Jubilee2000 - Acts - 8

8:1  And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem, and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

8:2  And devout men carried Stephen [to his burial] and made great lamentation over him.

8:3  As for Saul, he made havoc of the church; entering into the houses and dragging [out] men and women, he committed [them] to prison.

8:4  But those that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word of the gospel.

8:5  Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached the Christ unto them.

8:6  And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spoke, hearing and seeing the signs which he did.

8:7  For many unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of those who were possessed [with them], and many paralytics and that were lame were healed.

8:8  And there was great joy in that city.

8:9  But there was a certain man called Simon, who before this in the same city used magic arts and amazed the people of Samaria, giving out that [he] himself was some great one,

8:10  to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This is the great virtue of God.

8:11  And to him they had regard because for a long time he had amazed them with magic arts.

8:12  But when they believed Philip preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

8:13  Then Simon himself believed also; and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were being done.

8:14  Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John unto them,

8:15  who, when they were come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

8:16  (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them; they were baptized only in the name of the Lord Jesus.)

8:17  Then they laid [their] hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

8:18  And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money,

8:19  saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit.

8:20  But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.

8:21  Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.

8:22  Repent therefore of this thy wickedness and pray God, if perhaps this thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.

8:23  For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness and [in] the prison of iniquity.

8:24  Then Simon answered and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.

8:25  And they, when they had testified and preached the word of God, returned to Jerusalem and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.

8:26  And the angel of the Lord spoke unto Philip, saying, Arise and go toward the south unto the way that goes down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.

8:27  Then he arose and went, and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure and had come to Jerusalem to worship,

8:28  was returning and sitting in his chariot reading Isaiah the prophet.

8:29  Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near and join thyself to this chariot.

8:30  And Philip ran there to [him] and heard him read the prophet Isaiah and said, Dost thou understand what thou readest?

8:31  And he said, How can I, except someone should guide me? And he besought Philip to come up and sit with him.

8:32  The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth;

8:33  in his humiliation his judgment was taken away, and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.

8:34  And the eunuch answered Philip and said, I pray thee, of whom does the prophet speak this? of himself or of some other?

8:35  Then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same scripture and preached unto him the gospel of Jesus.

8:36  And as they went on [their] way, they came unto a certain water; and the eunuch said, See, [here is] water; what hinders me to be baptized?

8:37  And Philip said, If thou dost believe with all thine heart, thou may. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

8:38  And he commanded the chariot to stand still, and they went both down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.

8:39  And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, [so] that the eunuch saw him no more, and he went on his way rejoicing.

8:40  But Philip was found at Azotus, and passing through, he preached the gospel in all the cities until he came to Caesarea.: