Acts:8

---

Seeker Overlay ON

* Now Saul was consenting to his death . At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem ; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria , except the apostles . * And devout men carried Stephen to his burial , and made great lamentation over him . * As for Saul , he made havoc of the church , entering every house , and dragging off men and women , committing them to prison . * Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word . * Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them . * And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip , hearing and seeing the miracles which he did . * For unclean spirits , crying with a loud voice , came out of many who were possessed ; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed . * And there was great joy in that city . * But there was a certain man called Simon , who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria , claiming that he was someone great , * to whom they all gave heed , from the least to the greatest , saying , "This man is the great power of God ." * And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time . * But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ , both men and women were baptized . * Then Simon himself also believed ; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip , and was amazed , seeing the miracles and signs which were done . * 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 upon none of them . They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus . * Then they laid hands on them , and they received the Holy Spirit . * And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles ' hands the Holy Spirit was given , he offered them money , * saying , "Give me this power also , that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit ." * But Peter said to him , "Your money perish with you , because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money ! * You have neither part nor portion in this matter , for your heart is not right in the sight of God . * Repent therefore of this your wickedness , and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you . * For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity ." * Then Simon answered and said , "Pray to the Lord for me , that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me ." * So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord , they returned to Jerusalem , preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans . * Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip , saying , "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza ." This is desert . * So he arose and went . And behold , a man of Ethiopia , a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians , who had charge of all her treasury , and had come to Jerusalem to worship , * was returning . And sitting in his chariot , he was reading Isaiah the prophet . * Then the Spirit said to Philip , "Go near and overtake this chariot ." * So Philip ran to him , and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah , and said , "Do you understand what you are reading ?" * And he said , "How can I , unless someone guides me ?" And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him . * The place in the Scripture which he read was this : "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter ; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent , So He opened not His mouth . * In His humiliation His justice was taken away , And who will declare His generation ? For His life is taken from the earth ." * So the eunuch answered Philip and said , "I ask you , of whom does the prophet say this , of himself or of some other man ?" * Then Philip opened his mouth , and beginning at this Scripture , preached Jesus to him . * Now as they went down the road , they came to some water . And the eunuch said , "See , here is water . What hinders me from being baptized ?" * Then Philip said , "If you believe with all your heart , you may ." And he answered and said , "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God ." * So he commanded the chariot to stand still . And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water , and he baptized him . * Now when they came up out of the water , the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away , so that the eunuch saw him no more ; and he went on his way rejoicing . * But Philip was found at Azotus . And passing through , he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea .

---