The Early Church

For I see that thou 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 preached the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.

But an angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go 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, 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, 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?

And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine 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.

But Saul, yet breathing threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,

and asked of him letters to Damascus unto the synagogues, that if he found any that were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

And as he journeyed, it came to pass that he drew nigh unto Damascus: and suddenly there shone round about him a light out of heaven:

and he fell upon the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest:

but rise, and enter into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

And the men that journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing the voice, but beholding no man.