Philip in Samaria

⁴ Those who had been scattered^(A) preached the word wherever they went.^{(B) 5} Philip^(C) went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. ⁶ When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. ⁷ For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many,^(D) and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.^{(E) 8} So there was great joy in that city.

Simon the Sorcerer

⁹ Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery^(F) in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great,^{(G) 10} and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.”^{(H) 11} They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. ¹² But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God^(I) and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized,^(J) both men and women. ¹³ Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles^(K) he saw.

¹⁴ When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria^(L) had accepted the word of God,^(M) they sent Peter and John^(N) to Samaria. ¹⁵ When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit,^{(O) 16} because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them;^(P) they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.^{(Q) 17} Then Peter and John placed their hands on them,^(R) and they received the Holy Spirit.^(S)

¹⁸ When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money ¹⁹ and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

²⁰ Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!^{(T) 21} You have no part or share^(U) in this ministry, because your heart is not right^(V) before God. ²² Repent^(W) of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. ²³ For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

²⁴ Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me^(X) so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

²⁵ After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord^(Y) and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.^(Z)

Philip and the Ethiopian

²⁶ Now an angel^(AA) of the Lord said to Philip,^(AB) “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” ²⁷ So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian^[a](AC) eunuch,^(AD) an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,^{(AE) 28} and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. ²⁹ The Spirit told^(AF) Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

³⁰ Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

³¹ “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

³² This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:

³⁴ The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” ³⁵ Then Philip began^(AH) with that very passage of Scripture^(AI) and told him the good news^(AJ) about Jesus.

³⁶ As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?”^{(AK) [37] [c] 38} And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. ³⁹ When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away,^(AL) and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰ Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns^(AM) until he reached Caesarea.^(AN)