Machitidwe a Atumwi 8
1 Ndipo Saulo anavomerezana nawo pa imfa ya Stefano. Tsiku lomwelo, mpingo wa mu Yerusalemu unayamba kuzunzidwa, ndipo onse, kupatulapo atumwi, anabalalikira ku madera onse a Yudeya ndi Samariya.
Then some men who revered God buried Stephen’s body in a tomb, and they mourned greatly and loudly for him. On that same day [people] started severely persecuting the believers [who were living] in Jerusalem. So most [of the believers] fled [to other places] throughout Judea and Samaria [provinces]. The apostles were the only [believers who remained in Jerusalem].
2 Anthu okonda Mulungu anayika maliro a Stefano ndipo anamulira kwambiri.
3 Koma Saulo anayamba kuwononga mpingo. Amapita nyumba ndi nyumba, ndipo amagwira amuna ndi amayi ndi kukawatsekera ku ndende.
While the people were killing Stephen, Saul was there approving of their killing Stephen. So Saul [also] began trying to destroy the group of believers. He entered houses one by one, he dragged away men and women [who believed in Jesus], and then he [arranged for] them to be put in prison.
4 Okhulupirira amene anabalalika amalalikira konse kumene amapita.
The believers who had left Jerusalem went to different places, where they continued preaching the message about Jesus.
5 Filipo anapita ku mzinda wa ku Samariya ndipo analalikira za Khristu kumeneko.
[One of those believers whose name was] Philip went down [from Jerusalem] to a city in Samaria [province]. There he was telling [the people that Jesus is] [MTY] the Messiah.
6 Gulu la anthu litamva Filipo akulalikira komanso kuona zizindikiro zozizwitsa zimene ankazichita, onse anamvetsetsa zimene iye amanena.
Many people there heard Philip [speak] and saw the miraculous things that he was doing. So they all (paid close attention to/listened carefully to) his words.
7 Mizimu yoyipa inatuluka mwa anthu ambiri ikufuwula kwambiri ndipo ambiri amene anali akufa ziwalo ndi olumala anachiritsidwa.
For [example, when Philip commanded] evil spirits who controlled many people [that they should come out of them], they came out, while those spirits screamed. Also, many people who were paralyzed and [many others] who were lame were healed.
8 Kotero munali chimwemwe chachikulu mu mzindawo.
So [many people] [MTY] in that city greatly rejoiced.
9 Koma mu mzindawo munali munthu dzina lake Simoni, amene amachita za matsenga ndi kudabwitsa anthu a mu Samariya. Iye amadzitamandira kuti ndi wopambana,
There was a man in that city whose name was Simon. He had been practicing sorcery for a long time, and he had been amazing the people in Samaria [province by doing that]. He continually claimed that he was a great/important person.
10 ndipo anthu onse, aakulu ndi aangʼono anamumvera ndi kunena kuti, “Munthu uyu ndi mphamvu ya Mulungu yotchedwa Mphamvu yayikulu.”
All the people there, both ordinary and important people, listened to him. [Various ones of] them were saying, “This man works in extremely powerful ways [because] God has caused him to be a great [person].”
11 Anthu amamutsata chifukwa kwa nthawi yayitali amawadabwitsa ndi matsenga akewo.
They continued to listen to him carefully, because for a long time he had astonished them by practicing sorcery.
12 Koma atakhulupirira Filipo akulalikira Uthenga Wabwino wa ufumu wa Mulungu ndiponso dzina la Yesu Khristu, anthuwo anabatizidwa amuna ndi amayi.
But then they believed Philip’s [message] when he preached to them about [how] God desires to rule [MET] [the lives of people who believe in him], and about Jesus being the Messiah [MTY]. Both the men and the women who believed in Jesus were baptized. {[Philip] was baptizing both the men and the women [who had come to believe in Jesus]}.
13 Nayenso Simoni anakhulupirira ndipo anabatizidwa, natsatira Filipo kulikonse, ndipo anadabwa kwambiri pamene anaona zizindikiro zazikulu ndi zozizwitsa.
Simon himself believed [Philip’s message] and, after he was baptized {after [Philip] baptized him}, he began to constantly accompany Philip. Simon was continually amazed because he often saw [Philip] doing many kinds of miraculous things.
14 Atumwi a ku Yerusalemu atamva kuti anthu a ku Samariya analandira Mawu a Mulungu, anatumiza Petro ndi Yohane.
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that [many people] [PRS] [throughout] Samaria [district] had believed the message from God [about Jesus], they sent Peter and John there.
