The New English Bible; Acts 8-9

today their chapter eight the church moves own poems this was the beginning of a time of violent persecution for the church in jerusalem and door except the apostles were scattered over the country districts of judea and some area stephen was given bail by certain devote man who made a great lamb and titian for him so meanwhile was highly and the church he entered house after house seizing man and woman and sending them to prison as for those who had been scattered they went through the country preaching the word philip came down to a city in some area and began proclaiming the messiah to them the crowds to a man listen the gimmick to what phillips said when they had him and

saw the miracles that he performed for in many cases of position the un greenspan it's came out with a great outcry and many prized and crippled falk what fjord and that was great joy in that city a man named simon had been in the city for some time and had swept the some odd items off their feet with his magical arts claiming to be someone great all of them high and low this indeed only to him this man they said is that power of god which is quote the great power they listened because they had for so long been carried away by his magic but when they came to believe philip with his good news about the kingdom of god and the name of jesus christ they were baptized maine and woman i like

even simon himself believed and was baptized and then a bomb was constantly in phillips' company he was carried away when he saw the part for signs of miracles that were taking place the apostles in jerusalem now have that some area had accepted the word of god they sent off peter and john who went down there and prayed for the concepts asking that they might receive the holy spirit for until they end the spirit had not come upon any of them they had been baptized into the name of the lord jesus that and nothing more so pizza enjoyment lead their hands on them and they received the holy spirit when simon so that the spirit was bestowed

through the laying on of the apostles hands he offered them money and said give me the same boat to so that when i actually my hands on anyone he will receive the holy spirit you and your money said b test them it may you come to a bad and for thinking god's gift is for sale you have no car nor ought to invest for you what does honest with god repent of this wicked nice and brave a lot to forgive you for imagining such a thing i could see that you are doomed to taste the bitter fruit and where only sectors of sin simon answered pray to them on for me your sales and i ask that none of the things you have spoken off me fall upon me and so after getting that testimony and speaking the word of the lord they took the road back to jerusalem

bringing the good news to many some audits of villages on the way then the angel of the lord said to phillip start out don't go south to the robot leans down from jerusalem to gaze at this is the desert road so he sets out and was on his way when he caught sight of an ethiopian this man was a unique a high official of the candy at all cleaned of ethiopia in charge of all the treasure he had been to jerusalem on a pilgrimage and was no on his way home sitting in his cottage and reading aloud the prophet isaiah the state said to phillip go and join the cottage when philip randolph he had him reading the prophet isaiah and said do you understand what you're reading

he said how can i understand unless someone will give me the clue so eos philip to get in and sit beside him the passage he was reading was this he was living like a sheep to be slaughtered and like a lambert is done before the shia there he does not open his mouth he has been humiliated and has no regrets who would be able to speak of this prosperity for his life is cut off and he is gone from the earth no said the unit to philip tell me please who it is that the profit is speaking about here himself or someone else then senate again starting from this passage he told him the good news of jesus as they were going along the road they came to some water milk said to you about here is water

what does that to prevent my being baptized and he ordered the cottage to stall then they both went down into the water philip and the unit and he popped eyes did when they came up out of the water the spit it snatched philip away and do you look so no more of him but went on his way well content philip appeared at as autos and toward the country preaching and all the town's two he reached says area meanwhile saw was still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the lord he went to the high priest and applied for letters to the synagogue said damascus authorizing him to ask anyone he found main all women who followed the new week and bring them

to jerusalem it was still on the road and needing damascus suddenly a light flash from the sky or around him he failed to the ground and had a voice saying so so why do you persecute me tell me lord he said who you are the voice and said i'm jesus whom you are persecuting but get up and going to the city and you will be told what you have to do meanwhile the man who were traveling with him student speech less they have the voice of casino i'm so worked up from the ground but when he opened his eyes he could not see so they lead him by the hand and brought him into damascus he was blind for three days and talk

no food or drink there was a disciple in damascus named alan ayers he had a vision in which she had the voice of the lord and a nice here i am lord he answered the lord said to him ct wants to straight street to the house of judas and ask for a man from tosses named soul you will find him at prayer he has had a vision of a man named adnan i s coming in and laying his hands on him to restore his sight and on iss and more and i have often ahead of the vote this man and all the harm he has done to thy people in jerusalem and he is with all thought it from the chief priests to a storm would hold the id but the lord said to him you must go for this man is my

chosen instrument to bring my name before the nations and their keynes and before the people of israel i myself will show them all that he must go through for my name's sake so and a nice weight he entered the most laid his hands on him and said so my brother the lord jesus who appeared to you on your way here has sent me to you so that your men to cover your site and be filled with the holy spirit and immediately it seemed that the scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight than upon he was baptized and afterwards he took fourteen and his strength returned he stayed some time with the disciples in damascus soon he was proclaiming jesus publicly in the synagogues this he said is the son of god although

head and what astounded is not this the man they said who was in jerusalem trying to destroy those who invoked his name did he not come here for the sole purpose of an arresting them and taking them to the chief priests but solar grew more and more forceful and silenced the jews of damascus with his quote job growths that jesus was the messiah as the days mounted up the juice hatched the plot against his life but that demands became known to so they kept watch on the city gates india knight so that they might murder him but his converts took him one night and let him down by the wall morning i'm in a basket when he meets jerusalem he tried to join the body of disciples there but they were all afraid of him because

they did not believe that he was really up can that barnabas however took him by the hand and introduced it to the apostles he described to them how so had seen the lord on his journey and had his voice and how he had spoken out boilerplate in the name of jesus at the mosque as so no state with a moving about freely in jerusalem he spoke out spoke out boldly and openly in the name of the morning talking and debating with the greek speaking jews but they plan to murder him and when the brother and a member of this they escorted into sicilian and so i'm off to taxes meanwhile the church throughout judea galilee and some area was lifted piece to build up its strength in the fear of the lord i hailed by the holy spirit it held

on its way and grew in numbers peter was making a general to lead in the course of which she went down to visit godspeed look at linda there he found a man named in the us who had been bedridden with paralysis forty eight years begat said to him any less jesus christ cures you get up and make your bed and immediately he stood up or who lived in libya and she had written saw him and they turned to the lord enjoy but there was a disciple named tabitha in greek dorcas meaning and as ale who filled their days with acts of kindness and charity at that time she fell you and died and they watched their body and leave it in a room upstairs as lead that was near jump up the

disciples who would have that beak that was their same two men to him with the urgent request please come over to us with dooley peter then apart went off with them when he arrived they took him upstairs to the room where all the windows came and stood around him in tears showing him the ship's coats that doctors use to make while she was with the big data sent them or outside and note down and prayed then tending towards the body he said that with the iraqis she opened her eyes so peter and set up a good practice hand and helped her to her feet and he called the members of the congregation and the widows and showed her to them alive the

news spread all over dhaka and many came to believe in the lord peter stayed on in job offer some time with one simon attend the reading has concluded at the forties and vests of the ninth chapter of the acts of the apostles it's been