{"book":"Acts","slug":"acts","ch":8,"genre":"prose","sub":"The Acts of the Apostles","prev":"acts/7","next":"acts/9","verses":[{"v":1,"t":"And Saul was there, giving approval to [Stephen’s] death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.","f":[],"lines":[{"style":"reg","t":"And Saul was there, giving approval to [Stephen’s] death."},{"style":"reg","t":"On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria."}],"h":"Saul Persecutes the Church","style":"reg"},{"v":2,"t":"God-fearing men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him.","f":[]},{"v":3,"t":"But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women [and] put [them] in prison.","f":[]},{"v":4,"t":"Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.","f":[],"h":"Philip in Samaria","style":"reg"},{"v":5,"t":"Philip went down to [a] city [in] Samaria [and] proclaimed the Christ to them.","f":[]},{"v":6,"t":"The crowds all paid close attention to Philip’s message and to the signs they saw him perform.","f":[]},{"v":7,"t":"With loud shrieks, unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, and many [of the] paralyzed and lame were healed.","f":[]},{"v":8,"t":"So there was great joy in that city.","f":[]},{"v":9,"t":"Prior to that time, a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and astounded the people of Samaria. He claimed to be someone great,","f":[],"h":"Simon the Sorcerer","style":"reg"},{"v":10,"t":"[and] all [the people], from the least to the greatest, heeded [ his words ] [and] said,“ This [man] is the divine power called [the] Great [Power].”","f":[]},{"v":11,"t":"They paid close attention to him because he had astounded them for a long time with [his] sorcery.","f":[]},{"v":12,"t":"But when they believed Philip as he preached the gospel of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":13,"t":"Even Simon himself believed and was baptized. He followed Philip {closely} and was astounded [by the] great signs and miracles he observed.","f":[]},{"v":14,"t":"[When] the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":15,"t":"On their arrival, they prayed for them to receive [the] Holy Spirit.","f":[]},{"v":16,"t":"For [the Holy Spirit] had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.","f":[]},{"v":17,"t":"Then [Peter and John] laid [their] hands on them, and they received [the] Holy Spirit.","f":[]},{"v":18,"t":"[When] Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money.","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":19,"t":"“ Give {me} this power as well,” he said,“ so that everyone on whom I lay [my] hands may receive [the] Holy Spirit.”","f":[]},{"v":20,"t":"But Peter replied,“ {May} your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":21,"t":"You have no part [or] share in [our] ministry, because your heart is not right before God.","f":[]},{"v":22,"t":"Repent, therefore, of your wickedness, and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive you for the intent of your heart.","f":[]},{"v":23,"t":"For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and captive to iniquity.”","f":[]},{"v":24,"t":"Then Simon answered,“ Pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":25,"t":"And after [Peter and John] had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many of the Samaritan villages.","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":26,"t":"Now an angel of [the] Lord said to Philip,“ Get up and go south to the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”","f":[],"h":"Philip and the Ethiopian","style":"reg"},{"v":27,"t":"[So] he started out, and on his way [he met] an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official in charge of the entire treasury of Candace, queen of [the] Ethiopians. [He] had gone to Jerusalem to worship,","f":["Greek Kandakē"]},{"v":28,"t":"and on his return was sitting in his chariot reading Isaiah the prophet.","f":[]},{"v":29,"t":"The Spirit said to Philip,“ Go over to [that] chariot and stay by [it].”","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":30,"t":"[So] Philip ran up [and] heard [the man] reading Isaiah the prophet.“ Do you understand what you are reading?” [Philip] asked.","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":31,"t":"“ How can I,” he said,“ unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up [and] sit with him.","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":32,"t":"[The eunuch] was reading this passage of Scripture:“ He was led like a sheep to [the] slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer [is] silent, so He did not open His mouth.","f":[],"lines":[{"style":"reg","t":"[The eunuch] was reading this passage of Scripture:"},{"style":"indent1stline","t":"“ He was led like a sheep to [the] slaughter,"},{"style":"indent2","t":"and as a lamb before the shearer [is] silent,"},{"style":"indent2","t":"so He did not open His mouth."}],"style":"reg"},{"v":33,"t":"In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can recount His descendants? For His life was removed from the earth.”","f":["Isaiah 53:7–8 (see also LXX)"],"lines":[{"style":"indent1","t":"In His humiliation He was deprived of justice."},{"style":"indent2","t":"Who can recount His descendants?"},{"style":"indent2","t":"For His life was removed from the earth.”"}],"style":"indent1"},{"v":34,"t":"“ Tell me,” said the eunuch,“ who {is} the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?”","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":35,"t":"Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":36,"t":"As they traveled along the road [and] came to some water, the eunuch said,“ Look, [here is] water! What is [there] to prevent me [from] being baptized?”","f":["TR includes 37And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may be baptized.” The eunuch replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”"],"style":"reg"},{"v":37,"t":"","f":[]},{"v":38,"t":"And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and [Philip] baptized him.","f":[]},{"v":39,"t":"When they came up out of the water, [the] Spirit of [the] Lord carried Philip {away}, and the eunuch saw him no more, [but] went on his way rejoicing.","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":40,"t":"But Philip appeared at Azotus and traveled through [that region], preaching the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.","f":[]}]}