²⁵ So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.

Christ Is Preached to an Ethiopian^(A)

²⁶ Now an angel of the Lord spoke to ^(B)Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is ^[a]desert. ²⁷ So he arose and went. And behold, ^(C)a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and ^(D)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:

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, ^(I)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. ^(J)What hinders me from being baptized?”

^37 [b]Then Philip said, ^(K)“If you believe with all your heart, you may.”

And he answered and said, ^(L)“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, ^(M)the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.

Preaching to Cornelius’ Household

³⁴ Then Peter opened his mouth and said: ^(A)“In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. ³⁵ But ^(B)in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is ^(C)accepted by Him. ³⁶ The word which God sent to the ^[a]children of Israel, ^(D)preaching peace through Jesus Christ—^(E)He is Lord of all— ³⁷ that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and ^(F)began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: ³⁸ how ^(G)God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who ^(H)went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, ^(I)for God was with Him. ³⁹ And we are ^(J)witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom ^[b]they ^(K)killed by hanging on a tree. ⁴⁰ Him ^(L)God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, ^41 (M)not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us ^(N)who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. ⁴² And ^(O)He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify ^(P)that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge ^(Q)of the living and the dead. ^43 (R)To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, ^(S)whoever believes in Him will receive ^(T)remission^[c] of sins.”

The Holy Spirit Falls on the Gentiles

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, ^(U)the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. ^45 (V)And ^[d]those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, ^(W)because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. ⁴⁶ For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.

Then Peter answered, ⁴⁷ “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit ^(X)just as we have?” ^48 (Y)And he commanded them to be baptized ^(Z)in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.

¹⁴ Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of ^(A)Thyatira, who worshiped God. ^(B)The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. ¹⁵ And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So ^(C)she persuaded us.

²⁵ Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He ^(A)gives to all life, breath, and all things. ²⁶ And He has made from one ^[a]blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and ^(B)the boundaries of their dwellings, ^27 (C)so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, ^(D)though He is not far from each one of us; ²⁸ for ^(E)in Him we live and move and have our being, ^(F)as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ ²⁹ Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, ^(G)we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. ³⁰ Truly, ^(H)these times of ignorance God overlooked, but ^(I)now commands all men everywhere to repent, ³¹ because He has appointed a day on which ^(J)He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by ^(K)raising Him from the dead.”

³² And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” ³³ So Paul departed from among them. ³⁴ However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

¹² “Then ^(A)a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, ^(B)having a good testimony with all the ^(C)Jews who dwelt there, ¹³ came to me; and he stood and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that same hour I looked up at him. ¹⁴ Then he said, ^(D)‘The God of our fathers ^(E)has chosen you that you should ^(F)know His will, and ^(G)see the Just One, ^(H)and hear the voice of His mouth. ^15 (I)For you will be His witness to all men of ^(J)what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶ And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, ^(K)and wash away your sins, ^(L)calling on the name of the Lord.’