14. The apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had accepted the word of God. So they sent Peter and John to the people in Samaria.
15. When Peter and John arrived, they prayed for the Samaritan believers to receive the Holy Spirit.
16. These people had been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, but the Holy Spirit had not yet come down on any of them. This is why Peter and John prayed.
17. When the two apostles laid their hands on the people, they received the Holy Spirit.
18. Simon saw that the Spirit was given to people when the apostles laid their hands on them. So he offered the apostles money.
19. He said, “Give me this power so that when I lay my hands on someone, they will receive the Holy Spirit.”
20. Peter said to Simon, “You and your money should both be destroyed because you thought you could buy God’s gift with money.
21. You cannot share with us in this work. Your heart is not right before God.
22. Change your heart! Turn away from these evil thoughts and pray to the Lord. Maybe he will forgive you.
23. I see that you are full of bitter jealousy and cannot stop yourself from doing wrong.”
24. Simon answered, “Both of you pray to the Lord for me, so that what you have said will not happen to me.”
25. Then the two apostles told the people what they had seen Jesus do. They told them the message of the Lord. Then they went back to Jerusalem. On the way, they went through many Samaritan towns and told people the Good News.
26. An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip. The angel said, “Get ready and go south on the road that leads down to Gaza from Jerusalem—the road that goes through the desert.”
27. So Philip got ready and went. On the road he saw a man from Ethiopia. He was a eunuch and an important official in the service of Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians. He was responsible for taking care of all her money. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship.
28. Now he was on his way home. He was sitting in his chariot reading from the book of Isaiah the prophet.
29. The Spirit said to Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
30. So he went toward the chariot, and he heard the man reading from Isaiah the prophet. Philip asked him, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31. The man answered, “How can I understand? I need someone to explain it to me.” Then he invited Philip to climb in and sit with him.
32. The part of the Scriptures that he was reading was this: “He was like a sheep being led to the butcher. He was like a lamb that makes no sound as its wool is being cut off. He said nothing.
33. He was shamed, and all his rights were taken away. His life on earth has ended. So there will be no story about his descendants.” Isaiah 53:7-8