Acts 8
8
Saul the Persecutor
1Saul agreed with putting him to death.
On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria.#Ac 9:31; 11:19 2Devout men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him. 3Saul,#Ac 7:58; 22:20 however, was ravaging the church. He would enter house after house, drag off men and women, and put them in prison.#Ac 22:4,19; 26:10; 1Co 15:9; Gl 1:13; Php 3:6; 1Tm 1:13
Philip in Samaria
4So those who were scattered went on their way preaching the word. 5Philip went down to a#8:5 Other mss read the city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them.#Ac 6:5; 15:35 6The crowds were all paying attention to what Philip said, as they listened and saw the signs he was performing. 7For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed, and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.#Mt 4:24; Mk 16:17 8So there was great joy in that city.
The Response of Simon
9A man named Simon had previously practiced sorcery in that city and amazed the Samaritan people, while claiming to be somebody great.#Ac 5:36; 13:6 10They all paid attention to him, from the least of them to the greatest, and they said, “This man is called the Great Power of God.”#8:10 Or “This is the power of God called Great#Ac 14:11; 28:6 11They were attentive to him because he had amazed them with his sorceries for a long time. 12But when they believed Philip, as he proclaimed the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.#Ac 1:3; 2:38 13Even Simon himself believed. And after he was baptized, he followed Philip everywhere and was amazed as he observed the signs and great miracles#Ac 8:6; 19:11 that were being performed.
Simon’s Sin
14When the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.#Lk 22:8; Ac 8:1 15After they went down there, they prayed for them so that the Samaritans might receive the Holy Spirit because he had not yet come down on any of them. 16(They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.#Mt 28:19; Ac 2:38; 10:48; 19:2) 17Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18When Simon saw that the Spirit#8:18 Other mss add Holy was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19saying, “Give me this power also so that anyone I lay hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20But Peter told him, “May your silver be destroyed with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!#2Kg 5:16; Is 55:1; Dn 5:17; Mt 10:8; Ac 2:38 21You have no part or share in this matter, because your heart is not right before God.#2Kg 10:15; Ps 78:37 22Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, your heart’s intent may be forgiven. 23For I see you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by wickedness.”#Is 55:6–7; Dn 4:27; 2Tm 2:25; Heb 12:15
24“Pray to the Lord for me,” Simon replied, “so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”#Gn 20:7; Ex 8:8; Nm 21:7; Jms 5:16
25So, after they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they traveled back to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.
The Conversion of the Ethiopian Official
26An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip: “Get up and go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is the desert road.#8:26 Or is a desert place#Ac 5:19; 8:29) 27So he got up and went. There was an Ethiopian man, a eunuch#Ps 68:31; 87:4; Is 56:3; Zph 3:10 and high official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to worship in Jerusalem#1Kg 8:41; Jn 12:20 28and was sitting in his chariot on his way home, reading the prophet Isaiah aloud.
29The Spirit told Philip, “Go and join that chariot.”#Ac 10:19; 11:12; 13:2; 20:23; 21:11
30When Philip ran up to it, he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you’re reading?”
31“How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32Now the Scripture passage he was reading was this:
He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb is silent before its shearer,
so he does not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who will describe his generation?
For his life is taken from the earth. # 8:32–33 Is 53:7–8 #
Is 53:7–8; Php 2:8
34The eunuch said to Philip, “I ask you, who is the prophet saying this about — himself or someone else?” 35Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning with that Scripture.#Lk 24:27; Ac 17:2; 18:28
36As they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. The eunuch said, “Look, there’s water. What would keep me from being baptized?” #8:36 Some mss include v. 37: Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart you may.” And he replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” 38So he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord#1Kg 18:12; 2Kg 2:16; Ezk 3:12,14; 8:3; 11:1,24; 43:5 carried Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him any longer but went on his way rejoicing. 40Philip appeared in#8:40 Or Philip was found at, or Philip found himself in Azotus,#8:40 Or Ashdod and he was traveling and preaching the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.#Ac 10:1,24; 12:19; 21:8,16; 23:23,33; 25:1,4,6,13
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Acts 8: CSB
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Acts of the Apostles 8
8
1Saul was in full agreement with Stephen’s murder.
