money 19and said, “Give me this power too, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21You have no part or share in this matter, because your heart is not right in God's sight. 22So repent of this wickedness of yours and pray to the Lord. Perhaps the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. 23For I see that you are filled with bitter poison and chained by wickedness.”
24Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”
25After Peter and John had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
26Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is an isolated area.) 27So he got up and went. And there was a man, an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship. 28He was on his way home, sitting in his chariot and reading the prophet Isaiah.
29The Spirit told Philip, “Go over there and stay close to that chariot.” 30Philip ran up to it and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet.
Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31The man replied, “How can I unless someone explains it to me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32Now the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading was this:
He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he does not open his mouth.
Who will talk about his generation?
34The eunuch said to Philip, “I ask you, who is the prophet talking about—himself or someone else?” 35Then Philip began to speak. Starting with that very passage of Scripture, he told him the good news about Jesus. 36As they were traveling along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What is there to prevent me from being baptized?”[]
38He ordered the chariot to stop. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39When they stepped up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away. The eunuch did not see him anymore, but went on his way rejoicing.
40Philip, however, found himself at Azotus. And as he went from place to place, he preached the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
Footnotes
- 8:9 Or sorcery
- 8:18 A few witnesses to the text omit Holy.
- 8:33 Some witnesses to the text omit his.
- 8:33 Isaiah 53:7-8
- 8:36 A few witnesses to the text add verse 37: Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” He replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”