| 章 |
| 8:1 |
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.
|
| 8:2 |
Devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him.
|
| 8:3 |
But Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women, he committed them to prison.
|
| 8:4 |
Now those who were scattered went from place to place, proclaiming the word.
|
| 8:5 |
Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them.
|
| 8:6 |
The crowds with one accord listened eagerly to what was said by Philip, hearing and seeing the signs that he did,
|
| 8:7 |
for unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, came out of many who were possessed; and many others who were paralyzed or lame were cured.
|
| 8:8 |
So there was great joy in that city.
|
| 8:9 |
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.
|
| 8:10 |
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."
|
| 8:11 |
And they listened eagerly to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.
|
| 8:12 |
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.
|
| 8:13 |
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.
|
| 8:14 |
Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.
|
| 8:15 |
The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit
|
| 8:16 |
(for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus).
|
| 8:17 |
Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
|
| 8:18 |
Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money,
|
| 8:19 |
saying, "Give me also this power so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
|
| 8:20 |
But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God's gift with money!
|
| 8:21 |
You have no part or share in this, for your heart is not right before God.
|
| 8:22 |
Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.
|
| 8:23 |
For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and the chains of wickedness."
|
| 8:24 |
Simon answered, "Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may happen to me."
|
| 8:25 |
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.
|
| 8:26 |
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.)
|
| 8:27 |
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
|
| 8:28 |
and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
|
| 8:29 |
Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over to this chariot and join it."
|
| 8:30 |
So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
|
| 8:31 |
He replied, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.
|
| 8:32 |
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.
|
| 8:33 |
In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth."
|
| 8:34 |
The eunuch asked Philip, "About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?"
|
| 8:35 |
Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus.
|
| 8:36 |
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?"
|
| 8:37 |
|
| 8:38 |
He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
|
| 8:39 |
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.
|
| 8:40 |
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.
|
