8 ²⁶ But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is a desert road. 8 ²⁷ And he rose and went. And behold, an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a minister of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of all her treasure, had come to Jerusalem to worship 8 ²⁸ and was returning; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 8 ²⁹ And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot." 8 ³⁰ So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" 8 ³¹ And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 8 ^{32 [ Is.53.7-8. ]} Now the passage of the scripture which he was reading was this:

8 ³⁴ And the eunuch said to Philip, "About whom, pray, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?" 8 ³⁵ Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this scripture he told him the good news of Jesus. 8 ³⁶ And as they went along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water! What is to prevent my being baptized?" 8 ³⁷ 8 ³⁸ And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 8 ³⁹ And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught up Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 8 ⁴⁰ But Philip was found at Azotus, and passing on he preached the gospel to all the towns till he came to Caesarea.