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    Acts · 39 verses

    Acts 8

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    The chapter

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    Philip baptizes the Ethiopian eunuch, and then the Spirit of the Lord carries Philip away; the eunuch merely continues down the road rejoicing, while Philip turns up at Azotus as though this were a perfectly ordinary way to travel.

    Scattered, but speakingvv. 1–4

    Saul stands approving Stephen’s death, and persecution breaks out in Jerusalem. The church scatters through Judea and Samaria, while the apostles remain in Jerusalem. Stephen is buried by God-fearing men who mourn deeply, and Saul goes from house to house dragging men and women into prison. Yet the scattered believers preach wherever they go: the story is dispersed, but not silenced.

    Simon and the unbuyable giftvv. 5–25

    Philip arrives in a city of Samaria, where crowds attend to his message and to the signs: unclean spirits leave with loud shrieks, and the paralyzed and lame are healed. The city acquires great joy, which is a considerable improvement on its former celebrity, Simon the sorcerer, who had astounded everyone and claimed to be someone great. Simon himself believes, is baptized, and follows Philip closely—until Peter and John lay hands on believers and the Holy Spirit is given. Simon offers money for the same power. Peter answers with unusual force, telling him that silver and its owner may perish together, and Simon asks for prayer. Peter and John then return to Jerusalem, preaching through the Samaritan villages.

    A road, a reading, and a sudden absencevv. 26–40

    An angel sends Philip to the desert road descending from Jerusalem to Gaza, where he meets an Ethiopian eunuch, a treasury official of Candace. The official is returning from worship in Jerusalem and reading Isaiah in his chariot. Philip joins him, explains the passage about the silent sufferer, and tells him the good news about Jesus. At the first water, the eunuch asks what could prevent baptism; nothing in the account does. They enter the water together, and Philip baptizes him. Then, immediately upon leaving it, Philip is carried away by the Spirit of the Lord. The eunuch sees him no more and goes on rejoicing, while Philip appears at Azotus and continues preaching until he reaches Caesarea.

    The text

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    Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Names the Hebrew and Greek put in the verse link to the person, place or people they name; the address beside each verse is a link to that verse, which is what a reader copies and shares.

    1. Acts 8:1And Saul was there, giving approval to Stephen’s death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.

    2. Acts 8:2God-fearing men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him.

    3. Acts 8:3But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.

    4. Acts 8:4Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.

    5. Acts 8:5Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them.

    6. Acts 8:6The crowds all paid close attention to Philip’s message and to the signs they saw him perform.

    7. Acts 8:7With loud shrieks, unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, and many of the paralyzed and lame were healed.

    8. Acts 8:8So there was great joy in that city.

    9. Acts 8:9Prior to that time, a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and astounded the people of Samaria. He claimed to be someone great,

    10. Acts 8:10and all the people, from the least to the greatest, heeded his words and said, “This man is the divine power called the Great Power.”

    11. Acts 8:11They paid close attention to him because he had astounded them for a long time with his sorcery.

    12. Acts 8:12But when they believed Philip as he preached the gospel of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

    13. Acts 8:13Even Simon himself believed and was baptized. He followed Philip closely and was astounded by the great signs and miracles he observed.

    14. Acts 8:14When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.

    15. Acts 8:15On their arrival, they prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit.

    16. Acts 8:16For the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.

    17. Acts 8:17Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

    18. Acts 8:18When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money.

    19. Acts 8:19“Give me this power as well,” he said, “so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

    20. Acts 8:20But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!

    21. Acts 8:21You have no part or share in our ministry, because your heart is not right before God.

    22. Acts 8:22Repent, therefore, of your wickedness, and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive you for the intent of your heart.

    23. Acts 8:23For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and captive to iniquity.”

    24. Acts 8:24Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

    25. Acts 8:25And after Peter and John had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many of the Samaritan villages.

    26. Acts 8:26Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south to the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”

    27. Acts 8:27So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official in charge of the entire treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship,

    28. Acts 8:28and on his return was sitting in his chariot reading Isaiah the prophet.

    29. Acts 8:29The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to that chariot and stay by it.”

    30. Acts 8:30So Philip ran up and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

    31. Acts 8:31“How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

    32. Acts 8:32The 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.

    33. Acts 8:33In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can recount His descendants? For His life was removed from the earth.”

    34. Acts 8:34“Tell me,” said the eunuch, “who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?”

    35. Acts 8:35Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

    36. Acts 8:36As they traveled along the road and came to some water, the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is there to prevent me from being baptized?”

    37. Acts 8:38And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

    38. Acts 8:39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing.

    39. Acts 8:40But Philip appeared at Azotus and traveled through that region, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

    01 — Also here

    Who else the chapter reaches

    Names written in the English are linked in the text above. These are the ones that are not: an entity the Hebrew or Greek names under a spelling the translation does not use, or one reached only by an assertion about a verse of this chapter.

    Named in the Hebrew or Greek somewhere in this chapter, under a form the English renders differently — the registry's Ludim against the translation's Ludites — so there is no word in the sentence to hang the link on.

    Reached by an assertion Atlas extracted from a verse of this chapter rather than by a name written in it — a pronoun, a title, or a participant the sentence carries without naming. This layer is model-read and measured at 88.6–90.3% precision, and it is kept separate from the names above for that reason.

    02 — Read alongside

    Where this is echoed

    Readers' own connections, from OpenBible's crowd-voted cross-references — agreement about relevance, and not scholarly confidence. 507 passages were voted onto 39 verses of this chapter; the 16 shown lead on votes, and each is listed at the verse it was voted onto most strongly.

    • 32Isaiah 53:7–8He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.
    • 321 Peter 2:21–24For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His footsteps:
    • 32Jeremiah 51:40I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with male goats.
    • 32Romans 8:36As it is written: “For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
    • 32Jeremiah 11:19For I was like a gentle lamb led to slaughter; I did not know that they had plotted against me: “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit; let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be remembered no more.”
    • 32Psalms 44:11–12You have given us up as sheep to be devoured; You have scattered us among the nations.
    • 32Psalms 39:9I have become mute; I do not open my mouth because of what You have done.
    • 32Psalms 39:2I was speechless and still; I remained silent, even from speaking good, and my sorrow was stirred.
    • 32John 1:29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
    • 32Matthew 26:62–63So the high priest stood up and asked Him, “Have You no answer? What are these men testifying against You?”
    • 391 Kings 18:12I do not know where the Spirit of the LORD may carry you off when I leave you. Then when I go and tell Ahab and he does not find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the LORD from my youth.
    • 12Acts 2:38Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
    • 17Acts 19:6And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
    • 33Isaiah 53:12Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He has poured out His life unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors. Yet He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.
    • 9Acts 13:6They traveled through the whole island as far as Paphos, where they found a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus,
    • 321 Peter 1:19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.

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