25 After that, Peter and Yohan continued to testify and proclaim the good message about the master in many villages around Samaria before they returned to Yerushalem.

26 Then a messenger from the master spoke to Philip, “Start walking and head south on the road that goes downhill from Yerushalem to Gaza through the wilderness.” 27 So he headed off, and on the road he came across an important official of the Ethiopian queen[fn] who was in charge of her treasury. This man had been in Yerushalem to worship God 28 and was returning home in his chariot. As he rode, he was reading the scroll of the prophet Isayah, 29 and the spirit told Philip to approach him and stay by the chariot. 30 So Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading from the prophet Isayah and asked, “Do you know what it is that you’re reading about?”

31 “How could I know when I don’t have someone to guide me,” he answered, and so he invited Philip to climb up and sit with him. 32 Now the particular passage that he was reading was this:[ref]

‘He was led away like a sheep being led to the slaughterhouse,

and stayed as silent as a lamb being shorn

so he never opened his mouth.

33 He was humiliated by a lack of justice.

Who can name his descendants,

because his life is being taken from the earth?’

34 “Now tell me,” said the official, “who was Isayah talking about? Was he talking about himself or someone else?” 35 So Philip started with that passage and explained the good message about Yeshua to him. 36 As they were going along the road, they came to some water, and the official asked, “Look, here’s some water. What would stop me from being immersed here?”

37 ◘ 38 So he commanded the driver to stop the chariot and they both climbed down, and Philip immersed the official in the water. 39 But as they came out of the water, the master’s spirit snatched Philip away and so the official never saw him again, but he continued on his journey very happy. 40 As for Philip, he found himself at the town of Azotus, and as he passed through the coastal towns on the way to Caesarea, he proclaimed the good message in each town.