because for some time he had been astonishing them with his sorceries. But when they believed Philip as he preached the gospel of the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. And Simon himself believed, and when he was baptized he attached himself to Philip, and when he saw the miracles and great powers that were sho^, he was astonished.
The apostles in Jerusalem, hearing that Samaria had accepted the word of God, sent Peter and John to them. When these arrived, they prayed for their sake that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For this had not yet come to any of them, but they had been baptized only in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands upon them and they received the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given by the laying on of the hands of the apostles, he brought them money, saying: Give me also this power, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit. But Peter said to him: May your silver go to perdition and you along with it, since you thought you could buy the gift of God for money. You have no part or rightful share in this word, since your heart is not straightforward in the sight of God. Then repent of this baseness and beg of the Lord that the intention of your heart will be forgiven; for I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and the bondage of unrighteousness. Simon answered and said: Yourselves pray to the Lord for my sake, that nothing of what you have spoken of will happen to me.
They then, bearing witness and speaking the word of the Lord, t^raed back toward Jerusalem, and they brought the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying: Rise up and go south to the road that comes downwn from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is desert. And he rose up and went on his way, and behold, there was an Ethiopian man, a eunuch, influential with Candace the Queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to worship in Jerusalem, and now he was on his way back, sitting in his carriage and reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip: Go and attach yourself to that carriage. Then Philip ran up to him, and he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah aloud, and said: Do you understand what you are reading? He answered: Why, how could I be able to, unless someone were to guide me? And he invited Philip to mount up and sit by him. And this is the passage of scripture which he had been reading: He was led like a sheep to slaughter, and as a lamb is speechless before his shearer, even so .he does not open his mouth. He was condemned to humiliation. Who can tell of his posterity? His life is taken off the earth.
And the eunuch spoke forth and said: Please tell me, about whom does the prophet say this? About himself or someone else? Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning from this scripture, told him the whole gospel of Jesus. And as they went on along the road they c^e to some water, and the eunuch said: See, water. What prevents me from being baptized? So he ordered the carriage to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went into the water, and Philip baptized him. But when they came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip up and away, and the eunuch did not see him any more, for he was continuing on his way, rejoicing. But Philip found himself in Ashdod, and he brought the gospel to all the cities as he passed through until he came to Cae- sarea.
1But Saul, still breathing threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he could find any disciples of the Way, man or woman, he could bring them in bonds to Jerusalem. And on his journey it befell him that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly there was a flash of light from the sky around him, and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him: Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? And he said: Who are you, Lord? And he said: I am Jesus; whom you persecute. But rise up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do. And the men who were traveling with him had been standing there speechless; they heard the voice but they saw no one. Saul got up from the ground but when his eyes were opened he could see nothing, and they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without seeing, and he ate nothing and drank nothing.
There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision: Ananias. And he said: Here I am, Lord. The Lord said to him: Rise up and go to the street which is called Straight and look in the house of Judas for one, Saul by name, from Tarsus; for behold, he is praying, and he saw in a vision a man named Ananias coming in and laying his hands upon him, to make him see again. But Ananias answered: Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, and all the evil things he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; and he has such authority from the high priests that he can im-
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prison all who call upon your n^e. The Lord said to him: Go on, because this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the nations and the Kings and sons of Israel, for I will show him all that he must suffer for the sake of my name. So Ananias went off and entered the house, and laid his hands upon him and said: Brother Saul, the Lord has sent me; Jesus, who appeared to you on the road where you were going; so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. And immediately there fell from his eyes what was like scales, and he saw again, and rose up and was baptized; and when he had taken some nourishment, he got his strength.
He was with the disciples in Damascus for some days; and immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues, and saying that he was the son of God. And all who heard were startled and said: Is not this the man who in Jerusalem preyed on those who called upon that name, and did he not come here to bring them in bonds before the high priests? But Saul grew all the stronger and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus, demonstrating that this was the Christ. And after a number of days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him; but their plot was made known to Saul. They were watching the gates, night and day, to kill him; but his disciples got him across the wall at night and eased him down in a basket.
Arriving in Jerusalem, he tried to attach himself to the disciples, but all were afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him by the hand and led him before the apostles and told them how he had seen the Lord on the road and talked with him, and how he had spoken out in Damascus in the name of Jesus. And he was with them, going in and out of Jerusa-
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lem, and speaking out in the name of the Lord; and he spoke and argued against the Hellenists. These were trying to kill him; but when the brothers learned of this, they got him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
So now in all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria the church had peace and was building up, and proceeding in the fear of the Lord, and the comforting of the Holy Spirit, it increased.
It happened that Peter traveled about among them all and came to the saints who lived in Lydda. And there he found a man n^ed Aeneas who had been lying in bed for eight years. He was paralysed. And Peter said to him: Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed. And at once he stood up. And all those saw him who lived in Lydda and Sharon, those who had turned to the Lord.
In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, which translated means Dorcas. She was full of good works and the acts of charity which she did. And it happened that in those days she fell sick and died; and they washed her and laid her out in an upper room. Lydda is close to Joppa, and the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him who said to him in entreaty: Do not hesitate, come to us. Peter rose up and went with them; and when he arrived they took him to the upper room, and all the widows came to him, weeping and displaying the tunics and mantles which Dorcas had made when she was with them. Peter put everyone out and went on his knees and prayed and turned to the body and said: Tabitha, rise up. She opened her eyes and when she saw Peter she sat up. He gave her his hand and raised her up, and called to the saints and the widows and set her before them, alive. This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. And it happened that he stayed for some days in Joppa with a certain Simon, a tanner.