1Saul approved of Stephen's execution. On that day, a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
2Devout men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him.
3But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.
4Those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the message.
5Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there.
6When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said.
7For impure spirits came out of many people, screaming loudly. Many who were paralyzed or lame were also healed.
8So there was great joy in that city.
9Now for some time, a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great,
10and all the people, from the least to the greatest, paid attention to him, saying, "This man is the power of God, the 'Great Power.'"
11They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic.
12But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of God's kingdom and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
13Simon himself also believed and was baptized. After that, he stayed close to Philip and was amazed when he saw the great signs and miracles that were happening.
14When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.
15When Peter and John arrived, they prayed for the new believers that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
16because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
17Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18When Simon saw that people received the Holy Spirit when the apostles placed their hands on them, he offered the apostles money,
19saying, "Give me this power too, so that anyone I place my hands on may also receive the Holy Spirit."
20But Peter said to him, "May your money be destroyed along with you, because you thought you could buy God's gift with money!
21You have no part or share in this, because your heart is not right in God's sight.
22So turn away from this evil and ask God if he might forgive you for what you intended to do.
23For I see that you are full of bitter envy and a slave to sin."
24Simon answered, "Please pray to the Lord for me, so that none of the things you have said will happen to me."
25After they had testified and spoken the Lord's message, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the Good News in many Samaritan villages.
26However, an angel of the Lord told Philip, "Get up and go south on the road that goes from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a desert road.)
27So Philip got up and went. On his way, he saw an Ethiopian man, a eunuch, who was an important official in charge of all the treasury for Candace, the queen of Ethiopia. This man had traveled to Jerusalem to worship.
28He was now on his way home, sitting in his chariot and reading from the prophet Isaiah.
29The Spirit told Philip, "Go over and stay near that chariot."
30Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
31The man replied, "How can I, unless someone explains it to me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32The Scripture passage he was reading was this: "He was led like a sheep to be slaughtered. Like a lamb that is silent before its shearer, he did not open his mouth.
33In his humiliation, he was denied justice. Who can describe his descendants? For his life is taken from the earth."
34The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, who is the prophet talking about? Himself, or someone else?"
35Then Philip began to speak, and starting with that same Scripture, he told him the Good News about Jesus.
36As they traveled along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?"
38He ordered the chariot to stop. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but continued on his way rejoicing.
40Philip, however, found himself at Azotus. As he traveled through the area, he preached the Good News in all the towns until he arrived at Caesarea.