1 AND Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judæa and Samaria, except the apostles.
2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.
5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.
6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.
8 And there was great joy in that city.
9 But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:
10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.
11 And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.
12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
13 Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.
14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
18 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,
19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.
20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.
21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.
22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
23 For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.
24 Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.
25 And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.
26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
40 But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Cæsarea.

1And Saul was consenting vnto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the Church which was at Hierusalem, and they were all scattered abroad through out the regions of Iudea, and Samaria, except the Apostles.

2And deuout men carried Steuen to his buriall, and made great lamentation ouer him.

3As for Saul, he made hauocke of the Church, entring into euery house, and hailing men and women, committed them to prison.

4Therefore they that were scattered abroad, went euery where preaching the word.

5Then Philip went downe to the citie of Samaria, and preached Christ vnto them.

6And the people with one accord gaue heed vnto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.

7For vncleane spirits, crying with lowd voyce, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.

8And there was great ioy in that citie.

9But there was a certaine man called Simon, which before time in the same citie vsed sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giuing out that himselfe was some great one.

10To whom they all gaue heed from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.

11And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.

12But when they beleeued Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdome of God, and the Name of Iesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

13Then Simon himselfe beleeued also: and when hee was baptized, hee continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signes which were done.

14Now when the Apostles which were at Hierusalem, heard that Samaria had receiued the word of God, they sent vnto them Peter and Iohn.

15Who when they were come downe, praied for them that they might receiue the holy Ghost.

16(For as yet hee was fallen vpon none of them: onely they were baptized in the Name of the Lord Iesus.)

17Then layde they their hands on them, and they receiued the holy Ghost.

18And when Simon saw that through laying on of the Apostles hands, the holy Ghost was giuen, hee offered them money,

19Saying, Giue me also this power, that on whomsoeuer I lay handes, hee may receiue the holy Ghost.

20But Peter said vnto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.

21Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.

22Repent therefore of this thy wickednesse, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiuen thee.

23For I perceiue that thou art in the gall of bitternesse, and in the bond of iniquitie.

24Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for mee, that none of these things which ye haue spoken, come vpon me.

25And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Hierusalem, and preached the Gospel in many villages of the Samaritanes.

26And the Angel of the Lord spake vnto Philip, saying, Arise, and goe toward the South, vnto the way that goeth downe from Hierusalem vnto Gaza, which is desert.

27And hee arose, and went: and behold, a man of Ethiopia, an Eunuch of great authority vnder Candace queene of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Hierusalem for to worship,

28Was returning, and sitting in his charet, read Esaias the Prophet.

29Then the Spirit saide vnto Philip, Goe neere, and ioyne thy selfe to this charet.

30And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him reade the Prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?

31And hee said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip, that hee would come vp, and sit with him.

32The place of the Scripture, which hee read, was this, Hee was led as a sheepe to the slaughter, & like a Lambe dumbe before the shearer, so opened he not his mouth:

33In his humiliation, his Iudgement was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? For his life is taken from the earth.

34And the Eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the Prophet this? of himselfe, or of some other man?

35Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same Scripture, and preached vnto him Iesus.

36And as they went on their way, they came vnto a certaine water: and the Eunuch said, See, here is water, what doeth hinder me to be baptized?

37And Philip said, If thou beleeuest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered, and said, I beleeue that Iesus Christ is the Sonne of God.

38And he commanded the charet to stand still: and they went downe both into the water, both Philip, and the Eunuch, and he baptized him.

39And when they were come vp out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the Eunuch saw him no more: and hee went on his way reioycing.

40But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing thorow he preached in all the cities, till he came to Cesarea.

 

1 Now Saul was consenting to his execution. On that day, there broke out a severe persecution of the church in Jerusalem, and all were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him. 3 Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the church; entering house after house and dragging out men and women, he handed them over for imprisonment. 4 Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. 5 Thus Philip went down to (the) city of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them. 6 With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice, came out of many possessed people, and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured. 8 There was great joy in that city. 9 A man named Simon used to practice magic in the city and astounded the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great. 10 All of them, from the least to the greatest, paid attention to him, saying, "This man is the 'Power of God' that is called 'Great.'" 11 They paid attention to him because he had astounded them by his magic for a long time, 12 but once they began to believe Philip as he preached the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, men and women alike were baptized. 13 Even Simon himself believed and, after being baptized, became devoted to Philip; and when he saw the signs and mighty deeds that were occurring, he was astounded. 14 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, 15 who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the holy Spirit, 16 for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them and they received the holy Spirit. 18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was conferred by the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money 19 and said, "Give me this power too, so that anyone upon whom I lay my hands may receive the holy Spirit." 20 But Peter said to him, "May your money perish with you, because you thought that you could buy the gift of God with money. 21 You have no share or lot in this matter, for your heart is not upright before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness of yours and pray to the Lord that, if possible, your intention may be forgiven. 23 For I see that you are filled with bitter gall and are in the bonds of iniquity." 24 Simon said in reply, "Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me." 25 So when they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem and preached the good news to many Samaritan villages. 26 Then the angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, "Get up and head south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route." 27 So he got up and set out. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, that is, the queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury, who had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and was returning home. Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 The Spirit said to Philip, "Go and join up with that chariot." 30 Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?" 31 He replied, "How can I, unless someone instructs me?" So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him. 32 This was the scripture passage he was reading: "Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 33 In (his) humiliation justice was denied him. Who will tell of his posterity? For his life is taken from the earth." 34 Then the eunuch said to Philip in reply, "I beg you, about whom is the prophet saying this? About himself, or about someone else?" 35 Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this scripture passage, he proclaimed Jesus to him. 36 As they traveled along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Look, there is water. What is to prevent my being baptized?"

