8And Saul was there, giving approval to his death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.G1161G4569G2258G4909G846G336G1161G1722G1565G2250G1096G3173G1375G1909G1577G3588G1722G2414G5037G1289G3956G1289G2596G5561G2449G2532G4540G4133G6522Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him.G1161G2126G435G4792G4736G2532G4160G3173G2870G1909G8463But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.G1161G4569G3075G1577G1531G2596G3624G4951G5037G435G2532G1135G3860G1519G54384Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.G3767G3303G1289G1330G2097G30565Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there.G1161G5376G2718G1519G4172G4540G2784G5547G8466When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said.G5037G3793G3661G4337G5376G3004G5259G1722G191G846G2532G991G4592G3739G41607With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed.G1063G169G4151G994G3173G5456G1831G4183G2192G1161G4183G3886G2532G5560G23238So there was great joy in that city.G2532G1096G3173G5479G1722G1565G41729Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great,G1161G5100G435G3686G4613G4391G1722G4172G3096G2532G1839G1484G4540G3004G1438G1511G5100G317310and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is the divine power known as the Great Power."G3739G3956G4337G575G3398G2193G3173G3004G3778G2076G3173G1411G231611They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic.G1161G846G4337G1223G2425G5550G1839G846G309512But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.G1161G3753G4100G5376G2097G4012G932G2316G2532G3686G2424G5547G907G5037G435G2532G113513Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.G1161G4613G846G4100G2532G2532G907G2258G4342G5376G5037G1839G2334G1411G2532G4592G3173G1096G109614When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.G1161G652G3588G1722G2414G191G3754G4540G1209G3056G2316G649G4314G846G4074G2532G249115When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit,G3748G2597G4336G4012G846G3704G2983G40G415116because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.G1063G3768G2258G1968G1909G3762G846G3440G1161G5225G907G1519G3686G2962G242417Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.G5119G2007G5495G1909G846G2532G2983G40G415118When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them moneyG1161G4613G2300G3754G1223G1936G652G5495G40G4151G1325G4374G846G553619and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."G3004G1325G2504G5026G1849G2443G2007G3739G1437G2007G5495G2983G40G415120Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!G1161G4074G2036G4314G846G4675G694G1498G1519G684G4862G4671G3754G3543G1431G2316G2932G1223G553621You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.G4671G2076G3756G3310G3761G2819G1722G5129G3056G1063G4675G2588G2076G3756G2117G1799G231622Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.G3340G3767G575G5026G4675G2549G2532G1189G2316G1487G686G1963G4675G2588G863G467123For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin."G1063G3708G4571G5607G1519G5521G4088G2532G4886G9324Then Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me."G1161G611G4613G2036G1189G5210G4314G2962G5228G1700G3704G3367G3739G2046G1904G1909G169125When they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.G3303G3767G1263G2532G2980G3056G2962G5290G1519G2419G5037G2097G4183G2968G454126Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road--the desert road--that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza."G1161G32G2962G2980G4314G5376G3004G450G2532G4198G2596G3314G1909G3598G2597G575G2419G1519G1048G3778G2076G204827So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,G2532G450G4198G2532G2400G435G128G2135G1413G2582G938G128G3739G2258G1909G3956G846G1047G3739G2064G1519G2419G435228and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet.G5037G2258G5290G2532G2521G1909G846G716G2532G314G2268G439629The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."G1161G4151G2036G5376G4334G2532G2853G5129G71630Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.G1161G5376G4370G191G846G314G4396G2268G2532G2036G687G1065G1097G3739G31431"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.G1161G2036G1063G4459G302G1410G3362G5100G3594G3165G5037G3870G5376G305G2523G4862G84632The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.G1161G4042G1124G3739G314G2258G3778G71G5613G4263G1909G4967G2532G5613G286G880G1726G846G2751G3779G455G3756G846G475033In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth."G1722G846G5014G846G2920G142G1161G5101G1334G846G1074G3754G846G2222G142G575G109334The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?"G1161G2135G611G5376G2036G1189G4675G4012G5101G3004G4396G5124G4012G1438G2228G4012G5100G208735Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.G1161G5376G455G846G4750G2532G756G575G5026G1124G2097G846G242436As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?"G1161G5613G4198G2596G3598G2064G1909G5100G5204G2532G2135G5346G2400G5204G5101G2967G3165G90737Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." The eunuch answered, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."G1161G5376G2036G1487G4100G1537G3650G2588G1832G1161G611G2036G4100G2424G5547G1511G5207G231638And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.G2532G2753G716G2476G2532G2597G297G1519G5204G5037G5376G2532G2135G2532G907G84639When 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 went on his way rejoicing.G1161G3753G305G1537G5204G4151G2962G726G5376G2532G2135G1492G3756G846G3765G1063G4198G846G3598G546340Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.G1161G5376G2147G1519G108G2532G1330G2097G3956G4172G2193G846G2064G1519G2542