1 And Saul was assenting to his death, and there came in that day a great persecution on the Assembly in Jerusalem, all were also scattered abroad in the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles; 2 and devout men carried Stephen away, and made great lamentation over him; 3 and Saul was making havoc of the Assembly, entering into every house, and dragging away men and women, giving them up to prison; 4 they then indeed, having been scattered, went abroad proclaiming good news—the word. 5 And Philip having gone down to a city of Samaria, was preaching the Christ to them; 6 the multitudes were also giving heed to the things spoken by Philip, with one accord, in their hearing and seeing the signs that he was doing, 7 for unclean spirits came forth from many who were possessed, crying with a loud voice, and many who have been paralytic and lame were healed, 8 and there was great joy in that city. 9 And a certain man, by name Simon, was previously in the city using magic, and amazing the nation of Samaria, saying himself to be a certain great one, 10 to whom they were all giving heed, from small to great, saying, “This one is the great power of God”; 11 and they were giving heed to him, because of his having amazed them for a long time with deeds of magic. 12 And when they believed Philip, proclaiming good news, the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the Name of Jesus Christ, they were immersed—both men and women; 13 and Simon himself also believed, and having been immersed, he was continuing with Philip, beholding also signs and mighty acts being done, he was amazed. 14 And the apostles in Jerusalem having heard that Samaria has received the word of God, sent Peter and John to them, 15 who having come down prayed concerning them, that they may receive the Holy Spirit— 16 for as yet He was fallen on none of them, and only they have been immersed—into the Name of the Lord Jesus; 17 then they were laying hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 And Simon, having beheld that through the laying on of the hands of the apostles the Holy Spirit is given, brought money before them, 19 saying, “Give also to me this authority, that on whomsoever I may lay the hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 And Peter said to him, “Your silver with you—may it be to destruction! Because you thought to possess the gift of God through money; 21 you have neither part nor lot in this thing, for your heart is not right before God; 22 convert, therefore, from this your wickedness, and implore God, if then the purpose of your heart may be forgiven you, 23 for in the gall of bitterness, and bond of unrighteousness, I perceive you being.” 24 And Simon answering, said, “Implore for me to the LORD, that nothing may come on me of the things you have spoken.” 25 They indeed, therefore, having testified fully, and spoken the word of the LORD, turned back to Jerusalem; they also proclaimed good news in many villages of the Samaritans. 26 And a messenger of the LORD spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise, and go on toward the south, on the way that is going down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is desolate.) 27 And having arisen, he went on, and behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch, a man of rank, of Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship; 28 he was also returning, and is sitting on his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near, and be joined to this chariot”; 30 and Philip having run near, heard him reading the prophet Isaiah and said, “Do you then know what you read?” 31 And he said, “Why, how am I able, if someone may not guide me?” He called Philip also, having come up, to sit with him. 32 And the passage of the Writing that he was reading was this: “He was led as a sheep to slaughter, || And as a lamb before his shearer is silent, || So He does not open His mouth; 33 In His humiliation His judgment was taken away, || And His generation—who will declare? Because His life is taken from the earth.” 34 And the eunuch answering Philip said, “I beg you, about whom does the prophet say this? About himself, or about some other one?” 35 And Philip having opened his mouth, and having begun from this Writing, proclaimed good news to him—Jesus. 36◆ And as they were going on the way, they came on some water, and the eunuch said, “Behold, water; what hinders me to be immersed?” 37◆ [[And Philip said, “If you believe out of all the heart, it is lawful”; and he answering said, “I believe Jesus Christ to be the Son of God”;]] 38◆ and he commanded the chariot to stand still, and they both went down to the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he immersed him; 39 and when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the LORD snatched up Philip, and the eunuch saw him no more, for he was going on his way rejoicing; 40 and Philip was found at Azotus, and passing through, he was proclaiming good news to all the cities, until his coming to Caesarea.
Acts · Literal Standard Version
Acts 8 Literal Standard Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Philip
One of the seven chosen at Jerusalem; he preached in Samaria, baptized the Ethiopian official, and later hosted Paul at Caesarea with his four prophesying daughters.
Cited in the guide: Acts 6:5; Acts 8:5; Acts 8:38
Simon
A sorcerer in Samaria who believed and was baptized, then tried to buy the power to give the Holy Spirit and was rebuked by Peter.
Cited in the guide: Acts 8:9; Acts 8:13; Acts 8:18
Stephen
One of the seven chosen to serve tables, full of faith and the Holy Spirit; he was stoned after his speech to the Sanhedrin and became the first martyr.
