Saul Persecutes the Church 1 UST Then some men who honored God buried Stephen’ s body in a tomb, and they mourned loudly for him. But Saul thought the Sanhedrin had done the right thing by stoning Stephen. On that same day, people{ Saul was leading} 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. But 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 UST Saul began trying to destroy the group of believers. He entered their houses one by one. He dragged away men and women{ who believed in Jesus}, and he put them in 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 UST 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 UST One of those believers, whose name was Philip, went from Jerusalem to a city in the district of Samaria. There he was telling the people that Jesus is the Messiah. BSB BSB: Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them.
6 UST Many people there heard Philip speak and saw the miraculous things that he was doing. So they all paid close attention to what he was saying. BSB BSB: The crowds all paid close attention to Philip’s message and to the signs they saw him perform.
7 UST For example, Philip commanded evil spirits to come out of many people, and they came out screaming. Also, many people who could not move their muscles 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 UST So many people in that city were very happy. BSB BSB: So there was great joy in that city.
Simon the Sorcerer (Deuteronomy 18:9–14)
9 UST 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 UST The people there, both ordinary and important people, listened to him. They were saying,“Simon 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 UST They continued to listen to him carefully because 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 UST But then they believed Philip’ s message of the good news about how God would rule the lives of people everywhere and about Jesus the Messiah. Philip baptized the men and the women who believed in Jesus. 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 UST Though the people had been worshiping him, Simon too believed Philip’ s message and received baptism. He began to accompany Philip constantly. He was continually amazed by the great miracles he saw Philip doing. These things showed that 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 UST 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 UST 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 UST For the Holy Spirit had not yet openly empowered any of them. They had only received baptism 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 UST 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 UST Simon saw that people received the Holy Spirit 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 UST He said,“Enable me also to do what you are doing, so that if I place my hands on someone, he will 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 UST 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 UST You cannot work with us in what we are doing, because you do not have the right attitude toward God! BSB BSB: You have no part or share in our ministry, because your heart is not right before God.
22 UST So stop thinking wickedly like that! Plead with the Lord to forgive you for what you wanted to do, since he will forgive you if you ask sincerely. BSB BSB: Repent, therefore, of your wickedness, and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive you for the intent of your heart.
23 UST You are in spiritual danger! I perceive that you are extremely jealous of us and that a continual desire to do evil is controlling you.” BSB BSB: For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and captive to iniquity.”
24 UST 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 UST Peter and John then told the people there what they knew personally about the Lord Jesus. They shared the message of the Lord with them. Then they both returned to Jerusalem. Along the way, they declared the good news about Jesus to people living in many towns 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 UST So Philip got ready and went along that road. On the road he met a man from the land of Ethiopia. The man was an important official of the queen of Ethiopia. In his language people called their queen the Kandake. He took care of all of her funds. 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 UST and he was returning home and was seated, riding in his carriage. As he was riding, he was reading aloud from what the prophet Isaiah had written. BSB BSB: and on his return was sitting in his chariot reading Isaiah the prophet.
29 UST God’ s Spirit told Philip,“Go near to that carriage and keep walking close to it!” BSB BSB: The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to that chariot and stay by it.”
31 UST 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.”{ So Philip got into the carriage.} BSB BSB: “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
33 UST People will humiliate him and condemn him unjustly. He will have no descendants because people will kill him before he can have children.” BSB BSB: In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can recount His descendants? For His life was removed from the earth.”
34 UST The official asked Philip about what 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 UST So Philip replied to him. He began with that Scripture passage, and he told him the good news about Jesus. BSB BSB: Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36 UST 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.” 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?”
37 UST Philip said,“If you believe in Jesus with complete sincerity, God will save you, and you may be baptized.” The Ethiopian answered,“I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” BSB BSB: Not in the BSB
38 UST So the official told the driver to stop the carriage. 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 UST When they came up out of the water, suddenly the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away. The official never saw Philip again. Even so, the official continued going very happily along the road. 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 UST 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 good news about Jesus in all the towns between the cities of Azotus and Caesarea. 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.