Philip Proclaims Christ in Samaria
4 Now
1those who were scattered went about preaching the word.
5
2Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.
6
3And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him
4and saw the signs that he did.
7
For
5unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.
8
So
6there was much joy in that city.
Simon the Magician Believes
9 But there was a man named Simon,
7who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria,
8saying that he himself was somebody great.
10
They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying,
9"This man is the power of God that is called
10Great."
11
And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had
11amazed them with his magic.
12
But when
12they believed Philip as he preached good news
13about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ,
14they were baptized, both men and women.
13
Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And
15seeing signs and
16great miracles performed,
17he was amazed.
14
Now when
18the apostles at Jerusalem heard that
19Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John,
15
who came down and prayed for them
20that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
16
for
21he had not yet
22fallen on any of them, but
23they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
17
Then
24they laid their hands on them and
25they received the Holy Spirit.
18
Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money,
19
saying, "Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
20
But Peter said to him,
26"May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God
27with money!
21
You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for
28your heart is not right before God.
22
Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that,
29if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.
23
For I see that you are in
30the gall of bitterness and in
31the bond of iniquity."
24
And Simon answered,
32"Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me."
25
Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem,
33preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
26 Now
34an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is a desert place.
27
And he rose and went. And there was an
35Ethiopian, a
36eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians,
37who was in charge of all her treasure.
38He had come to Jerusalem to worship
28
and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
29
And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over and join this chariot."
30
So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
31
And he said,
39"How can I, unless someone
40guides me?" And
41he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32
Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:
42"Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth.
33
In his
43humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth."
34
And the eunuch said to Philip, "About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?"
35
Then Philip opened his mouth, and
44beginning with this Scripture
45he told him the good news about Jesus.
36
And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water!
46What prevents me from being baptized?"
38
And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.
39
And when they came up out of the water,
47the Spirit of the Lord
48carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.