The Acts 8
8
1Saul agreed that the killing of Stephen was a good thing.
Trouble for the Believers
2-3Some religious men buried Stephen. They cried very loudly for him. On that day people began trying to hurt the church in Jerusalem and make it suffer. Saul was also trying to destroy the church. He went from house to house. He dragged out men and women and put them in jail. All the believers, except the apostles, went to different places in Judea and Samaria. 4And everywhere the believers were scattered, they told people the Good News.
Philip Preaches in Samaria
5Philip# Not the apostle named Philip. went to the city# Some Greek copies read “a city.” of Samaria and preached about the Christ. 6The people there heard Philip and saw the miracles he was doing. They all listened carefully to the things he said. 7Many of these people had evil spirits in them. But Philip made the evil spirits leave them. The spirits made a loud noise when they came out. There were also many weak and crippled people there. Philip healed them, too. 8So the people in that city were very happy.
9But there was a man named Simon in that city. Before Philip came there, Simon had practiced magic. He amazed all the people of Samaria with his magic. He bragged and called himself a great man. 10All the people—the least important and the most important—paid attention to what Simon said. They said, “This man has the power of God, called ‘the Great Power’!” 11Simon had amazed them with his magic tricks so long that the people became his followers. 12But Philip told them the Good News about the kingdom of God and the power of Jesus Christ. Men and women believed Philip and were baptized. 13Simon himself believed and was baptized. He stayed very close to Philip. When he saw the miracles and the very powerful things that Philip did, Simon was amazed.
14The apostles were still in Jerusalem. They heard that the people of Samaria had accepted the word of God. So they sent Peter and John to them. 15When Peter and John arrived, they prayed that the Samaritan believers might receive the Holy Spirit. 16These people had been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. But the Holy Spirit had not yet entered any of them. 17Then, when the two apostles began laying their hands on# Here, doing this showed that these men were given a special work of God. the people, they received the Holy Spirit.
18Simon saw that the Spirit was given to people when the apostles laid their hands on them. So he offered the apostles money. 19He said, “Give me also this power so that when I lay my hands on a person, he will receive the Holy Spirit.”
20Peter said to him, “You and your money should both be destroyed! You thought you could buy God’s gift with money. 21You cannot share with us in this work. Your heart is not right before God. 22Change your heart! Turn away from this evil thing you have done. Pray to the Lord. Maybe he will forgive you for thinking this. 23I see that you are full of bitter jealousy and ruled by sin.”
24Simon answered, “Both of you pray for me to the Lord. Pray that the things you have said will not happen to me!”
25Then the two apostles told the people the things they had seen Jesus do. And after the apostles had given the message of the Lord, they went back to Jerusalem. On the way, they went through many Samaritan towns and preached the Good News to the people.
Philip Teaches an Ethiopian
26An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip.# Not the apostle named Philip. The angel said, “Get ready and go south. Go to the road that leads down to Gaza from Jerusalem—the desert road.” 27So Philip got ready and went. On the road he saw a man from Ethiopia, a eunuch. He was an important officer in the service of Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians. He was responsible for taking care of all her money. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and 28now he was on his way home. He was sitting in his chariot and reading from the book of Isaiah, the prophet. 29The Spirit said to Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
30So Philip ran toward the chariot. He heard the man reading from Isaiah, the prophet. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31He answered, “How can I understand? I need someone to explain it to me!” Then he invited Philip to climb in and sit with him. 32The verse of Scripture that he was reading was this:
“He was like a sheep being led to be killed.
He was quiet, as a sheep is quiet while its wool is being cut.
He said nothing.
33He was shamed and was treated unfairly.
He died without children to continue his family.
His life on earth has ended.” Isaiah 53:7-8
34The officer said to Philip, “Please tell me, who is the prophet talking about? Is he talking about himself or about someone else?” 35Philip began to speak. He started with this same Scripture and told the man the Good News about Jesus.
