Acts 8

¹Saul was consenting to his death. A great persecution arose against the assembly which was in Jerusalem in that day. They were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the emissaries. ²Devout men buried Stephen and lamented greatly over him. ³But Saul ravaged the assembly, entering into every house and dragged both men and women off to prison. ⁴Therefore those who were scattered abroad went around proclaiming the word. ⁵Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Messiah. ⁶The multitudes listened with one accord to the things that were spoken by Philip when they heard and saw the signs which he did. ⁷For unclean spirits came out of many of those who had them. They came out, crying with a loud voice. Many who had been paralysed and lame were healed. ⁸There was great joy in that city.

⁹But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who used to practise sorcery in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, making himself out to be some great one, ¹⁰to whom they all listened, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is that great power of God.” ¹¹They listened to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his sorceries. ¹²But when they believed Philip proclaiming good news concerning God’s Kingdom and the name of Yeshua the Messiah, they were immersed, both men and women. ¹³Simon himself also believed. Being immersed, he continued with Philip. Seeing signs and great miracles occurring, he was amazed.

¹⁴Now when the emissaries who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and Yochanan to them, ¹⁵who, when they had come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit; ¹⁶for as yet he had fallen on none of them. They had only been immersed in the name of Messiah Yeshua. ¹⁷Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸Now when Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the emissaries’ hands, he offered them money, ¹⁹saying, “Give me also this power, that whomever I lay my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.” ²⁰But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! ²¹You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart isn’t right before God. ²²Repent therefore of this, your wickedness, and ask God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. ²³For I see that you are in the poison of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”

²⁴Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that none of the things which you have spoken happen to me.”

²⁵They therefore, when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the Good News to many villages of the Samaritans.

²⁶Then an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise, and go towards the south to the way that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert.”

²⁷He arose and went; and behold, there was a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship. ²⁸He was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.

²⁹The Spirit said to Philip, “Go near, and join yourself to this chariot.”

³⁰Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

³¹He said, “How can I, unless someone explains it to me?” He begged Philip to come up and sit with him. ³²Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this,