15 Atafika anawapempherera kuti alandire Mzimu Woyera,
When Peter and John arrived in Samaria, they prayed for those [new believers] in order that the Holy Spirit’s [power] would come to them.
16 chifukwa Mzimu Woyera anali asanafike pa wina aliyense wa iwo; anali atangobatizidwa mʼdzina la Ambuye Yesu.
[Peter and John realized that] the Holy Spirit had not yet begun to empower any of them. They had been baptized {[Philip] had baptized them} [because they had believed] in [MTY] the Lord Jesus, [but they did not know about the Holy Spirit].
17 Ndipo Petro ndi Yohane anasanjika manja awo pa iwo, ndipo analandira Mzimu Woyera.
[Then Peter and John] placed their hands on [the heads of] each person, and they received the [power of] [MTY] the Holy Spirit.
18 Simoni ataona kuti Mzimu anaperekedwa kwa iwo atumwi atawasanjika manja, iye anafuna kuwapatsa ndalama ndipo anati,
Simon saw [things that convinced him] that [God] had given the Spirit’s [power to people] as a result of the apostles placing their hands on them. So he offered [to give] money to the apostles,
19 “Inenso ndipatseni mphamvu imeneyi kuti aliyense amene ndimusanjika manja anga azilandira Mzimu Woyera.”
saying, “Enable me also to do what [you are doing], so that everyone on whom I place/put my hands may receive the Holy Spirit’s [power].”
20 Petro anayankha kuti, “Ndalama zako utayike nazo pamodzi, chifukwa unaganiza kuti ungathe kugula mphatso ya Mulungu ndi ndalama!
But Peter said to him, “May you [(sg)] and your money go to hell, because you [mistakenly] think that you can buy [from us] what God [alone] gives to [people] (questioned)
21 Ulibe gawo kapena mbali pa utumikiwu, chifukwa mtima wako suli wolungama pamaso pa Mulungu.
[God] has not authorized you to have any part of this ministry of giving [the Holy Spirit’s power], because he knows that you are not thinking rightly! (OR, because he knows that you are thinking completely wrongly.)
22 Lapa zoyipa zakozi ndipo upemphere kwa Ambuye. Mwina adzakukhululukira maganizo a mu mtima mwako.
So stop thinking wickedly [like] that, and plead that the Lord, if he is willing, will forgive you [for what] you [wickedly] thought/planned [to do]
23 Pakuti ine ndikuona kuti ndiwe wowawidwa mtima ndiponso kapolo wa tchimo.”
[Turn away from your evil ways], because I perceive that you [(sg)] are extremely envious of [us], and you [are] a slave of your [continual desire to do evil! God will certainly punish you severely]!”
24 Ndipo Simoni anayankha, “Mundipempherere kwa Ambuye kuti zisandigwere izi mwanenazi.”
Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord [God] that [he] will not do to me what you just said!”
25 Atatha kuchitira umboni ndi kulalikira mawu a Ambuye, Petro ndi Yohane anabwerera ku Yerusalemu, atalalikira Uthenga Wabwino mʼmidzi yambiri ya Asamariya.
After [Peter and John] told [people there] what they knew personally [about the] Lord [Jesus] and declared to them the message about Jesus, they both returned to Jerusalem. [Along the way] they preached the good message [about Jesus to people] in many villages in Samaria [province].
26 Mngelo wa Ambuye anati kwa Filipo, “Nyamuka pita chakummwera, ku msewu wa ku chipululu wopita ku Gaza kuchokera ku Yerusalemu.”
[One day] an angel whom the Lord [God] had sent commanded Philip, “Get ready and go south along the road that extends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” [That was] a road in a desert area.
27 Ndipo ananyamuka napita, ndipo akuyenda anakumana ndi munthu wa ku Etiopia wa udindo waukulu woyangʼanira chuma cha Kandake, mfumu yayikazi ya ku Etiopia. Munthu ameneyu anapita ku Yerusalemu kukapembedza Mulungu,
So Philip got ready and went [along that road]. Suddenly he met a man from Ethiopia. He was an important official who took care of all the funds for the queen [of] Ethiopia. [In his language people called their queen] Candace. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship [God],
28 ndipo akubwerera kwawo atakwera pa galeta lake amawerenga buku la mneneri Yesaya.
and he was returning [home] and was seated [riding] in his chariot. [As he was riding], he was reading [out loud from] what the prophet Isaiah [had written] [MTY] [long ago].
