Acts 8–9

Saul the Persecutor

8Saul agreed with putting him to death.

On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria. ^p2Devout men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him. ³Saul, ^qhowever, was ravaging the church. He would enter house after house, drag off men and women, and put them in prison. ^r

Philip in Samaria

⁴So those who were scattered went on their way preaching the message of good news. ⁵Philip went down to a ^scity in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them. ^t6The crowds paid attention with one mind to what Philip said, as they heard 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. ^u8So there was great joy in that city.

The Response of Simon

⁹A man named Simon had previously practiced sorcery in that city and astounded the Samaritan people, while claiming to be somebody great. ^v10They 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!” ^wx11They were attentive to him because he had astounded them with his sorceries for a long time. ¹²But when they believed Philip, as he preached the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. ^y13Then even Simon himself believed. And after he was baptized, he went around constantly with ^zPhilip and was astounded as he observed the signs and great miracles ^athat were being performed.

Simon’s Sin

¹⁴When the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had welcomed God’s message, they sent Peter and John to them. ^b15After they went down there, they prayed for them, so the Samaritans might receive the Holy Spirit. ¹⁶For He had not yet come down on ^cany of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ^d17Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

¹⁸When Simon saw that the Holy ^eSpirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, ¹⁹saying, “Give me this power too, so that anyone I lay hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.”

²⁰But Peter told him, “May your silver be destroyed with you, because you thought the gift of God could be obtained with money! ^f21You have no part or share in this matter, because your heart is not right before God. ^g22Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. ²³For I see you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.” ^h

²⁴“Please pray ⁱto the Lord for me,” Simon replied, “so that nothing you have said may happen to me.” ^j

²⁵Then, after they had testified and spoken the message of the Lord, they traveled back to Jerusalem, evangelizing many villages of the Samaritans.

The Conversion of the Ethiopian Official

²⁶An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip: “Get up and go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is the desert road.) ^kl27So he got up and went. There was an Ethiopian man, a eunuch ^mand high official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, ⁿwho was in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to worship in Jerusalem ^o28and was sitting in his chariot on his way home, reading the prophet Isaiah aloud.

²⁹The Spirit told Philip, “Go and join that chariot.” ^p

³⁰When Philip ran up to it, he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you’re reading?”

³¹“How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. ³²Now the Scripture passage he was reading was this:

He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,

and as a lamb is silent before its shearer,

so He does not open His mouth.

³³In His humiliation justice was denied Him.

Who will describe His generation?

For His life is taken from the earth. ^qr

³⁴The eunuch replied to Philip, “I ask you, who is the prophet saying this about—himself or another person?” ³⁵So Philip proceeded ^sto tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning from that Scripture. ^t

³⁶As they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. The eunuch said, “Look, there’s water! What would keep me from being baptized?” [³⁷And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart you may.” And he replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”] ^u38Then he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. ³⁹When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord ^vcarried Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him any longer. But he went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰Philip appeared in ^wAzotus, ^xand he was traveling and evangelizing all the towns until he came to Caesarea. ^y

The Damascus Road

9Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples ^zof the Lord. He went to the high priest ^a2and requested letters ^bfrom him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women who belonged to the Way, ^che might bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem. ³As ^dhe traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. ⁴Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

⁵“Who are You, Lord?” he said.

“I am Jesus, the One you are persecuting,” He replied. ⁶“But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

⁷The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the sound but seeing no one. ^e8Then Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing. So they took him by the hand and led him into Damascus. ⁹He was unable to see for three days and did not eat or drink.

Saul’s Baptism

¹⁰There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. And the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

“Here I am, Lord!” he said. ^f

¹¹“Get up and go to the street called Straight,” the Lord said to him, “to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus ^gnamed Saul, since he is praying there. ¹²In a vision ^hhe has seen a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him so he can regain his sight.” ⁱ

¹³“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. ^j14And he has authority here from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name.” ^k

¹⁵But the Lord said to him, “Go! For this man is My chosen instrument ^lto take My name to Gentiles, ^mkings, and the Israelites. ⁿ¹⁶I will show him how much he must suffer for My name!” ^o

¹⁷So Ananias left and entered the house. Then he placed his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road you were traveling, has sent me so that you can regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ^p

¹⁸At once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. ¹⁹And after taking some food, he regained his strength. ^q

Saul Proclaiming the Messiah

Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some days. ²⁰Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: “He is the Son of God.” ^r

²¹But all who heard him were astounded and said, “Isn’t this the man who, in Jerusalem, was destroying those who called on this name and then came here for the purpose of taking them as prisoners to the chief priests?” ^s

²²But Saul grew more capable and kept confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that this One is the Messiah.

²³After many days had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him, ²⁴but their plot became known to Saul. So they were watching the gates day and night intending to kill him, ^t25but his disciples took him by night and lowered him in a large basket through an opening in the wall. ^u

Saul in Jerusalem

²⁶When he arrived in Jerusalem, ^vhe tried to associate with the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, since they did not believe he was a disciple. ²⁷Barnabas, however, took him and brought him to the apostles and explained to them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and that He had talked to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly ^win the name of Jesus. ^x28Saul was coming and going with them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹He conversed and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, ^ybut they attempted to kill him. ^z30When the brothers found out, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. ^a

³¹So the church ^bthroughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace, being built up and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, and it increased in numbers.

The Healing of Aeneas

³²As Peter was traveling from place to place, ^che also came down to the saints ^dwho lived in Lydda. ^e33There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. ³⁴Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed,” ^fand immediately he got up. ^g35So all who lived in Lydda and Sharon ^hsaw him and turned to the Lord.

Dorcas Restored to Life

³⁶In Joppa ⁱthere was a disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. ^jShe was always doing good works ^kand acts of charity. ³⁷In those days she became sick and died. After washing her, they placed her in a room upstairs. ³⁸Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples heard that Peter was there and sent two men to him who begged him, “Don’t delay in coming with us.” ³⁹So Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they led him to the room upstairs. And all the widows approached him, weeping and showing him the robes and clothes that Dorcas had made while she was with them. ⁴⁰Then Peter sent them all out of the room. He knelt down, prayed, and turning toward the body said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. ^l41He gave her his hand and helped her stand up. Then he called the saints and…