1And Saul approved of their killing him.
The Church Persecuted and Scattered
On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.
Philip in Samaria
4Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8So there was great joy in that city.
Simon the Sorcerer
9Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” 11They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. 12But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
14When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”
24Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”
25After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.
Philip and the Ethiopian
26Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian8:27 That is, from the southern Nile region eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
30Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
31“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”8:33 Isaiah 53:7,8 (see Septuagint)
34The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” 378:37 Some manuscripts include here Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” 38And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
教會受迫害
1當時，掃羅也贊成殺死司提凡。從那天起，耶路撒冷的教會開始遭到極大的迫害。除了使徒之外，門徒都分散到猶太和撒瑪利亞各地。 2有些虔誠人將司提凡埋葬了，為他大聲痛哭。
3掃羅卻在摧毀教會，他挨家挨戶搜尋，把男女信徒抓進監牢。
腓利傳揚福音
4但那些分散到各地的信徒走到哪裡，就將福音傳到哪裡。 5腓利來到撒瑪利亞城宣講基督。 6城裡的人耳聞目睹他所行的神蹟，都聚精會神地聽他講道。 7當時有許多人被污鬼附身，那些污鬼大聲喊叫著被趕了出來。許多癱瘓的和瘸腿的也被治好了。 8城裡歡天喜地。
術士歸主
9城中有個名叫西門的術士，向來自命不凡，曾用邪術使撒瑪利亞人驚奇不已。 10無論尊卑，眾人都聽從他，稱他為「上帝的大能者」。 11他們聽從他，因為他長期用邪術迷惑他們。 12後來，他們相信了腓利所傳有關上帝國度的福音和耶穌基督的名，男男女女都接受了洗禮。 13西門本人也信了基督，接受了洗禮，並常常追隨腓利左右。腓利所行的神蹟奇事令他非常驚奇。
14耶路撒冷的使徒聽說撒瑪利亞人接受了上帝的道，就派彼得和約翰去那裡。 15二人到了，為那些信徒禱告，好讓他們領受聖靈， 16因為他們只是奉耶穌的名受了洗，聖靈還沒有降在他們身上。 17使徒為他們按手，他們就領受了聖靈。
18西門看見使徒一按手，就有聖靈賜下來，便拿錢給使徒， 19說：「請把這能力也給我吧，以便我把手按在誰身上，就使誰領受聖靈。」
20彼得責備他說：「你和你的錢都一同毀滅吧！因為你以為可以用錢買上帝的恩賜！ 21你休想在這事工上有份，因為你在上帝面前心術不正。 22你要悔改，離棄邪惡，向主禱告，或許主會赦免你心中的邪念。 23我看得出你充滿苦澀的嫉妒，被罪惡捆綁。」
24西門說：「請為我求求主，免得我遭受你們所說的刑罰。」
25彼得和約翰為主作見證，傳講主的道。之後，他們啟程回耶路撒冷，沿途又在撒瑪利亞各村莊傳揚福音。
太監歸主
26有一天，主的天使對腓利說：「起來，向南走，往耶路撒冷通往迦薩的路去。」那條路很荒涼。 27腓利就動身去那裡，結果在那條路上遇見一個衣索匹亞的太監。他是衣索匹亞女王甘大基手下的重臣，負責管理國庫。他剛從耶路撒冷參加敬拜回來， 28正坐在車上誦讀以賽亞先知的書。 29聖靈吩咐腓利：「趕上去，貼近那輛馬車！」
30腓利跑上前，聽見太監在誦讀以賽亞先知的書，就問：「你明白所讀的經文嗎？」
31他說：「沒有人指點我，我怎能明白呢？」他就請腓利上車和他一起坐。 32他剛才念的那段經文是：
「祂默然不語，
像被人牽去宰殺的羔羊，
又如在剪毛人手下一聲不吭的綿羊。
33祂忍受恥辱，
無人為祂主持公道，
誰能講述祂的世代呢？
因為祂的生命竟然從世上被奪去。」8·32、33 以賽亞書53·7、8。
34太監問腓利：「請問先知是在說誰？在說他自己還是在說別人？」 35腓利就從這段經文入手開口向他傳耶穌的福音。 36他們往前走的時候，經過一處有水的地方，太監說：「你看，這裡有水，我可以在這裡接受洗禮嗎？」 37腓利說：「只要你全心相信，當然可以。」太監說：「我相信耶穌基督是上帝的兒子！」8·37 有古卷無37節。
38於是，太監吩咐停車，二人一同下到水裡，腓利為他施洗。 39他們從水裡上來時，主的靈把腓利帶走了。太監看不見腓利了，就繼續前行，滿心歡喜。 40後來，腓利出現在亞鎖都。他走遍那裡，在各城各鄉傳揚福音，直到凱撒利亞。
