Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

8:26 Then an angel of the Lord56 said to Philip,57 “Get up and go south58 on the road that goes down from Jerusalem59 to Gaza.” (This is a desert60 road.)61 8:27 So62 he got up63 and went. There64 he met65 an Ethiopian eunuch,66 a court official of Candace,67 queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasury. He68 had come to Jerusalem to worship,69 8:28 and was returning home, sitting70 in his chariot, reading71 the prophet Isaiah. 8:29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 8:30 So Philip ran up72 to it73 and heard the man74 reading Isaiah the prophet. He75 asked him,76 “Do you understand what you’re reading?” 8:31 The man77 replied, “How in the world can I,78 unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 8:32 Now the passage of scripture the man79 was reading was this:

“He was led like a sheep to slaughter,

and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,

so he did80 not open his mouth.

8:33 In humiliation81 justice was taken from him.82

Who can describe his posterity?83

For his life was taken away84 from the earth.”85

8:34 Then the eunuch said86 to Philip, “Please tell me,87 who is the prophet saying this about—himself or someone else?”88 8:35 So Philip started speaking,89 and beginning with this scripture90 proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him. 8:36 Now as they were going along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look, there is water! What is to stop me91 from being baptized?”92 8:38 So he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water,93 and Philip baptized94 him. 8:39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him any more, but95 went on his way rejoicing.96 8:40 Philip, however, found himself97 at Azotus,98 and as he passed through the area,99 he proclaimed the good news100 to all the towns101 until he came to Caesarea.102