8:1 And Saul was giving-approval to his killing. And a great persecution came about on that day against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all dispersed throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
8:2 And reverent men carried-in Stephen [for burial], and made a loud lamentation over him.
8:3 And Saul was destroying the church. Entering from house to house, dragging-away both men and women, he was handing them over to prison.
8:4 So indeed, the ones having been dispersed went about announcing the word as good news.
8:5 Now Philip, having gone down to the city of Samaria, was proclaiming the Christ to them.
8:6 And the crowds were with-one-accord paying-attention-to the things being said by Philip, during their hearing and seeing the signs which he was doing.
8:7 For many of the ones having unclean spirits— they were coming out while shouting with a loud voice. And many paralyzed ones and lame ones were cured.
8:9 Now a certain man, Simon by name, was-previously in the city practicing-magic and astonishing the nation of Samaria, saying that he was someone great,
8:10 to whom they all, from the small up to the great, were paying attention, saying, “This one is the Power of God being called ‘Great’”.
8:11 And they were paying attention to him because he had astonished them for a considerable time with the magic-arts.
8:12 And when they believed Philip announcing-the-good-news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized— both men and women.
8:13 Now Simon himself also believed. And having been baptized, he was attaching-himself to Philip. He was astonished, seeing both signs and great miracles taking place.
8:14 And the apostles in Jerusalem, having heard that “Samaria has accepted the word of God”, sent-forth Peter and John to them—
8:15 who, having come down, prayed for them so that they might receive the Holy Spirit.
8:16 For He had not yet fallen upon any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
8:17 Then they were laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.
8:18 Now Simon, having seen that the Spirit was given through the laying-on of the hands of the apostles, offered them money,
8:19 saying, “Give this authority to me also, so-that on whomever I lay on my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit”.
8:20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver be with you for destruction, because you thought to acquire the gift of God with money.
8:21 There is no part nor share for you in this matter. For your heart is not straight before God.
8:22 Therefore repent from this evilness of yours, and pray to the Lord, if perhaps the intention of your heart will be forgiven you.
8:23 For I see you being in the gall of bitterness and the bond of unrighteousness”.
8:24 And having responded, Simon said, “You two pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing of the things which you have spoken may come upon me”.
8:25 So indeed the ones— having solemnly-testified, and having spoken the word of the Lord— were returning to Jerusalem and announcing-the-good-news-to many villages of the Samaritans.
8:26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Arise and go toward the south on the road going down from Jerusalem to Gaza”. This is a wilderness [road].
8:27 And having arisen, he proceeded. And behold— there was an Ethiopian man, a eunuch, a court-official of Candace (queen of the Ethiopians), who was over all her treasury, who had come to Jerusalem to worship,
8:28 and was returning, and sitting on his chariot. And he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
8:29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Approach and join this chariot”.
8:30 And having run up, Philip heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you indeed understand the things which you are reading?”
8:31 And the one said, “How indeed might I be able, unless someone will guide me?” And he invited Philip to sit with him, having come up.
8:32 Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: “He was led like a sheep to slaughter. And as a lamb before the one having sheared it is silent, so He does not open His mouth.
8:33 In His humiliation, His justice was taken-away. Who will describe His generation? Because His life is taken-away from the earth” [Isa 53:7-8].
8:34 And having responded, the eunuch said to Philip, “I ask you, about whom is the prophet saying this— about himself or about some other?”
8:35 And Philip— having opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture— announced Jesus as good news to him.
8:36 And as they were proceeding along the road, they came upon some water. And the eunuch says, “Behold— water. What is preventing me from being baptized?”
8:38 And he ordered the chariot to stop. And they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.
8:39 And when they came up out-of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. And the eunuch did not see him any longer, for he was going his way rejoicing.
8:40 And Philip was found at Azotus. And while going through, he was announcing-the-good-news-to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.
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