Act8:1 And Saul approved of their killing him. That day a severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria.
Act8:2 Devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him.
Act8:3 But Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women, he committed them to prison.
Act8:4 Now those who were scattered went from place to place, proclaiming the word.
Act8:5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them.
Act8:6 The crowds with one accord listened eagerly to what was said by Philip, hearing and seeing the signs that he did,
Act8:7 for unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, came out of many who were possessed; and many others who were paralyzed or lame were cured.
Act8:8 So there was great joy in that city.
Act8:9 Now a certain man named Simon had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he was someone great.
Act8:10 All of them, from the least to the greatest, listened to him eagerly, saying, "This man is the power of God that is called Great."
Act8:11 And they listened eagerly to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.
Act8:12 But when they believed Philip, who was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
Act8:13 Even Simon himself believed. After being baptized, he stayed constantly with Philip and was amazed when he saw the signs and great miracles that took place.
Act8:14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.
Act8:15 The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit
Act8:16 (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus).
Act8:17 Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Act8:18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money,
Act8:19 saying, "Give me also this power so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
Act8:20 But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God's gift with money!
Act8:21 You have no part or share in this, for your heart is not right before God.
Act8:22 Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.
Act8:23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and the chains of wickedness."
Act8:24 Simon answered, "Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may happen to me."
Act8:25 Now after Peter and John had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, proclaiming the good news to many villages of the Samaritans.
Act8:26 Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a wilderness road.)
Act8:27 So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship
Act8:28 and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
Act8:29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over to this chariot and join it."
Act8:30 So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
Act8:31 He replied, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.
Act8:32 Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this: "Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth.
Act8:33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth."
Act8:34 The eunuch asked Philip, "About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?"
Act8:35 Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus.
Act8:36 As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?"
Act8:37
Act8:38 He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
Act8:39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.
Act8:40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.