M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

8 ¹ And Saul was giving-approval to his killing.

The Church Is Persecuted And Driven Out of Jerusalem

And a great persecution came about on that day against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all dispersed^[a] throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. ² And reverent men carried-in Stephen [for burial], and made a loud lamentation over him. ³ And Saul was destroying^[b] the church. Entering from house to house, dragging-away both men and women, he was handing them over to prison. ⁴ So indeed, the ones having been dispersed went about announcing the word as good news.

Philip Proclaims Christ And Does Miracles In Samaria. Many Are Baptized, Including Simon

⁵ Now Philip, having gone down to the city^[c] of Samaria, was proclaiming the Christ to them. ⁶ And the crowds were with-one-accord paying-attention-to^[d] the things being said by Philip, during their hearing and seeing the signs which he was doing. ⁷ For many of the ones having unclean spirits— they were coming out while shouting with a loud voice. And many paralyzed ones and lame ones were cured. ⁸ And there was great joy in that city. ⁹ Now a certain man, Simon by name, was-previously in the city practicing-magic and astonishing the nation of Samaria, saying that he was someone great, ¹⁰ to whom they all, from the small up to the great, were paying attention, saying, “This one is the Power^[e] of God being called ‘Great’”. ¹¹ And they were paying attention to him because he had astonished them for a considerable time with the magic-arts. ¹² And when they believed Philip announcing-the-good-news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized— both men and women. ¹³ Now Simon himself also believed. And having been baptized, he was attaching-himself to Philip. He was astonished, seeing both signs and great miracles taking place.

Peter and John Come So The Samaritans Might Receive The Holy Spirit

¹⁴ And the apostles in Jerusalem, having heard that “Samaria has accepted the word of God”, sent-forth Peter and John to them— ¹⁵ who, having come down, prayed for them so that they might receive the Holy Spirit. ¹⁶ For He had not yet fallen upon any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁷ Then they were laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ Now Simon, having seen that the Spirit was given through the laying-on of the hands of the apostles, offered them money, ¹⁹ saying, “Give this authority to me also, so-that on whomever I lay on my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit”. ²⁰ But Peter said to him, “May your silver be with you for destruction, because you thought to acquire the gift of God with money. ²¹ There is no part nor share for you in this matter. For your heart is not straight before God. ²² Therefore repent from this evilness of yours, and pray to the Lord, if perhaps^[f] the intention of your heart will be forgiven you. ²³ For I see you being in the gall^[g] of ^[h] bitterness and the bond^[i] of ^[j] unrighteousness”. ²⁴ And having responded, Simon said, “You^[k] two pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing of the things which you have spoken may come upon me”. ²⁵ So indeed the ones— having solemnly-testified, and having spoken the word of the Lord— were returning to Jerusalem and announcing-the-good-news-to many villages of the Samaritans.

An Angel Sends Philip Down The Road To an Ethiopian Eunuch Reading Isaiah

²⁶ Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Arise and go toward the south^[l] on the road going down from Jerusalem to Gaza”. This^[m] is a wilderness [road]. ²⁷ And having arisen, he proceeded. And behold— there was an Ethiopian man, a eunuch^[n], a court-official of Candace^[o] (queen of the Ethiopians), who was over all her treasury, who had come to Jerusalem to worship, ²⁸ and was returning, and sitting on his chariot^[p]. And he was reading the prophet Isaiah. ²⁹ And the Spirit said to Philip, “Approach and join this chariot”. ³⁰ And having run up, Philip heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you indeed understand the things which you are reading?” ³¹ And the one said, “How indeed might I be able, unless someone will guide me?” And he invited Philip to sit with him, having come up.

Philip Explains That Isaiah 53 Refers To Jesus

³² Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: “He was led like a sheep to slaughter. And as a lamb before the one having sheared it is silent, so He does not open His mouth. ³³ In His humiliation, His justice^[q] was taken-away. Who will describe^[r] His generation^[s]? Because His life is taken-away from the earth” [Isa 53:7-8]. ³⁴ And having responded, the eunuch said to Philip, “I ask you, about whom is the prophet saying this— about himself or about some other?” ³⁵ And Philip— having opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture— announced Jesus as good news to him.

