Acts 8

And Saul approved of his killing.

On that day, a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem, and all were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began ravaging the church. He entered every house, dragging out men and women and putting them into prison.

Philip Goes to Samaria

Now those who had been scattered preaching the word wherever they went. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed Christ to them. When they heard and saw the signs he performed, the crowds paid close attention with one mind to what Philip said. For unclean spirits came out with loud shrieks from many who were possessed, and many who had been paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city.

Simon the Sorcerer

Now there was a man named Simon who used to practice sorcery in the city, amazing the ethnic group of Samaria. He claimed to be someone great, and all the people, from the least to the greatest, paid attention to him, saying, “This man is called the Great Power of God.” They paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his sorcery. But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the Empire of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed. After he was baptized, he followed Philip everywhere, astonished as he watched the signs and great miracles occurring.

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because ʜᴇ had not yet come upon any of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Y’all must give me also this power, so that anyone I lay my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver be destroyed with you, because you thought you could get the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this matter, for your heart is not straight before God. Therefore, you must repent of this wickedness of yours, and ask the Lord if perhaps the intention of your heart might be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned with bitterness and controlled by wickedness.”

Then Simon answered, “Y’all pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing y’all said will happen to me.”

So when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.

Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

An angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza” (This is a desert road).

So he got up and went. There he saw an Ethiopian man, a eunuch and high official of Kandake (queen of the Ethiopians), who was over her entire treasury. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and was returning home, sitting in his chariot reading the prophet Isaiah.

The Spirit told Philip, “Go over and join that chariot.”

Philip ran up and heard the man reading the prophet Isaiah. So he asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

“How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” He invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture he was reading was this,

“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter. As a lamb is silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. In his humiliation, his justice was taken away. Who will explain his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.”+Isa 53:8

The eunuch answered Philip, “Please tell me, who is the prophet talking about— himself or someone else?”

Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning from this Scripture, told him the good news about Jesus. As they travelled down the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look, water! What is prevents me from being baptized?” +8:37 Some manuscripts include verse 37: And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” So he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly carried Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but he went on his way rejoicing. Philip appeared at Azotus and traveled through, preaching the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.