Philip and the Ethiopian

(Isaiah 53:1–8)

26 Now an angel of [the] Lord said to Philip “Get up and go south to the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 [So] he started out, and on his way [he met] an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official in charge of the entire treasury of Candace,[fn] queen of [the] Ethiopians. [He] had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his return was sitting in his chariot reading Isaiah the prophet.

29 The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to [that] chariot and stay by [it].”

30 [So] Philip ran up [and] heard [the man] reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” [Philip] asked.

31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up [and] sit with him.

32 [The eunuch] was reading this passage of Scripture “He was led like a sheep to [the] slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer [is] silent, so He did not open His mouth.

33 In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can recount His descendants? For His life was removed from the earth.”[fn]

34 “Tell me said the eunuch, “who {is} the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?”

35 Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

36 As they traveled along the road [and] came to some water, the eunuch said, “Look, [here is] water! What is [there] to prevent me [from] being baptized?”[fn] 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and [Philip] baptized him.

39 When they came up out of the water, [the] Spirit of [the] Lord carried Philip {away}, and the eunuch saw him no more, [but] went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip appeared at Azotus and traveled through [that region], preaching the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.