Cited in the guide: Acts 6:5; Acts 7:59; Acts 8:2
Cross references (39)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Daniel 3:16–18; Acts 22:20; Acts 5:40; Acts 1:8; Acts 7:58
- 2 Genesis 50:10–11; Jeremiah 22:18; Genesis 23:2; 2 Chronicles 35:25; 2 Chronicles 32:33
- 3 1 Timothy 1:13; Philippians 3:6; 1 Corinthians 15:9; Galatians 1:13; Acts 9:21
- 4 Matthew 10:23; Acts 11:19; Acts 8:1; 1 Thessalonians 2:2; Acts 15:35
- 5 Acts 6:5; Acts 21:8; Acts 8:40; Acts 8:35–36; Acts 5:42
- 6 John 4:41–42; Matthew 20:15–16; Acts 13:44; 2 Chronicles 30:12
- 7 Matthew 10:1; Acts 14:8–10; Mark 16:17–18; Acts 5:16; Hebrews 2:4
- 8 Acts 13:52; Psalm 96:10–12; Acts 13:48; Luke 2:10–11; Romans 15:9–12
- 9 Acts 13:6; John 7:18; Acts 5:36; Exodus 8:18–19; Acts 19:18–20
- 10 2 Peter 2:2; Revelation 13:3; Jeremiah 31:34; Jeremiah 8:10; Jonah 3:5
- 11 Acts 8:9; Galatians 3:1; Isaiah 8:19; Isaiah 47:9–13; Isaiah 44:25
- 12 Acts 2:38; Acts 1:3; Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:41; 1 Peter 3:21
- 13 Acts 19:11; Acts 8:6–7; John 5:20; John 8:30–31; Mark 16:17
- 14 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 3:2; Acts 8:1; Galatians 2:9; Acts 2:41
- 15 Acts 2:38; John 16:23–24; Matthew 18:19; John 14:13–14; Philippians 1:19
- 16 Acts 2:38; Acts 19:2; Matthew 28:19; Acts 19:5–6; Acts 11:15–17
- 17 Acts 19:6; Acts 6:6; 2 Timothy 1:6; Acts 8:18; Acts 2:4
- 18 1 Timothy 6:5; Matthew 10:8; 2 Kings 8:9; Ezekiel 13:19; 2 Kings 5:15–16
- 19 Luke 14:7–11; Matthew 18:1–3; 3 John 9; John 5:44; Acts 8:17
- 20 Daniel 5:17; Acts 2:38; Matthew 10:8; Revelation 18:15; 2 Peter 2:14–17
- 21 Hebrews 4:13; Matthew 6:22–24; Psalm 36:1; John 21:17; Revelation 22:19
- 22 2 Timothy 2:25–26; Daniel 4:27; Hebrews 4:12; Acts 9:11; Luke 11:9–13
- 23 Isaiah 58:6; Proverbs 5:22; John 8:34; Hebrews 12:15; Titus 3:3
- 24 Exodus 8:8; Numbers 21:7; Job 42:8; Genesis 20:7; James 5:16
- 25 Acts 20:21; Acts 28:23; 1 Peter 5:12; Acts 28:28; Acts 8:40
- 26 2 Kings 1:3; Acts 5:19; Hebrews 1:14; Acts 27:23; Acts 12:23
- 27 Zephaniah 3:10; Psalm 68:31; Isaiah 56:3–8; Jeremiah 38:7; Psalm 87:4
- 28 Colossians 3:16; Isaiah 1:1; Acts 28:25; Proverbs 2:1–6; 2 Timothy 3:15–17
- 29 Acts 10:19; Acts 11:12; Acts 13:2–4; Acts 20:22–23; Acts 16:6–7
- 30 Luke 24:44–45; John 5:39; Ephesians 5:17; Matthew 15:10; Matthew 13:23
- 31 Romans 10:14; Isaiah 29:18–19; Psalm 73:16–17; Proverbs 30:2–3; Psalm 25:8–9
- 32 Isaiah 53:7–8; 1 Peter 2:21–24; Jeremiah 51:40; Jeremiah 11:19; Romans 8:36
- 33 Isaiah 53:12; Isaiah 53:8; Philippians 2:8–9; Zechariah 13:7; Isaiah 53:10
- 34 Matthew 15:15; Matthew 13:36; Matthew 2:2–4
- 35 Luke 24:27; Acts 18:28; 1 Corinthians 2:2; Acts 28:23; Matthew 5:2
- 36 Acts 10:47; John 3:5; John 3:23; Titus 3:5–6; 1 John 5:6
- 38 John 4:1; John 3:22–23
- 39 1 Kings 18:12; 2 Kings 2:16; Ezekiel 8:3; Ezekiel 43:5; Ezekiel 11:1
- 40 Acts 21:8; Acts 23:33; Acts 25:4; Acts 10:1; Acts 23:23
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
Why does my Bible say something different?
- Acts 8:37: the eunuch’s confession of faith
In some Bibles, before Philip baptizes the Ethiopian, he says, “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest,” and the eunuch answers, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” This verse is missing from the oldest Greek manuscripts and from most Byzantine ones, but it was known to St Irenaeus in the second century. It appears to be an early baptismal confession added to the story.
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
It seems to me, this (Philip) was one of the seven; for from Jerusalem he would not have gone southwards, but to the north; but from Samaria it was "towards the south. The same is desert:" so that there is no fear of an attack from the Jews. And he did not ask, Wherefore? but "arose and went.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 11 (1889)
And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had driven them mad by his sorceries." This Simon, then--who feigned faith, supposing that the apostles themselves performed their cures by the art of magic, and not by the power of God; and with respect to their filling with the Holy Ghost, through the imposition of hands, those …
… when we hear, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;" we do not of course understand it of one who believes in such a way "as the devils believe and tremble;" nor of those who receive baptism in such sort as Simon Magus, who though he could be baptized, could not be saved.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)
For indeed this is his great power. This power caused Christ to die, that He might put an end to it.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
The inventor of all heresy was Simon Magus: that Simon, who in the Acts of the Apostles thought to purchase with money the unsaleable grace of the Spirit, and heard the words, Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, and the rest: concerning whom also it is written, They went out from us, but they were not …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)