Acts 8

Modern

Literal

Saul Persecutes the Church

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.

¹And Saul was there consenting to his killing. And on that day a great persecution arose against the church that was in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria.

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

²Now devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him.

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

³But Saul was destroying the church. Entering into the houses and dragging off men and women, he was delivering them to prison.

Philip in Samaria

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

⁴Then indeed those having been scattered went about preaching the word.

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

⁵Now Philip, having gone down to a city of Samaria, was proclaiming the Christ to them.

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

⁶And the crowds, with one accord, were giving heed to the things being spoken by Philip in their hearing and seeing the signs that he was performing.

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

⁷For from many of those having unclean spirits they were coming out, crying in a loud voice. And many having been paralyzed and lame were healed.

⁸So there was great joy in that city.

Simon the Sorcerer

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,

⁹Now a certain man named Simon had been formerly practicing sorcery in the city and amazing the people of Samaria, declaring himself to be someone great,

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.”

¹⁰to whom they were all giving heed, from small to great, saying, “This one is the power of God that is called Great.”

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

¹¹Now they were giving heed to him because for a long time he had amazed them with the magic arts.

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.

¹²But when they believed Philip proclaiming the gospel concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

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

¹³And Simon himself also believed, and having been baptized, he was steadfastly continuing with Philip. And beholding the signs and great miracles being performed, he was amazed.

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

¹⁴Now the apostles in Jerusalem, having heard that Samaria had received the word of God, sent to them Peter and John,

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

¹⁵who, having come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

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

¹⁶For He was not yet fallen upon any of them, but they had only been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.

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

¹⁷Then they began laying the hands upon them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

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

¹⁸Now Simon, having seen that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, offered to them money,

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

¹⁹saying, “Give also to me this authority, so that on whomever I may lay the hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit.”

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

²⁰But Peter said to him, “Your silver with you, may it be to destruction, because you thought the gift of God was to be obtained by money!

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

²¹To you there is no part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.

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

²²Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray earnestly to the Lord, if indeed the intent of your heart will be forgiven you.

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

²³For I see you being in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity.”

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

²⁴And Simon, answering, said, “You pray earnestly to the Lord on behalf of me, so that nothing of which you have spoken may come upon me.”

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.

²⁵Then they indeed, having earnestly testified and having spoken the word of the Lord, traveled back to Jerusalem, and they were preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.

Philip and the Ethiopian

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.”

²⁶Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Rise up and go toward the south, to the road going down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is desert.)

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

²⁷And having risen up, he went. And behold, a man, an Ethiopian eunuch, a potentate of Kandake, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship.

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

²⁸And he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah.

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

²⁹And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and join yourself to this chariot.”

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

³⁰And Philip, having run up, heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and he said, “Do you then understand what you are reading?”

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

³¹And he said, “How indeed could I be able, unless someone will guide me?” And he invited Philip, having come up, to sit with him.

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.

³²Now the passage of Scripture that he was reading was this: “He was led as a sheep to slaughter, and as a lamb before the one shearing it is silent, so He does not open His mouth.

³³In His humiliation He was deprived of justice.

Who can recount His descendants?

For His life was removed from the earth.”^a

³³In His humiliation, justice was taken away from Him. Who will describe His generation? For His life is removed from the earth.”

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

³⁴And the eunuch, answering, said to Philip, “I beseech you, about whom does the prophet say this? About himself, or about some other?”

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

³⁵And Philip, having opened his mouth and having begun from this Scripture, proclaimed the good news to him—Jesus.

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?”^a

³⁶And as they were going along the road, they came upon some water, and the eunuch says, “Behold, water! What prevents my being baptized?”

³⁷—

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

³⁸And he commanded the chariot to stop. And they both went down to the water—both Philip and the eunuch—and he baptized him.

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.

³⁹Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried away Philip, and the eunuch saw him no longer. For he went on his way rejoicing.

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

⁴⁰But Philip was found at Azotus, and passing through, he was proclaiming the gospel to all the towns until his coming to Caesarea.