37 With new manuscripts found verse thirty seven was removed.

38 Then he ordered the chariot to stop, and Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water, and he baptized him. 39 When they came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but continued on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip came to Azotus, and went about proclaiming the good news to all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

 

v.1-3. At that time.  Or beginning that day. This was all zealous Saul needed, the ice was broken and merciless persecution exploded over the area. He probably thought he was doing God service, was vengeful for Stephen’s quiet submission and faith, but this same scene recurring in his mind may be what softened him up for later conversion on road to Damascus. Perhaps Stephen’s life was the price of Paul’s soul. (Were the lives of the three missionaries held in Columbia about six years the price of the souls of some of the rebels?)
v3. Havoc.  As Sherman’s march to the sea. Lit., a wild boar in a vineyard.
v1-4. Apostles, because of prestige were probably not harmed at first and felt they should stay to keep the nucleus church intact. As in the Congo in the 50’s, for most it was wise to leave a few years and serve the Lord elsewhere than be killed. 4 or 5 years had passed without spreading. The Lord used this to scatter the witnesses.
v5. Philip is possibly a Greek name meaning “lover of horses”, but it reveals nothing of his background. He is taking Stephen’s place. None are indispensable. Remember, this is Philip the evangelist, not Philip the Apostle. (See Acts 21:8). Also, the Apostles continued around Jerusalem, Acts 8:1.
v5. Samaria.  Hated mixed race, center of idolatry for 200 years before captivity, divisive temple in Mt. Ebal, opposed rebuilding temple in Jerusalem, Ezra 4. There was also a small number who worshiped in a truer way than in Judah.
v6-8. Christ’s command to go, Acts 1:8, is being carried out and it brought joy.
v9-11. But.  In contrast. Simon was using sorcery in opposition to miracles performed by apostles. Man, v 10, can not discern between acts of God and magic.
v12. His followers left and turned to God.
v13. It was expedient for him to “go along” too. His belief was like that of the devils that tremble, James 2:19. Head knowledge and accent , but not a heart experience. This can be said about Simon’s belief:
(1.) He believed Christianity was true. He was convinced of this by the miracles of Philip.
(2.) Many others were becoming Christians; and he went along with them. This is often the case in revivals of religion.
(3.) He was not saved, but it is clear, v 20,21, that he was willing to make use of Christianity to advance his own power, influence, and popularity--which often happens yet today for political and other reasons.
Contrast:
Simon                              Ethiopian Eunuch
Belief v23                             Faith v37               
Baptism v13                         Baptism v38
Bitterness v23                      Rejoicing v37
True faith led to rejoicing in the born again ones.
v14-17. Hostility toward Samaritans may have led to investigation of Philip’s, work (Like Jews said about Jesus - can anything good come out of Nazareth?), but it resulted in recognition by the Holy Spirit and apostles. The Apostles kept some watch over the scattered witnesses to encourage and make sure they stayed in the truth.
Each situation of laying on of hands is unique. In this case it may have been to  recognize that these people were part of the true Church.
v18,19. Show the superiority of the Holy Spirit compared to cults and demonology. Cults and false practices multiply faster than we can keep up with them, (Note: My Junior DVBS class drew 16 current symbols) So instead of trying to study and teach what is wrong with each of them, we must be diligent to teach what is right.
v20. Trying to purchase or turn spiritual functions into marketable commodities is called “Simony”. (”Buying or selling ecclesiastical preferment [As was common in old England] - traffic in anything sacred.” Webster's) Preachers scheming to get a certain church and people offering money to influence action are guilty of simony. Some make a large contribution and expect to get their own way.
Discuss: Simon’s example does not indicate failure of evangelists to teach correctly or the futility of trying. Not all men will be saved.
v21-24. Simon believed in the miracles but had not salvation faith, because he was in the “bond of iniquity”. He wanted to escape the consequences of this folly rather than get right with God. There are many legends about his later life. A sect called Simians worshiped him as a god and this lasted until third century. Mixture of paganism, Judaism and Christianity, the “Father of heresies”.
v25. The Apostles preached on their way back to Jerusalem.
v.26,27 Candace was not a proper name, but a title, such as Pharaoh Quick obedience of Philip for doubtful missions. This series of verses would indicate that God will send missionaries to those who are truly seeking. Begins to fulfill Ps. 87:4.
v28. As customary, the eunuch would have been reading aloud for his own benefit, and probably, with rhythm of the upper body and near singing tone of voice.
v29. Candace was title of Queen Mother who took care of secular business just as Pharaoh was title of Egyptian rulers. The queen’s son was supposedly a sun god and only looked after the religious aspects.
v30. Philip ran and initiated conversation. In witnessing, begin where the person is, not at our favorite points.
v31. Explanation of Scripture is not limited to churches and theologians, but many need some help in understanding. Read Rom. 10:13-17.
v 32-34. Isaiah spoke of Christ. Some Jews infer from Isa. 53:7,8 that there are two Messiah’s. One a suffering, one of glory.
v35. As teachers we should preach Christ in all lessons.
v 36,37. Belief is prerequisite for baptism.
v38,39. Substantiates baptism as immersion. The caravan would have carried enough water for sprinkling or pouring. Probably the whole caravan watched the baptism, and the whole court would know he was identified with the Christians. This Ethiopia was the Nubian land to the south of Egypt. History teaches that the gospel had a large following in Ethiopia following this, but the Bible was never translated into their language, and the church fell. As in Samaria, the gospel brought joy.
v40. Here he later became known as “Philip the evangelist” and had four daughters that prophesied, Acts 21:8,9. Azotus was about 10 miles north of Gaza. Philip preached his way back up to Caesarea.