The church scatters
At that time, the church in Jerusalem began to be subjected to vicious harassment. Everyone except the apostles was scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. 2Some pious men buried Stephen and deeply grieved over him. 3Saul began to wreak havoc against the church. Entering one house after another, he would drag off both men and women and throw them into prison.
Philip in Samaria
4Those who had been scattered moved on, preaching the good news along the way. 5Philip went down to a city in Samaria#8.5 Or the city of Samaria and began to preach Christ to them. 6The crowds were united by what they heard Philip say and the signs they saw him perform, and they gave him their undivided attention. 7With loud shrieks, unclean spirits came out of many people, and many who were paralyzed or crippled were healed. 8There was great rejoicing in that city.
9Before Philip’s arrival, a certain man named Simon had practiced sorcery in that city and baffled the people of Samaria. He claimed to be a great person. 10Everyone, from the least to the greatest, gave him their undivided attention and referred to him as “the power of God called Great.” 11He had their attention because he had baffled them with sorcery for a long time. 12After they came to believe Philip, who preached the good news about God’s kingdom and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. 13Even Simon himself came to believe and was baptized. Afterward, he became one of Philip’s supporters. As he saw firsthand the signs and great miracles that were happening, he was astonished.
14When word reached the apostles in Jerusalem that Samaria had accepted God’s word, they commissioned Peter and John to go to Samaria. 15Peter and John went down to Samaria where they prayed that the new believers would receive the Holy Spirit. (16This was because the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen on any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17So Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18When Simon perceived that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money. 19He said, “Give me this authority too so that anyone on whom I lay my hands will receive the Holy Spirit.”
20Peter responded, “May your money be condemned to hell along with you because you believed you could buy God’s gift with money! 21You can have no part or share in God’s word because your heart isn’t right with God. 22Therefore, change your heart and life! Turn from your wickedness! Plead with the Lord in the hope that your wicked intent can be forgiven, 23for I see that your bitterness has poisoned you and evil has you in chains.”
24Simon replied, “All of you, please, plead to the Lord for me so that nothing of what you have said will happen to me!” 25After the apostles had testified and proclaimed the Lord’s word, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the good news to many Samaritan villages along the way.
Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch
26An angel from the Lord spoke to Philip, “At noon, take#8.26 Or travel south along the road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) 27So he did. Meanwhile, an Ethiopian man was on his way home from Jerusalem, where he had come to worship. He was a eunuch and an official responsible for the entire treasury of Candace. (Candace is the title given to the Ethiopian queen.) 28He was reading the prophet Isaiah while sitting in his carriage. 29The Spirit told Philip, “Approach this carriage and stay with it.”
30Running up to the carriage, Philip heard the man reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you really understand what you are reading?”
31The man replied, “Without someone to guide me, how could I?” Then he invited Philip to climb up and sit with him. 32This was the passage of scripture he was reading:
“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter”
“and like a lamb before its shearer is silent”
“so he didn’t open his mouth.”
33“In his humiliation justice was taken away from him.”
“Who can tell the story of his descendants”
“because his life was taken from the earth?”#8.33 Isa 53:7-8
34The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, about whom does the prophet say this? Is he talking about himself or someone else?” 35Starting with that passage, Philip proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him. 36As they went down the road, they came to some water.
The eunuch said, “Look! Water! What would keep me from being baptized?”#8.36 Critical editions of the Gk New Testament do not include 8:37 Philip said to him, “If you believe with all your heart, you can be.” The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Son.” 38He ordered that the carriage halt. Both Philip and the eunuch went down to the water, where Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Lord’s Spirit suddenly took Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. 40Philip found himself in Azotus. He traveled through that area, preaching the good news in all the cities until he reached Caesarea.
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