Saul Persecutes the Church 1 UDB Then some men who revered God buried Stephen's body in a tomb, and they mourned greatly and loudly for him. On that same day people started severely persecuting the believers who were living in Jerusalem. So most of the believers fled to other places throughout the provinces of Judea and Samaria. The apostles remained in Jerusalem. BSB BSB: And Saul was there, giving approval to Stephen’s death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
3 UDB While they were killing Stephen, Saul was there approving that they should kill Stephen. So Saul also began trying to destroy the group of believers. He entered houses one by one, he dragged away men and women who believed in Jesus, and then he put them into prison. BSB BSB: But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
Philip in Samaria 4 UDB The believers who had left Jerusalem went to different places, where they continued preaching the message about Jesus. BSB BSB: Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.
5 UDB One of those believers, whose name was Philip, went down from Jerusalem to a city in the district of Samaria. There he was telling the people that Jesus is the Christ. BSB BSB: Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them.
6 UDB Many people there heard Philip speak and saw the miraculous things he was doing. So they all paid close attention to his words. BSB BSB: The crowds all paid close attention to Philip’s message and to the signs they saw him perform.
7 UDB For example, Philip commanded evil spirits to come out of many people, and they came out screaming. Also, many people who were paralyzed and many others who were lame were healed. BSB BSB: With loud shrieks, unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, and many of the paralyzed and lame were healed.
8 UDB So, because of those miracles that had been done, many people in that city greatly rejoiced. BSB BSB: So there was great joy in that city.
Simon the Sorcerer (Deuteronomy 18:9–14)
9 UDB There was a man in that city whose name was Simon. He had been practicing sorcery for a long time, and he amazed the people in the district of Samaria with his magic. He claimed he was "Simon the Great One!" BSB BSB: Prior to that time, a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and astounded the people of Samaria. He claimed to be someone great,
10 UDB All the people there, both ordinary and important people, listened to him. They were saying, "This man is the Great Power of God." BSB BSB: and all the people, from the least to the greatest, heeded his words and said, “This man is the divine power called the Great Power.”
11 UDB Many people continued to listen to him carefully. For a long time he had astonished them by practicing sorcery. BSB BSB: They paid close attention to him because he had astounded them for a long time with his sorcery.
12 UDB But then they believed Philip's message of good news about when God would show himself as king and about Jesus Christ. The men and the women who believed in Jesus were baptized. BSB BSB: But when they believed Philip as he preached the gospel of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
13 UDB Simon himself believed Philip's message and was baptized. He began to constantly accompany Philip, and he was continually amazed by the great miracles he saw Philip doing, things that showed Philip was speaking the truth. BSB BSB: Even Simon himself believed and was baptized. He followed Philip closely and was astounded by the great signs and miracles he observed.
14 UDB When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that many people throughout Samaria district had believed God's message, they sent Peter and John there. BSB BSB: When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.
15 UDB When Peter and John arrived in Samaria, they prayed for those new believers to receive the Holy Spirit. BSB BSB: On their arrival, they prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit.
16 UDB For it was clear that the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. BSB BSB: For the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
17 UDB Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. BSB BSB: Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 UDB Simon saw that the Spirit was given to people as a result of the apostles placing their hands on them. So he offered to give money to the apostles, BSB BSB: When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money.
19 UDB saying, "Enable me also to do what you are doing, so that everyone on whom I place my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." BSB BSB: “Give me this power as well,” he said, “so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 UDB But Peter said to him, "May you and your money be destroyed because you tried to get God's gift with money! BSB BSB: But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!
21 UDB You cannot work with us in what we are doing, because your heart is not right with God! BSB BSB: You have no part or share in our ministry, because your heart is not right before God.
22 UDB So stop thinking wickedly like that, and plead that the Lord, if he is willing, will forgive you for what you wickedly thought in your heart to do! BSB BSB: Repent, therefore, of your wickedness, and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive you for the intent of your heart.
23 UDB Turn away from your evil ways because I perceive that you are extremely envious of us, and you are a slave of your continual desire to do evil!" BSB BSB: For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and captive to iniquity.”
24 UDB Then Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord that he will not do to me what you just said!" BSB BSB: Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”
25 UDB After Peter and John told people there what they knew personally about the Lord Jesus and declared to them the message of the Lord, they both returned to Jerusalem. Along the way they preached the good word about Jesus to people in the district of Samaria. BSB BSB: And after Peter and John had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many of the Samaritan villages.
Philip and the Ethiopian (Isaiah 53:1–8)
27 UDB So Philip got ready and went along that road. On the road he met a man from the land of Ethiopia. He was an important official who took care of all the funds for Candace, the queen of Ethiopia. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship God. BSB BSB: So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official in charge of the entire treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship,
28 UDB After that, while he was traveling home and was sitting in his chariot, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah. BSB BSB: and on his return was sitting in his chariot reading Isaiah the prophet.
29 UDB God's Spirit told Philip, "Go near to that chariot and keep walking close to it!" BSB BSB: The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to that chariot and stay by it.”
31 UDB He answered Philip, "No! I cannot possibly understand it if there is no one to explain it to me!" Then the man said to Philip, "Please come up and sit beside me." BSB BSB: “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
33 UDB He will be humiliated. He will not receive justice. No one will be able to tell about his descendants—for he will have no descendants—because they will take away his life on this earth." BSB BSB: In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can recount His descendants? For His life was removed from the earth.”
34 UDB The official asked Philip concerning these words that he was reading, "Tell me, who was the prophet writing about? Was he writing about himself or about someone else?" BSB BSB: “Tell me,” said the eunuch, “who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?”
35 UDB So Philip replied to him; he began with that scripture passage, and he told him the good message about Jesus. BSB BSB: Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36 UDB While they were traveling along the road, they came to a place where there was some water. Then the official said to Philip, "Look, there is some water! I would like you to baptize me because I do not know of anything that would prevent me from being baptized." BSB BSB: As they traveled along the road and came to some water, the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is there to prevent me from being baptized?”
38 UDB So the official told the driver to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the official went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. BSB BSB: And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
39 UDB When they came up out of the water, suddenly God's Spirit took Philip away. The official never saw Philip again. Although he never saw Philip again, the official continued going along the road, very happy. BSB BSB: When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing.
40 UDB Philip then realized that the Spirit had miraculously taken him to the town of Azotus. While he traveled around in that region, he continued proclaiming the message about Jesus in all the towns between the cities of Azotus and Caesarea. And he was still proclaiming it when he finally arrived in Caesarea. BSB BSB: But Philip appeared at Azotus and traveled through that region, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.