Simon the Magician Believes

⁹ But there was a man named Simon, ^(A)who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, ^(B)saying that he himself was somebody great.

⁶ When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain ^(A)magician, ^(B)a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus.

³⁶ For ^(A)before these days Theudas rose up, ^(B)claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.

¹⁸ The one who speaks on his own authority ^(A)seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.

¹⁸ The ^(A)magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. ¹⁹ Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is ^(B)the finger of God.” But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

⁶ “If ^(A)a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, ^(B)I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.

¹⁸ Also many of those who were now believers came, ^(A)confessing and divulging their practices. ¹⁹ And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. ²⁰ So the word of the Lord ^(B)continued to increase and prevail mightily.

Paul and Silas in Prison

¹⁶ As we were going to ^(A)the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had ^(B)a spirit of ^(C)divination and ^(D)brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ She followed Paul and us, ^(E)crying out, “These men are ^(F)servants of ^(G)the Most High God, who proclaim to you ^(H)the way of salvation.” ¹⁸ And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ^(I)“I command you ^(J)in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And ^(K)it came out that very hour.

¹¹ And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had ^(A)amazed them with his magic.