Acts 8:27–38

²⁷So Philip got ready and went. On the road he saw a man from Ethiopia, a eunuch. He was an important officer in the service of Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians; he was responsible for taking care of all her money. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship. ²⁸Now, as he was on his way home, he was sitting in his chariot reading from the Book of Isaiah, the prophet. ²⁹The Spirit said to Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

³⁰So when Philip ran toward the chariot, he heard the man reading from Isaiah the prophet. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

³¹He answered, “How can I understand unless someone explains it to me?” Then he invited Philip to climb in and sit with him. ³²The portion of Scripture he was reading was this:

“He was like a sheep being led to be killed.

He was quiet, as a lamb is quiet while its wool is being cut;

he never opened his mouth.

³³He was shamed and was treated unfairly.

He died without children to continue his family.

His life on earth has ended.”

³⁴The officer said to Philip, “Please tell me, who is the prophet talking about—himself or someone else?” ³⁵Philip began to speak, and starting with this same Scripture, he told the man the Good News about Jesus.

³⁶While they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. The officer said, “Look, here is water. What is stopping me from being baptized?” ³⁷Philip answered, “If you believe with all your heart, you can.” The officer said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”^{n 38}Then the officer commanded the chariot to stop. Both Philip and the officer went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.