Acts 8:5–17

⁵Philip went down to a^A city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them.^{d 6}The crowds were all paying attention to what Philip said, as they listened and saw the signs he was performing. ⁷For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed, and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.^{e 8}So there was great joy in that city.

THE RESPONSE OF SIMON

⁹A man named Simon had previously practiced sorcery in that city and amazed the Samaritan people, while claiming to be somebody great.^{f 10}They all paid attention to him, from the least of them to the greatest, and they said, “This man is called the Great Power of God.”^{Bg 11}They were attentive to him because he had amazed them with his sorceries for a long time. ¹²But when they believed Philip, as he proclaimed the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.^{h 13}Even Simon himself believed. And after he was baptized, he followed Philip everywhere and was amazed as he observed the signs and great miraclesⁱ that were being performed.

SIMON’S SIN

¹⁴When the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.^{j 15}After they went down there, they prayed for them so that the Samaritans might receive the Holy Spirit because he had not yet come down on any of them. ¹⁶(They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.^k) ¹⁷Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.