Philip

1In those days more and more people were following Jesus. Some of these followers spoke Greek. Others spoke Hebrew. The Greek-speaking ones began to complain about the Hebrew-speaking ones. They said their widows were being left out when food was handed out each day.

And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

NoteDisciples means followers of Jesus. A widow is a woman whose husband has died. Widows often had no one to earn money for them, so the church shared food with them. The King James word "murmuring" means grumbling or complaining. "Ministration" here means handing out the food each day.

2So the twelve apostles, the men Jesus chose to lead, called all the followers together. They said, "It is not right for us to stop teaching God's word so we can hand out food."

Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.

NoteThe King James says "serve tables." That means handing out food at meals. "It is not reason" is an old way of saying "it is not right." "The twelve" means the twelve apostles, the helpers Jesus chose.

3"So, friends, choose seven men from among you. Pick men that everyone speaks well of. They must be full of the Holy Spirit and full of wisdom. We will put them in charge of this job."

Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

NoteThe King James says "Holy Ghost." Ghost was simply an old word for spirit. It does not mean a spooky ghost here. "Men of honest report" means men everyone speaks well of. "Brethren" is an old word for brothers and sisters.

4"Then we can keep on praying and keep on teaching God's word."

But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

5Everyone liked this idea. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and full of the Holy Spirit. They also chose Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch. Nicolas was not born Jewish. He had joined the Jewish faith later.

And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:

NoteAntioch was a big city far north of Jerusalem. A "proselyte" was a person not born Jewish who chose to join the Jewish faith. "The multitude" just means the whole crowd of people.

6They brought these seven men to the apostles. The apostles prayed and laid their hands on them.

Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

NoteLaying hands on someone means gently putting your hands on their head. People did this while praying for them. It showed that these men were being given a special job.

5Philip went down to a city in Samaria. He told the people there about Christ. Christ means the special King God had promised to send.

Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.

NoteJewish people and Samaritans usually stayed away from each other. They did not agree about how to worship God. So it was surprising that Philip went there. "Christ" is a word that means "the chosen one." Long ago, oil was poured on a new king's head to show God had chosen him.

6The crowds all listened carefully to what Philip said. They heard his words and saw the wonders he did.

And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.

NoteA wonder, or miracle, is something amazing that only God can do. People also called these "signs," because they pointed to God.

7Evil spirits screamed loudly and came out of many people. Many people who could not move or walk were made well.

For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.

NoteEvil spirits are bad beings that people cannot see. The King James says "palsy," an old word for a body that cannot move.

8So there was great joy in that city.

And there was great joy in that city.

9A man named Simon lived in that city. Before this he had done magic there. He amazed the people of Samaria. He told everyone that he was someone great.

But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:

NoteMagic here means spells and secret tricks. Simon used them to look powerful and important.

10Everyone listened to him, the least important and the greatest. They said, "This man is the great power of God."

To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.

Note"From the least to the greatest" means everybody. Poor people and important people all listened to him.

11They listened to him because his magic had amazed them for a long time.

And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.

12Then Philip told them the good news about God's kingdom and about Jesus Christ. They believed him. Men and women were baptized.

But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

NoteGod's kingdom means God being King over people's lives. To baptize someone, you dip them under water and lift them up again. It shows that person now belongs to Jesus.

13Simon himself believed too. He was baptized and stayed close to Philip. He was amazed at the great signs and wonders he saw.

Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.

26An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip. He said, "Get up and go south. Take the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza."

And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.

NoteAn angel is a messenger sent from God. Gaza was a town near the sea, far to the southwest. The road there went through dry, empty land.

27So Philip got up and went. On the road he met a man from Ethiopia. This man was a eunuch and an important officer for Candace, the queen of Ethiopia. He took care of all her money. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship God.

And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,

NoteEthiopia was a country far to the south, in Africa. A eunuch was a man who worked inside a queen's palace. He would never have children of his own. Kings and queens trusted such men with their most important jobs. "Candace" was not her name. It was the title given to every queen there, like the word "queen" itself.

28Now he was going home. He sat in his chariot and read from Isaiah the prophet.

Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.

NoteA chariot is a cart pulled by horses. Books then were not like ours. They were long rolls of paper called scrolls. Isaiah was a prophet, someone who told people what God said. He lived hundreds of years before Jesus was born.

29Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over to that chariot and stay close to it."

Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.

30Philip ran over to him. He heard the man reading from Isaiah the prophet. Philip asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"

And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?

31The man said, "How can I? I need someone to explain it to me." He asked Philip to come up and sit with him.

And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

32This is the part of God's book he was reading. "He was led away like a sheep going to be killed. A lamb stays quiet while its wool is cut. In the same way, he did not open his mouth."

The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:

NoteShearing means cutting the wool off a sheep. The sheep stands still and stays quiet while it happens.

33"He was treated badly, and no one judged him fairly. Who can tell about his family after him? For his life was taken away from the earth."

In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.

NoteThese words are still from Isaiah's book. "Who can tell about his family after him?" means no one could count his children or grandchildren. His life ended before he had any.

34The eunuch said to Philip, "Please tell me. Who is the prophet talking about? Himself, or someone else?"

And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?

35So Philip started with that very part of God's book. He told the man the good news about Jesus.

Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

36They went on down the road and came to some water. The eunuch said, "Look, here is water! Is anything stopping me from being baptized?"

And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

NoteWater was hard to find on that dry road. Finding a pool or a stream there was a happy surprise.

37Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." The man answered, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."

And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

NoteThis verse is not in the very oldest copies of Acts. Some Bibles leave it out for that reason.

38He gave the order to stop the chariot. Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water. Philip baptized him.

And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

39They came up out of the water. Then the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away. The eunuch did not see him again. He went on his way full of joy.

And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.

40Philip turned up in the town of Azotus. He walked on through the towns and told the good news. He kept going until he came to Caesarea.

But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.

NoteAzotus and Caesarea were towns near the sea. Walking from one to the other took many days.

8The next day we left and came to Caesarea. We stayed at the house of Philip, who told people the good news about Jesus. He was one of the seven men the church had chosen to help.

And the next day we that were of Paul’s company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.

NoteCaesarea was a large city by the sea. The Roman rulers lived there.

9Philip had four daughters who were not married. They were prophets, which means they told people messages from God.

And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.

10We stayed there several days. Then a prophet named Agabus came down from the land of Judea.

And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus.

NoteJudea was the land around Jerusalem.

11Agabus came to us and took Paul's belt. He tied up his own hands and feet with it. He said, "The Holy Spirit says this. The Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man who owns this belt like this. They will hand him over to people who are not Jewish."

And when he was come unto us, he took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.

NoteBack then a belt was a long strip of cloth. People wrapped it around the waist. It was long enough to tie someone's hands. Prophets sometimes acted out a message so people could see it, not just hear it.

12When we heard this, we begged Paul not to go to Jerusalem. The people who lived there begged him too.

And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem.

13Paul answered, "Why are you crying? You are breaking my heart. I am ready to be tied up. I am even ready to die in Jerusalem for the Lord Jesus."

Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

14Paul would not change his mind. So we stopped asking. We said, "Let the Lord do what he wants."

And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done.