1 Kings 8:41

¹When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the LORD’s name, she came to test him with hard questions. ²She came to Jerusalem with a very great caravan, with camels that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones; and when she had come to Solomon, she talked with him about all that was in her heart.

²⁷He arose and went; and behold, there was a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship. ²⁸He was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.

²⁹The Spirit said to Philip, “Go near, and join yourself to this chariot.”

³⁰Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

³¹He said, “How can I, unless someone explains it to me?” He begged Philip to come up and sit with him. ³²Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this, “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter. As a lamb before his shearer is silent, so he doesn’t open his mouth. ³³In his humiliation, his judgment was taken away. Who will declare His generation? For his life is taken from the earth.”

³⁴The eunuch answered Philip, “Who is the prophet talking about? About himself, or about someone else?”

³⁵Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached to him about Jesus. ³⁶As they went on the way, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Behold, here is water. What is keeping me from being baptized?”

^{37 38[+]} He commanded the chariot to stand still, and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.

³⁹When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, and the eunuch didn’t see him any more, for he went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰But Philip was found at Azotus. Passing through, he preached the Good News to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.

⁸Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardships that had come on them on the way, and how the LORD delivered them. ⁹Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. ¹⁰Jethro said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh; who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. ¹¹Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods because of the way that they treated people arrogantly.” ¹²Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God. Aaron came with all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

³Let no foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD speak, saying, “The LORD will surely separate me from his people.” Do not let the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.” ⁴For the LORD says, “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, choose the things that please me, and hold fast to my covenant, ⁵I will give them in my house and within my walls a memorial and a name better than of sons and of daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off. ⁶Also the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD to serve him, and to love the LORD’s name, to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath from profaning it, and holds fast my covenant, ⁷I will bring these to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”

²⁰Now there were certain Greeks among those who went up to worship at the feast.

¹Now there was a certain man in Caesarea, Cornelius by name, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, ²a devout man, and one who feared God with all his house, who gave gifts for the needy generously to the people, and always prayed to God. ³At about the ninth hour of the day,^[+] he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God coming to him and saying to him, “Cornelius!”

⁴He, fastening his eyes on him and being frightened, said, “What is it, Lord?” He said to him, “Your prayers and your gifts to the needy have gone up for a memorial before God.

¹⁰When Jesus heard it, he marveled and said to those who followed, “Most certainly I tell you, I haven’t found so great a faith, not even in Israel. ¹¹I tell you that many will come from the east and the west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven,

¹⁶But he said, “As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none.” He urged him to take it; but he refused.

¹⁷Naaman said, “If not, then, please let two mules’ load of earth be given to your servant; for your servant will from now on offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice to other gods, but to the LORD.

²²Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders and cried, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David! My daughter is severely possessed by a demon!”

²³But he answered her not a word. His disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away; for she cries after us.”

²⁴But he answered, “I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

²⁵But she came and worshiped him, saying, “Lord, help me.”

²⁶But he answered, “It is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

²⁷But she said, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”

²⁸Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.

¹⁸Were there none found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?”