Acts 8

Persecution Scatters the Believers

8Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria.G1161G4569G2258G4909G846G336G1161G1722G1565G2250G1096G3173G1375G1909G1577G3588G1722G2414G5037G1289G3956G1289G2596G5561G2449G2532G4540G4133G6522(Some devout men came and buried Stephen with great mourning.)G1161G2126G435G4792G4736G2532G4160G3173G2870G1909G8463But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.G1161G4569G3075G1577G1531G2596G3624G4951G5037G435G2532G1135G3860G1519G5438

Philip Preaches in Samaria

4But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.G3767G3303G1289G1330G2097G30565Philip, for example, went to the city of Samaria and told the people there about the Messiah.G1161G5376G2718G1519G4172G4540G2784G5547G8466Crowds listened intently to Philip because they were eager to hear his message and see the miraculous signs he did.G5037G3793G3661G4337G5376G3004G5259G1722G191G846G2532G991G4592G3739G41607Many evil

spirits were cast out, screaming as they left their victims. And many who had been paralyzed or lame were healed.G1063G169G4151G994G3173G5456G1831G4183G2192G1161G4183G3886G2532G5560G23238So there was great joy in that city.G2532G1096G3173G5479G1722G1565G41729A man named Simon had been a sorcerer there for many years, amazing the people of Samaria and claiming to be someone great.G1161G5100G435G3686G4613G4391G1722G4172G3096G2532G1839G1484G4540G3004G1438G1511G5100G317310Everyone, from the least to the greatest, often spoke of him as "the Great One—the Power of God."G3739G3956G4337G575G3398G2193G3173G3004G3778G2076G3173G1411G231611They listened closely to him because for a long time he had astounded them with his magic.G1161G846G4337G1223G2425G5550G1839G846G309512But now the people believed Philip's message of Good News concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. As a result, many men and women were baptized.G1161G3753G4100G5376G2097G4012G932G2316G2532G3686G2424G5547G907G5037G435G2532G113513Then Simon himself believed and was baptized. He began following Philip wherever he went, and he was amazed by the signs and great miracles Philip performed.G1161G4613G846G4100G2532G2532G907G2258G4342G5376G5037G1839G2334G1411G2532G4592G3173G1096G109614When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had accepted God's message, they sent Peter and John there.G1161G652G3588G1722G2414G191G3754G4540G1209G3056G2316G649G4314G846G4074G2532G249115As soon as they arrived, they prayed for these new believers to receive the Holy Spirit.G3748G2597G4336G4012G846G3704G2983G40G415116The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, for they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.G1063G3768G2258G1968G1909G3762G846G3440G1161G5225G907G1519G3686G2962G242417Then Peter and John laid their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit.G5119G2007G5495G1909G846G2532G2983G40G415118When Simon saw that the Spirit was given when the apostles laid their hands on people, he offered them money to buy this power.G1161G4613G2300G3754G1223G1936G652G5495G40G4151G1325G4374G846G553619"Let me have this power, too," he exclaimed, "so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!"G3004G1325G2504G5026G1849G2443G2007G3739G1437G2007G5495G2983G40G415120But Peter replied, "May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God's gift can be bought!G1161G4074G2036G4314G846G4675G694G1498G1519G684G4862G4671G3754G3543G1431G2316G2932G1223G553621You can have no part in this, for your heart is not right with God.G4671G2076G3756G3310G3761G2819G1722G5129G3056G1063G4675G2588G2076G3756G2117G1799G231622Repent of your wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive your evil thoughts,G3340G3767G575G5026G4675G2549G2532G1189G2316G1487G686G1963G4675G2588G863G467123for I can see that you are full of bitter jealousy and are held captive by sin."G1063G3708G4571G5607G1519G5521G4088G2532G4886G9324"Pray to the Lord for me," Simon exclaimed, "that these terrible things you've said won't happen to me!"G1161G611G4613G2036G1189G5210G4314G2962G5228G1700G3704G3367G3739G2046G1904G1909G169125After testifying and preaching the word of the Lord in Samaria, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem. And they stopped in many Samaritan villages along the way to preach the Good News.G3303G3767G1263G2532G2980G3056G2962G5290G1519G2419G5037G2097G4183G2968G4541

Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

26As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, "Go south

down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza."G1161G32G2962G2980G4314G5376G3004G450G2532G4198G2596G3314G1909G3598G2597G575G2419G1519G1048G3778G2076G204827So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship,G2532G450G4198G2532G2400G435G128G2135G1413G2582G938G128G3739G2258G1909G3956G846G1047G3739G2064G1519G2419G435228and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah.G5037G2258G5290G2532G2521G1909G846G716G2532G314G2268G439629The Holy Spirit said to Philip, "Go over and walk along beside the carriage."G1161G4151G2036G5376G4334G2532G2853G5129G71630Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"G1161G5376G4370G191G846G314G4396G2268G2532G2036G687G1065G1097G3739G31431The man replied, "How can I, unless someone instructs me?" And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.G1161G2036G1063G4459G302G1410G3362G5100G3594G3165G5037G3870G5376G305G2523G4862G84632The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.G1161G4042G1124G3739G314G2258G3778G71G5613G4263G1909G4967G2532G5613G286G880G1726G846G2751G3779G455G3756G846G475033He was humiliated and received no justice Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth."

G1722G846G5014G846G2920G142G1161G5101G1334G846G1074G3754G846G2222G142G575G109334The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?"G1161G2135G611G5376G2036G1189G4675G4012G5101G3004G4396G5124G4012G1438G2228G4012G5100G208735So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.G1161G5376G455G846G4750G2532G756G575G5026G1124G2097G846G242436As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Look! There's some water! Why can't I be baptized?"G1161G5613G4198G2596G3598G2064G1909G5100G5204G2532G2135G5346G2400G5204G5101G2967G3165G90737

G1161G5376G2036G1487G4100G1537G3650G2588G1832G1161G611G2036G4100G2424G5547G1511G5207G231638He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.G2532G2753G716G2476G2532G2597G297G1519G5204G5037G5376G2532G2135G2532G907G84639When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing.G1161G3753G305G1537G5204G4151G2962G726G5376G2532G2135G1492G3756G846G3765G1063G4198G846G3598G546340Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north at the town of Azotus. He preached the Good News there and in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea.G1161G5376G2147G1519G108G2532G1330G2097G3956G4172G2193G846G2064G1519G2542