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8:1  Saul wholeheartedly approved of Stephen’s death. And on that day a great and relentless persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem; and the believers were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles.
8:2  Some devout men buried Stephen, and mourned greatly over him [expressing a personal sense of loss].
8:3  But Saul began ravaging the church [and assaulting believers]; entering house after house and dragging off men and women, putting them in prison.
8:4  Now those [believers] who had been scattered went from place to place preaching the word [the good news of salvation through Christ].
8:5  Philip [the evangelist] went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) to them.
8:6  The crowds gathered and were paying close attention to everything Philip said, as they heard [the message] and saw the [miraculous] signs which he was doing [validating his message].
8:7  For unclean spirits (demons), shouting loudly, were coming out of many who were possessed; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed.
8:8  So there was great rejoicing in that city.
8:9  Now there was a man named Simon, who previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great.
8:10  They all paid [a great deal of] attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is what is called the Great Power of God!”
8:11  They were paying attention to him because for a long time he had mystified and dazzled them with his magic.
8:12  But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, both men and women.
8:13  Even Simon believed [Philip’s message of salvation]; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he watched the attesting signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed.
8:14  When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that [the people of] Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.
8:15  They came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit;
8:16  for He had not yet fallen on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus [as His possession].
8:17  Then Peter and John laid their hands on them [one by one], and they received the Holy Spirit.
8:18  Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money,
8:19  saying, “Give me this authority and power too, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
8:20  But Peter said to him, “May your money be destroyed along with you, because you thought you could buy the [free] gift of God with money!
8:21  You have no part or share in this matter, because your heart (motive, purpose) is not right before God.
8:22  So repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, this thought of your heart may be forgiven you.
8:23  For I see that you are provoked by bitterness and bound by sin.”
8:24  But Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me both of you, so that nothing of what you have said will come upon me.”
8:25  So, when Peter and John had given their testimony and preached the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, preaching the good news [about salvation] in many Samaritan villages [along the way].
8:26  But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south to the road that runs from Jerusalem down to Gaza.” (This is a desert road).
8:27  So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch [a man of great authority], a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship,
8:28  and he was returning, and sitting in his chariot he was reading [the scroll of] the prophet Isaiah.
8:29  Then the [Holy] Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.”
8:30  Philip ran up and heard the man reading the prophet Isaiah, and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
8:31  And he said, “Well, how could I [understand] unless someone guides me [correctly]?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
8:32  Now this was the passage of Scripture which he was reading: “Like a sheep He was led to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He does not open His mouth.
8:33  “In humiliation His judgment was taken away [justice was denied Him]. Who will describe His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.”
8:34  The eunuch replied to Philip, “Please tell me, about whom does the prophet say this? About himself or about someone else?”
8:35  Then Philip spoke and beginning with this Scripture he preached Jesus to him [explaining that He is the promised Messiah and the source of salvation].
8:36  As they continued along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch exclaimed, “Look! Water! What forbids me from being baptized?”
8:37  [Philip said to him, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he replied, “I do believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”]
8:38  And he ordered that the chariot be stopped; and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
8:39  When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord [suddenly] took Philip [and carried him] away [to a different place]; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but he went on his way rejoicing.
8:40  But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the good news [of salvation] to all the cities, until he came to Caesarea [Maritima].