29 Mzimu anamuwuza Filipo kuti, “Pita pa galeta ilo ndipo ukakhale pafupi nalo.”
[God’s] Spirit told Philip, “Go near to that chariot and keep walking close to [the man who is riding in] it!”
30 Pamenepo Filipo anathamangira ku galeta ndipo anamva munthuyo akuwerenga buku la mneneri Yesaya. Filipo anamufunsa kuti, “Kodi mukumvetsa zimene mukuwerengazi?”
So Philip ran [to the chariot and kept running close to it]. Then he heard the official reading what the prophet Isaiah [had written]. He asked the man, “Do you [(sg)] understand what you are reading?”
31 Iye anayankha kuti, “Ndingamvetse bwanji popanda wina wondimasulira?” Ndipo iye anayitana Filipo kuti abwere ndikukhala naye mʼgaleta.
He answered Philip, “[No!] (I cannot possibly [understand it] if [there is] no one to explain it to me!/How can I [understand it] if [there is] no one to explain it to me?) [RHQ]” Acts 8:31b-35 Then the man said to Philip, “Please come up [and] sit beside me.” [So Philip did that].
32 Mawu amene ndunayo imawerenga anali awa: “Monga mwana wankhosa wopita naye kokamupha amachitira, kapena monga nkhosa imakhalira duu poyimeta, momwemonso iye sanatsekule pakamwa pake.
The part of the Scriptures that the official was reading was this: He will [be silent when] they lead him away to kill him [like when] a sheep [is led away to be killed]. As a young sheep is silent when its wool is being cut off {someone cuts off its wool}, [similarly] he will not protest [MTY] [when people cause him to suffer].
33 Iye ananyozedwa ndipo panalibe chilungamo pa mlandu wake. Ndipo ndani amene analabadirako za zidzukulu zake poona kuti iye anachotsedwa mʼdziko la anthu amoyo?”
When he will be humiliated by being accused falsely {people will humiliate him [by accusing him falsely]}, [the rulers] (will not consider him innocent/will consider him guilty). No one will possibly be able to tell about his descendants, because he will be killed {people will kill him} without him having [any descendants] on the earth.
34 Ndunayo inamufunsa Filipo kuti, “Chonde, uzeni, kodi mneneri akuyankhula za ndani, za iye mwini kapena za munthu wina?”
The official asked Philip [about these words that he was reading], “Tell me, who was the prophet writing about? [Was he writing] about himself or about someone else?”
35 Pamenepo Filipo anayambira pa malemba omwewo kumuwuza za Uthenga Wabwino wa Yesu.
So Philip began [to explain] that Scripture passage. He told him the good message about [MTY] Jesus. [So the official understood and believed in Jesus].
36 Akuyenda mu msewu anafika pamalo pamene panali madzi ndipo ndunayo inati, “Taonani madzi awa. Kodi pali chondiletsa kuti ndibatizidwe?”
While they were traveling along the road, they came to [a place where there was a pond of] water [near the road]. Then the official said [to Philip], “Look, [there is a pond of] water! (I would like you to baptize me, because I do not know of anything that would prevent me from being baptized {prevent [you] from baptizing me.}/Do you know of anything that would prevent me from being baptized {prevent [you] from baptizing me}?) [RHQ]”
37 Filipo anati, “Ngati mukhulupirira ndi mtima wanu wonse mukhoza kubatizidwa.” Ndunayo inayankha kuti, “Ine ndikukhulupirira kuti Yesu Khristu ndi Mwana wa Mulungu.”
38 Ndipo analamulira galeta kuti liyime. Onse awiriwo, Filipo ndi Ndunayo anatsika ndi kulowa mʼmadzi ndipo Filipo anamubatiza.
So the official told [the driver] to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the official went down into the [pond of] water, and [Philip] baptized him.
39 Pamene iwo anatuluka mʼmadzimo, Mzimu wa Ambuye anamukwatula Filipo, ndipo Ndunayo sinamuonenso, koma inapitiriza ulendo wake ikusangalala.
When they came up out of the water, suddenly God’s Spirit took Philip away. The official never saw Philip again. But [although he never saw Philip again], the official continued going along the road, very happy [that God had saved him].
40 Koma Filipo anapezeka kuti ali ku Azoto ndipo anazungulira konse, kulalikira Uthenga Wabwino mʼmizinda yonse mpaka anakafika ku Kaisareya.
Philip then realized [that the Spirit had miraculously taken him to] Azotus [town]. While he traveled around [in that region], he continued proclaiming the message [about Jesus] in all the towns [between Azotus and Caesarea. And he was still proclaiming] it when he finally arrived in Caesarea [city].
