26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the
south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is desert.
27 So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great
authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her
treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship,
28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the
prophet.
29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go near and overtake this chariot."
30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said,
"Do you understand what you are reading?"
31 And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he asked Philip to
come up and sit with him.
32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this: "He was led as a sheep
to the slaughter; And like a lamb silent before its shearer, So He opened not
His mouth.
33 In His humiliation His justice was taken away. And who will declare His
generation? For His life is taken from the earth."
34 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, "I ask you, of whom does the
prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?"
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached
Jesus to him.
36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch
said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?"
37 Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he
answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch
went down into the water, and he baptized him.
39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught
Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way
rejoicing.
next page