Acts 8:26-40 (JB Phillips Translation)

Forgive me for posting before anyone has commented on the last passage. I will be out of town and sans internet for the next 3 days and I'm hoping -- in light of previous considerations -- to go back to posting two passages a week to pick up the pace. Given that this is a story of some fellow named Phillip it seemed appropriate somehow to post in the JB Phillips translation.

Philip is given an unique opportunity

8:26 - But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go south down the road which runs from Jerusalem to Gaza, out in the desert."

8:27-29 - Philip arose and began his journey. At this very moment an Ethiopian eunuch, a minister and in fact the treasurer to Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, was on his way home after coming to Jerusalem to worship. He was sitting in his carriage reading the prophet Isaiah. The Spirit said to Philip, "Approach this carriage, and keep close to it."

8:30 - Then as Philip ran forward he heard the man reading the prophet Isaiah, and he said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"

8:31 - And he replied, "How can I unless I have someone to guide me?"

8:32-33 - And he invited Philip to get up and sit by his side. The passage of scripture he was reading was this: 'He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he opened not his mouth. In his humiliation his justice was taken away. And who will declare his generation? For his life is taken from the earth.'

8:34 - The eunuch turned to Philip and said, "Tell me, I beg you, about whom is the prophet saying this - is he speaking about himself or about someone else?"

8:35-36 - Then Philip began, and using this scripture as a starting point, he told the eunuch the good news about Jesus. As they proceeded along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Look, here is some water; is there any reason why I should not be baptised now?"

8:38-40 - And he gave orders for the carriage to stop. Then both of them went down to the water and Philip baptised the eunuch. When they came up out of the water the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away suddenly and the eunuch saw no more of him, but proceeded on his journey with a heart full of joy. Philip found himself at Azotus and as he passed through the countryside he went on telling the good news in all the cities until he came to Caesarea.