And Saul was consenting unto his death.
And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church which was in Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judæa and Samaria, except the apostles.
And devout men buried Stephen, and made great lamentation over him.
But Saul laid waste the church, entering into every house, and dragging men and women committed them to prison.
They therefore that were scattered abroad, went about {Compare marginal note on chapter 5:42.}preaching the word.
And Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed unto them the Christ.
And the multitudes gave heed with one accord unto the things that were spoken by Philip, when they heard, and saw the signs which he did. {Or, For many of those that had unclean spirits that cried with a loud voice came forth}
For from many of those that had unclean spirits, they came out, crying with a loud voice: and many that were palsied, and that were lame, were healed.
And there was much joy in that city.
But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who beforetime in the city used sorcery, and amazed the {Greek: nation.}people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:
to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is that power of God which is called Great.
And they gave heed to him, because that of long time he had amazed them with his sorceries.
But when they believed Philip {Compare marginal note on chapter 5:42.}preaching good tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
And Simon also himself believed: and being baptized, he continued with Philip; and beholding signs and great {Greek: powers.}miracles wrought, he was amazed.
Now when the apostles that were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit:
for as yet it was fallen upon none of them: only they had been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Now when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the {Some ancient authorities omit Holy.}Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money,
saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit.
But Peter said unto him, Thy silver perish with thee, because thou hast thought to obtain the gift of God with money.
Thou hast neither part nor lot in this {Greek: word.}matter: for thy heart is not right before God.
Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray the Lord, if perhaps the thought of thy heart shall be forgiven thee.
For I see that thou {Or, wilt become gall (or, a gall root) of bitterness and a bond of iniquity. Compare Deuteronomy 29:18; Hebrew 12:15.}art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.
And Simon answered and said, Pray ye for me to the Lord, that none of the things which ye have spoken come upon me.
They therefore, when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and {Greek: brought good tidings. Compare chapter 5:22.}preached the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
But an angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go {Or, at noon Compare chapter 22:6}toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza: the same is desert.
And he arose and went: and behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship;
and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.
And the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
And Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
And he said, How can I, except some one shall guide me? And he besought Philip to come up and sit with him.
Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this,
{Isaiah 53:7 f.}He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;
And as a lamb before his shearer is dumb,
So he openeth not his mouth:
In his humiliation his judgment was taken away:
His generation who shall declare?
For his life is taken from the earth.
And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other?
And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, {See marginal note on chapter 5:42.}preached unto him Jesus.
And as they went on the way, they came unto a certain water; and the eunuch saith, Behold, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? {Some ancient authorities insert, wholly or in part, version 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.}
- - -
And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.
And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, for he went on his way rejoicing.
But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached the gospel to all the cities, till he came to Cæsarea.
Querverweise zu Apostelgeschichte 8,9 Apg 8,9
And when they had gone through the whole island unto Paphos, they found a certain {Greek: Magus: as in Matthew 2:1, 7, 16.}sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-Jesus;
For before these days rose up Theudas, giving himself out to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were dispersed, and came to nought.
And it came to pass, as we were going to the place of prayer, that a certain maid having a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much gain by soothsaying.
The same following after Paul and us cried out, saying, These men are {Greek: bondservants.}servants of the Most High God, who proclaim unto you {Or, a way}the way of salvation.
And this she did for many days. But Paul, being sore troubled, turned and said to the spirit, I charge thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And it came out that very hour.
He that speaketh from himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh the glory of him that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
Many also of them that had believed came, confessing, and declaring their deeds.
And not a few of them that practised magical arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all; and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.
So mightily grew the word of the Lord and prevailed.
he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or {Greek: an object of worship. Acts 17:23.}that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the {Or, sanctuary}temple of God, setting himself forth as God.
Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers: and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did in like manner with their {Or, secret arts}enchantments.
For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, railers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
And the magicians of Egypt did in like manner with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart {Hebrew: was strong.}was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as Jehovah had spoken.
holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof: from these also turn away.
And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: and there were lice upon man, and upon beast.
For, uttering great swelling words of vanity, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by lasciviousness, those who are just escaping from them that live in error;
Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart {Hebrew: was strong.}was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as Jehovah had spoken.
And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boils were upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.
And the soul that turneth unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto the wizards, to play the harlot after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.
There shall not be found with thee any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one that useth divination, one that practiseth augury, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer,
or a charmer, or a consulter with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
For whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto Jehovah: and because of these abominations Jehovah thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
And even as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also withstand the truth; men corrupted in mind, reprobate concerning the faith.
But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be evident unto all men, as theirs also came to be.
And he doeth great signs, that he should even make fire to come down out of heaven upon the earth in the sight of men.
And he deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by reason of the signs which it was given him to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast who hath the stroke of the sword and lived.
Without are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the fornicators, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and every one that loveth and {Or, doeth}maketh a lie.