The Acts of the Apostles

⭑ Unlocked Dynamic Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 8 -

Then some men who revered God buried Stephen’s body in a tomb, and they mourned greatly and loudly for him. On that same day people started severely persecuting the believers who were living in Jerusalem.

So most of the believers fled to other places throughout the provinces of Judea and Samaria. The apostles remained in Jerusalem.

While they were killing Stephen, Saul was there approving that they should kill Stephen. So Saul also began trying to destroy the group of believers. He entered houses one by one, he dragged away men and women who believed in Jesus, and then he put them into prison.

Philip in Samaria

The believers who had left Jerusalem went to different places, where they continued preaching the message about Jesus.

One of those believers whose name was Philip went down from Jerusalem to a city in the district of Samaria. There he was telling the people that Jesus is the Christ.

Many people there heard Philip speak and saw the miraculous things that he was doing. So they all paid close attention to his words.

For example, Philip commanded evil spirits to come out of many people, and they came out screaming. Also, many people who were paralyzed and many others who were lame were healed.

So many people in that city greatly rejoiced.

Simon the Sorcerer

(Deuteronomy 18:9–14)

There was a man in that city whose name was Simon. He had been practicing sorcery for a long time, and he amazed the people in the district of Samaria with his magic. He claimed he was “Simon the Great One!”

All the people there, both ordinary and important people, listened to him. They were saying, “This man is the Great Power of God.”

They continued to listen to him carefully, because for a long time he had astonished them by practicing sorcery.

But then they believed Philip’s message about the good news about when God would show himself as king and about Jesus Christ. The men and the women who believed in Jesus were baptized.

Simon himself believed Philip’s message and was baptized. He began to constantly accompany Philip, and he was continually amazed by the great miracles he saw Philip doing, things that showed Philip was speaking the truth.

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that many people throughout Samaria district had believed God’s message, they sent Peter and John there.

When Peter and John arrived in Samaria, they prayed for those new believers to receive the Holy Spirit.

For it was clear that the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Simon saw that the Spirit was given to people as a result of the apostles placing their hands on them. So he offered to give money to the apostles,

saying, “Enable me also to do what you are doing, so that everyone on whom I place my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

But Peter said to him, “May you and your money be destroyed, because you tried to get God’s gift with money!

You cannot work with us in what we are doing, because your heart is not right with God!

So stop thinking wickedly like that, and plead that the Lord, if he is willing, will forgive you for what you wickedly thought in your heart to do!

Turn away from your evil ways, because I perceive that you are extremely envious of us, and you are a slave of your continual desire to do evil!”

Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord that he will not do to me what you just said!”

After Peter and John told people there what they knew personally about the Lord Jesus and declared to them the message of the Lord, they both returned to Jerusalem. Along the way they preached the good word about Jesus to people in the district of Samaria.

Philip and the Ethiopian

(Isaiah 53:1–8)

One day an angel whom Lord God had sent commanded Philip, “Get ready and go south along the road that extends from Jerusalem to the city of Gaza.” That was a road in a desert area.

So Philip got ready and went along that road. On the road he met a man from the land of Ethiopia. He was an important official who took care of all the funds for the queen of Ethiopia. In his language people called their queen Candace. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship God,

and he was returning home and was seated riding in his chariot. As he was riding, he was reading aloud in the book of the prophet Isaiah.

God’s Spirit told Philip, “Go near to that chariot and keep walking close to it!”

So Philip ran to the chariot and heard the official reading what the prophet Isaiah had written. He asked the man, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

He answered Philip, “No! I cannot possibly understand it if there is no one to explain it to me!” Then the man said to Philip, “Please come up and sit beside me.”

The part of the scriptures that the official was reading was this: “He is as calm as a sheep that people lead to the place where they are going to kill it, or as a lamb stands in silence while its wool is being cut off.

He will be humiliated. He will not receive justice. No one will be able to tell about his descendants, for he will have no descendants, because they will take away his life on this earth.”

The official asked Philip concerning these words that he was reading, “Tell me, who was the prophet writing about? Was he writing about himself or about someone else?”

So Philip replied to him; he began with that scripture passage, and he told him the good message about Jesus.

While they were traveling along the road, they came to a place where there was some water.

Then the official said to Philip, “Look, there is some water! I would like you to baptize me, because I do not know of anything that would prevent me from being baptized.”

So the official told the driver to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the official went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

When they came up out of the water, suddenly God’s Spirit took Philip away. The official never saw Philip again. But although he never saw Philip again, the official continued going along the road, very happy.

Philip then realized that the Spirit had miraculously taken him to the town of Azotus. While he traveled around in that region, he continued proclaiming the message about Jesus in all the towns between the cities of Azotus and Caesarea. And he was still proclaiming it when he finally arrived in Caesarea.

Saul 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 apostles.

Devout men buried Stephen and lamented greatly over him.

But Saul ravaged the assembly, entering into every house and dragged both men and women off to prison.

Philip in Samaria

Therefore those who were scattered abroad went around preaching the word.

Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.

The multitudes listened with one accord to the things that were spoken by Philip when they heard and saw the signs which he did.

For unclean spirits came out of many of those who had them. They came out, crying with a loud voice. Many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed.

There was great joy in that city.

Simon the Sorcerer

(Deuteronomy 18:9–14)

But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who used to practice sorcery in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, making himself out to be some great one,

to whom they all listened, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is that great power of God.”

They listened to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his sorceries.

But when they believed Philip preaching good news concerning God’s Kingdom and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Simon himself also believed. Being baptized, he continued with Philip. Seeing signs and great miracles occurring, he was amazed.

Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,

who, when they had come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit;

for as yet he had fallen on none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of Christ Jesus.

Then they 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, “Give me also this power, that whomever I lay my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.”

But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!

You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart isn’t right before God.

Repent therefore of this, your wickedness, and ask God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.

For I see that you are in the poison of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”

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

They 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.

Philip and the Ethiopian

(Isaiah 53:1–8)

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

He 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.

He was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.

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

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

He said, “How can I, unless someone explains it to me?” He begged Philip to come up and sit with him.

Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this, “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter. As a lamb before his shearer is silent, so he doesn’t open his mouth.

In his humiliation, his judgment was taken away. Who will declare His generation? For his life is taken from the earth.”(a)

The eunuch answered Philip, “Who is the prophet talking about? About himself, or about someone else?”

Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached to him about Jesus.

As they went on the way, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Behold, here is water. What is keeping me from being baptized?”

(b)

He commanded the chariot to stand still, and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.

When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, and the eunuch didn’t see him any more, for he went on his way rejoicing.

But Philip was found at Azotus. Passing through, he preached the Good News to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.

Footnotes

(a)8:33 ℘ Isaiah 53:7,8

(b)8:37 TR adds Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” He answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”