The Man Believes And Is Baptized, And Continues Home Rejoicing

³⁶ And as they were proceeding along the road, they came upon some water. And the eunuch says, “Behold— water. What is preventing me from being baptized?” ^{37 [t] 38} And he ordered the chariot to stop. And they both went down into^[u] the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. ³⁹ And when they came up out-of ^[v] the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. And the eunuch did not see him any longer, for he was going his way rejoicing.

Philip Continues Announcing The Good News In Other Cities

⁴⁰ And Philip was found at Azotus. And while going through, he was announcing-the-good-news-to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.

Is It Lawful To Heal On The Sabbath? Jesus Heals a Man, Inflaming The Pharisees

3 And He entered again into the synagogue. And there was a man there having his hand having become-withered. ² And they were closely-watching Him to see if He would cure him on the Sabbath, in order that they might accuse Him. ³ And He says to the man having the withered hand, “Arise into the middle”. ⁴ And He says to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do-harm^[a], to save a life or to kill?” But the ones were being silent. ⁵ And having looked-around-at them with anger, while being deeply-grieved at the hardness of their heart, He says to the man, “Stretch out the hand”. And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. ⁶ And having gone out, the Pharisees immediately were giving counsel against Him with the Herodians^[b] so that they might destroy Him.

A Great Multitude Comes To Jesus To Be Healed

⁷ And Jesus withdrew^[c] to the sea with His disciples, and a great multitude from Galilee followed. And from Judea, ⁸ and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea and beyond the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude hearing all that He was doing came to Him. ⁹ And He said to His disciples that a small-boat should be standing-ready-for Him because of the crowd— in order that they might not be pressing^[d] Him. ¹⁰ For He cured many, so that they were falling-upon Him in order that all who were having scourges^[e] might touch Him. ¹¹ And the unclean spirits, whenever they were seeing Him, were falling-before Him and crying-out, saying that “You are the Son of God”. ¹² And He was sternly rebuking them in order that they might not make Him known.

The Twelve Are Appointed

¹³ And He goes up on the mountain and summons whom He was wanting. And they went to Him. ¹⁴ And He appointed twelve, whom He also named apostles, in order that they might be with Him, and in order that He might send them out to proclaim ¹⁵ and to have authority to cast out the demons. ¹⁶ And He appointed the twelve, even Peter (He put the name on Simon), ¹⁷ and James, the son of Zebedee, and John, the brother of James (and He put on them the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), ¹⁸ and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon, the Cananaean^[f], ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot, who also handed Him over.

Scribes Say Jesus Uses Satan’s Power. Such Blasphemy of The Spirit Will Not Be Forgiven

²⁰ And He goes into a house^[g]. And the crowd comes-together again, so that they were not even able to eat bread. ²¹ And having heard-of it, the ones^[h] from Him went-forth to take-hold-of ^[i] Him. For they were saying^[j] that “He lost-His-senses”. ²² And the scribes having come down from Jerusalem were saying that “He has Beelzebul”, and that “He is casting-out the demons by^[k] the ruler of the demons”. ²³ And having summoned them, He was speaking to them in parables: “How is Satan able to be casting-out Satan? ²⁴ And if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom is not able to stand; ²⁵ and if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. ²⁶ And if Satan stood-up against himself and was divided, he is not able to stand, but he has an end^[l]. ²⁷ But no one, having entered into the house of the strong man, can plunder his things unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder^[m] his house. ²⁸ Truly I say to you that all sins and blasphemies will be forgiven to the sons of humans^[n], whatever they may blaspheme. ²⁹ But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit does not have forgiveness forever, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— ³⁰ because^[o] they were saying “He has an unclean spirit”.

Whoever Does The Will of God Is My Family

³¹ And His mother and His brothers come. And while standing outside, they sent-forth a message to Him, calling Him. ³² And a crowd was sitting around Him. And they say to Him, “Behold— Your mother and Your brothers and Your sisters are outside seeking You”. ³³ And having responded to them, He says “Who is My mother and My brothers?” ³⁴ And having looked-around-at the ones sitting in a circle around Him, He says “Look— My mother and My brothers! ³⁵ For whoever does the will of God— this one is My brother and sister and mother”.