36While they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. The officer said, “Look! Here is water! What is stopping me from being baptized?” 37[Philip answered, “If you believe with all your heart, you can.” The officer said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”]# Some Greek copies do not contain the bracketed text. 38Then the officer commanded the chariot to stop. Both Philip and the officer went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away; the officer never saw him again. The officer continued on his way home, full of joy. 40But Philip appeared in a city called Azotus and preached the Good News in all the towns on the way from Azotus to Caesarea.
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Acts 8
8
1And Saul was consenting to his being killed. And on that day there arose a great persecution against the assembly which was in Jerusalem, and all were scattered into the countries of Judaea and Samaria except the apostles. 2And pious men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. 3But Saul ravaged the assembly, entering into the houses one after another, and dragging off both men and women delivered them up to prison.
4Those then that had been scattered went through the countries announcing the glad tidings of the word. 5And Philip, going down to a city of Samaria, preached the Christ to them; 6and the crowds with one accord gave heed to the things spoken by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs which he wrought. 7For from many who had unclean spirits they went out, crying with a loud voice; and many that were paralysed and lame were healed. 8And there was great joy in that city. 9But a certain man, by name Simon, had been before in the city, using magic arts, and astonishing the nation of Samaria, saying that himself was some great one. 10To whom they had all given heed, from small to great, saying, This is the power of God which is called great. 11And they gave heed to him, because that for a long time he had astonished them by his magic arts. 12But when they believed Philip announcing the glad tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptised, both men and women. 13And Simon also himself believed; and, having been baptised, continued constantly with Philip; and, beholding the signs and great works of power which took place, was astonished.
14And the apostles who were in Jerusalem, having heard that Samaria had received the word of God, sent to them Peter and John; 15who, having come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; 16for he was not yet fallen upon any of them, only they were baptised to the name of the Lord Jesus. 17Then they laid their hands upon them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18But Simon, having seen that by the laying on of the hands of the apostles the Holy Spirit was given, offered them money, 19saying, Give to me also this power, in order that on whomsoever I may lay hands he may receive the Holy Spirit. 20And Peter said to him, Thy money go with thee to destruction, because thou hast thought that the gift of God can be obtained by money. 21Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not upright before God. 22Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and supplicate the Lord, if indeed the thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee; 23for I see thee to be in the gall of bitterness, and bond of unrighteousness. 24And Simon answering said, Supplicate ye for me to the Lord, so that nothing may come upon me of the things of which ye have spoken. 25They therefore, having testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and announced the glad tidings to many villages of the Samaritans.
26But the angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, Rise up and go southward on the way which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza: the same is desert. 27And he rose up and went. And lo, an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a man in power under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to worship at Jerusalem, 28was returning and sitting in his chariot: and he was reading the prophet Esaias. 29And the Spirit said to Philip, Approach and join this chariot. 30And Philip, running up, heard him reading the prophet Esaias, and said, Dost thou then know what thou art reading of? 31And he said, How should I then be able unless some one guide me? And he begged Philip to come up and sit with him. 32And the passage of the scripture which he read was this: He was led as a sheep to slaughter, and as a lamb is dumb in presence of him that shears him, thus he opens not his mouth. 33In his humiliation his judgment has been taken away, and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. 34And the eunuch answering Philip said, I pray thee, concerning whom does the prophet say this? of himself or of some other? 35And Philip, opening his mouth and beginning from that scripture, announced the glad tidings of Jesus to him. 36And as they went along the way, they came upon a certain water, and the eunuch says, Behold water; what hinders my being baptised? 37#Ver. 37 in the Authorized Version is recognized as not genuine. 38And he commanded the chariot to stop. And they went down both to the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptised him. 39But when they came up out of the water the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, and the eunuch saw him no longer, for he went on his way rejoicing. 40And Philip was found at Azotus, and passing through he announced the glad tidings to all the cities till he came to Caesarea.
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.