8Now Saul heartily approved of putting Stephen to death. That day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and everyone except for the apostles was scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria.G1161G4569G2258G4909G846G336G1161G1722G1565G2250G1096G3173G1375G1909G1577G3588G1722G2414G5037G1289G3956G1289G2596G5561G2449G2532G4540G4133G6522Devout men buried Stephen as they mourned loudly for him.G1161G2126G435G4792G4736G2532G4160G3173G2870G1909G8463But Saul kept trying to destroy the church. Going into one house after another, he began dragging off men and women and throwing them in prison.G1161G4569G3075G1577G1531G2596G3624G4951G5037G435G2532G1135G3860G1519G54384Now those who were scattered went from place to place preaching the word.G3767G3303G1289G1330G2097G30565Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began to preach the Messiah to the people.G1161G5376G2718G1519G4172G4540G2784G5547G8466The crowds, hearing his message and seeing the signs that he was doing, paid close attention to what was said by Philip.G5037G3793G3661G4337G5376G3004G5259G1722G191G846G2532G991G4592G3739G41607Unclean spirits screamed with a loud voice as they came out of the many people they had possessed, and many paralyzed and lame people were healed.G1063G169G4151G994G3173G5456G1831G4183G2192G1161G4183G3886G2532G5560G23238As a result, there was great rejoicing in that city.G2532G1096G3173G5479G1722G1565G41729Now in that city there was a man named Simon. He was practicing occult arts and thrilling the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great.G1161G5100G435G3686G4613G4391G1722G4172G3096G2532G1839G1484G4540G3004G1438G1511G5100G317310Everyone from the least to the greatest paid close attention to him, saying, "This is what we call the great power of God!"G3739G3956G4337G575G3398G2193G3173G3004G3778G2076G3173G1411G231611They paid careful attention to him because he had thrilled them for a long time with his occult performances.G1161G846G4337G1223G2425G5550G1839G846G309512But when Philip proclaimed the good news about the kingdom of God and about the name of Jesus the Messiah, men and women believed and were baptized.G1161G3753G4100G5376G2097G4012G932G2316G2532G3686G2424G5547G907G5037G435G2532G113513Even Simon believed, and after he was baptized he became devoted to Philip. He was amazed to see the signs and great miracles that were happening.G1161G4613G846G4100G2532G2532G907G2258G4342G5376G5037G1839G2334G1411G2532G4592G3173G1096G109614Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaritans had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.G1161G652G3588G1722G2414G191G3754G4540G1209G3056G2316G649G4314G846G4074G2532G249115They went down and prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit.G3748G2597G4336G4012G846G3704G2983G40G415116Before this he had not come on any of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.G1063G3768G2258G1968G1909G3762G846G3440G1161G5225G907G1519G3686G2962G242417Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.G5119G2007G5495G1909G846G2532G2983G40G415118Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them moneyG1161G4613G2300G3754G1223G1936G652G5495G40G4151G1325G4374G846G553619and said, "Give me this power too, so that when I lay my hands on someone, he will receive the Holy Spirit."G3004G1325G2504G5026G1849G2443G2007G3739G1437G2007G5495G2983G40G415120But Peter said to him, "May your money perish with you because you thought you could obtain God's free gift with money!G1161G4074G2036G4314G846G4675G694G1498G1519G684G4862G4671G3754G3543G1431G2316G2932G1223G553621You have no part or share in what we're saying, because your heart isn't right with God.G4671G2076G3756G3310G3761G2819G1722G5129G3056G1063G4675G2588G2076G3756G2117G1799G231622So repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, your heart's intent may be forgiven you.G3340G3767G575G5026G4675G2549G2532G1189G2316G1487G686G1963G4675G2588G863G467123For I see that you're being poisoned by bitterness and you're a prisoner of wickedness!"G1063G3708G4571G5607G1519G5521G4088G2532G4886G9324Simon answered, "Both of you pray to the Lord for me that none of the things you have said will happen to me."G1161G611G4613G2036G1189G5210G4314G2962G5228G1700G3704G3367G3739G2046G1904G1909G169125After they had given their testimony and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, continuing to proclaim the good news in many Samaritan villages.G3303G3767G1263G2532G2980G3056G2962G5290G1519G2419G5037G2097G4183G2968G454126Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go south on the road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a deserted road."G1161G32G2962G2980G4314G5376G3004G450G2532G4198G2596G3314G1909G3598G2597G575G2419G1519G1048G3778G2076G204827So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, who was a member of the court of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He was in charge of all her treasures and had come up to Jerusalem to worship.G2532G450G4198G2532G2400G435G128G2135G1413G2582G938G128G3739G2258G1909G3956G846G1047G3739G2064G1519G2419G435228Now he was returning home, seated in his chariot, and reading from the prophet Isaiah.G5037G2258G5290G2532G2521G1909G846G716G2532G314G2268G439629The Spirit said to Philip, "Approach that chariot and stay near it."G1161G4151G2036G5376G4334G2532G2853G5129G71630So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah out loud. Philip asked, "Do you understand what you're reading?"G1161G5376G4370G191G846G314G4396G2268G2532G2036G687G1065G1097G3739G31431The man replied, "How can I unless someone guides me?" So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him.G1161G2036G1063G4459G302G1410G3362G5100G3594G3165G5037G3870G5376G305G2523G4862G84632This was the passage of Scripture he was reading: "Like a sheep he was led away to be slaughtered, and like a lamb is silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth.G1161G4042G1124G3739G314G2258G3778G71G5613G4263G1909G4967G2532G5613G286G880G1726G846G2751G3779G455G3756G846G475033In his humiliation, justice was denied him. Who can describe his descendants? For his life is taken away from the earth."G1722G846G5014G846G2920G142G1161G5101G1334G846G1074G3754G846G2222G142G575G109334The eunuch asked Philip, "I ask you, who is the prophet talking about? Himself? Or someone else?"G1161G2135G611G5376G2036G1189G4675G4012G5101G3004G4396G5124G4012G1438G2228G4012G5100G208735Then Philip began to speak, and, starting from this Scripture, he told him the good news about Jesus.G1161G5376G455G846G4750G2532G756G575G5026G1124G2097G846G242436As they were going along the road, they came to some water. The eunuch said, "Look, there's some water. What keeps me from being baptized?"G1161G5613G4198G2596G3598G2064G1909G5100G5204G2532G2135G5346G2400G5204G5101G2967G3165G90737...G1161G5376G2036G1487G4100G1537G3650G2588G1832G1161G611G2036G4100G2424G5547G1511G5207G231638So he ordered the chariot to stop, and Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.G2532G2753G716G2476G2532G2597G297G1519G5204G5037G5376G2532G2135G2532G907G84639When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch went on his way rejoicing and did not see Philip again.G1161G3753G305G1537G5204G4151G2962G726G5376G2532G2135G1492G3756G846G3765G1063G4198G846G3598G546340But Philip found himself at Azotus. As he was passing through that region, he kept proclaiming the good news in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.G1161G5376G2147G1519G108G2532G1330G2097G3956G4172G2193G846G2064G1519G2542
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