MODERN LITERAL VERSION

8:1 And Saul was consenting to the assassination of him.
Now there became a great persecution in that day upon the congregation* which was in Jerusalem, and they were all dispersed throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except* the apostles.
8:2 And devout men entombed Stephen and made* great a lamentation over him.
8:3 But Saul was devastating the {F} congregation*, going into every house and dragging men and women away, he gave them up to prison.
{37 AD. Samaria. Tiberius Caesar dies March 16. Caligula attempts to put his statue in the Temple. Examples of those who were saved in the New Testament: Acts 2:14-42; 8:5-13; 8:30-39; 9:17-18, 22:6-16, 26:12-18; 10:34-48; 16:13-15; 16:25-34; 18:8; 19:1-7.}

8:4 Therefore indeed, those who were dispersed went through out the land, proclaiming the word.
8:5 And Philip went down to a city of Samaria and preached to them the Christ.
8:6 And the crowds united and took-heed to the things that were spoken by Philip, when they heard and saw the signs which he did.
8:7 For* many of those who had unclean spirits, they, the spirits, came out crying with a loud voice. And many who were paralyzed and who were lame, were healed.
8:8 And there became much joy in that city.

8:9 But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who was formerly in the city practicing-magic and astonishing the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was someone great.
8:10 To whom they were taking-heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the power of God, the Great.
8:11 And they took-heed to him, because for a considerable time he had astonished them with his magic.
8:12 But when they believed Philip proclaiming the good-news concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being immersed*, both men and women.
8:13 And Simon himself also believed and being immersed*, persevering with Philip and viewing signs and great miracles that was happening, he was astonished.

8:14 Now when the apostles who were in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them;
8:15 who, when they had come down, prayed concerning them, so *that they might receive the Holy Spirit.
8:16 For* he had not yet fallen upon any of them, but they were* only immersed* into the name of Jesus Christ.
8:17 Then they laid their hands upon them and they received the Holy Spirit.

8:18 But when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them monies,
8:19 saying, Give me also this authority, in order that I may lay my hands on whomever, and he may receive the Holy Spirit.

8:20 But Peter said to him, May your silver together with you be sent into destruction, because you have thought to procure the gift of God with monies!
8:21 You have neither part nor portion in this word, for* your heart is not straight before God.
8:22 Therefore repent from this, your malice, and beseech God; if, then, the deliberation of your heart will be forgiven you.
8:23 For* I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of unrighteousness.

8:24 And answering, Simon said, You*, beseech on my behalf to the Lord, *that none of the things which you* have spoken may come upon me.

8:25 Therefore indeed, when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem and proclaimed the good-news to many villages of the Samaritans.
{Summer 37 AD. Road from Jerusalem to Gaza.}

8:26 But a messenger of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, Stand up and go toward the midday sun to the road that is going down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a wilderness road.
8:27 And he stood up and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch, (a sovereign under Candace, the queen of Ethiopia, who was in charge over all her treasure), who had come to Jerusalem to worship,
8:28 who was returning and sitting in his chariot and was reading the prophet Isaiah.
8:29 And the Spirit said to Philip, Go near and join yourself to this chariot.
{Examples of those who were saved in the New Testament: Acts 2:14-42; 8:5-13; 8:30-39; 9:17-18, 22:6-16, 26:12-18; 10:34-48; 16:13-15; 16:25-34; 18:8; 19:1-7.}

8:30 And Philip running up to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said, Do you know then what you are reading?

8:31 And he said, For* how can I, if someone does not guide me? And he pleaded with Philip to come up and sit with him.
8:32 Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this, ‘He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb before his shearer is voiceless, thus he does not open his mouth.
8:33 His judgment was taken away in his humbleness. But who will describe his generation? Because his life is taken from the earth.' {Is. 53:7, 8}
8:34 And answering Philip, the eunuch said, I am beseeching you, concerning whom is the prophet speaking about in this? Is he speaking concerning himself or concerning some other person?

8:35 And Philip opened his mouth and beginning from this Scripture, proclaimed to him Jesus.
8:36 And as they went on the road, they came to a certain water, and the eunuch says, Behold, here is water; what is preventing me from being immersed*?
8:37 {F} And Philip said, If you believe from all your heart, it is permitted.
And he answered and said I believe Jesus Christ to be the Son of God.

8:38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he immersed* him.
8:39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord seized Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, for* he went on his way rejoicing.

8:40 But Philip was found in Azotus and going through, he proclaimed the good-news to all the cities, until he came to Caesarea.
{Footnotes: Acts 8:3 Or: church/the one true church/Eph 4:1-6; discussed more in the Appendix. Acts 8:37- is not in the Majority of Greek texts. The last section ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.' was quoted in the late 2nd Century by Irenaeus, which predates most manuscripts.}
{Summer AD 37. Damascus. Saul is around 35 years old. Herod Antipas deposed. Herod Agrippa 1st king, 5th ruler of Galilee & Perea.}