Acts 8
1 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].
And Saul consented to his death, and at that time, there was a great persecution against the Church which was at Hierusalem, and they were all scattered abroad thorowe the regions of Iudea and of Samaria, except the Apostles.
Then certaine men fearing God, caried Steuen amongs them, to be buried, and made great lamentation for him.
3 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.
But Saul made hauocke of the Church, and entred into euery house, and drewe out both men and women, and put them into prison.
4 The believers who had left Jerusalem went to different places, where they continued preaching the message about Jesus.
Therefore they that were scattered abroad, went to and from preaching the worde.
5 [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.
Then came Philip into the citie of Samaria, and preached Christ vnto them.
6 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.
And the people gaue heed vnto those things which Philippe spake, with one accorde, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
7 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.
For vncleane spirits crying with a loud voyce, came out of many that were possessed of them: and many taken with palsies, and that halted, were healed.
8 So [many people] [MTY] in that city greatly rejoiced.
And there was great ioy in that citie.
9 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.
And there was before in the citie a certaine man called Simon, which vsed witchcraft, and bewitched the people of Samaria, saying that he himselfe was some great man.
10 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].”
To whome they gaue heede from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is that great power of God.
11 They continued to listen to him carefully, because for a long time he had astonished them by practicing sorcery.
And they gaue heed vnto him, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.
12 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]}.
But assoone as they beleeued Philip, which preached the thinges that concerned the kingdome of God, and the Name of Iesus Christ, they were baptized both men and women.
13 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.
Then Simon himselfe beleeued also and was baptized, and continued with Philippe, and wondred, when he sawe the signes and great miracles which were done.
14 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.
Nowe when the Apostles, which were at Hierusalem, heard say, that Samaria had receiued the worde of God, they sent vnto them Peter and Iohn.
15 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.
Which whe they were come downe, prayed for them, that they might receiue the holy Ghost.
16 [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].
(For as yet, hee was fallen downe on none of them, but they were baptized onely in the Name of the Lord Iesus.)
17 [Then Peter and John] placed their hands on [the heads of] each person, and they received the [power of] [MTY] the Holy Spirit.
Then layd they their handes on them, and they receiued the holy Ghost.
18 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,
And when Simon sawe, that through laying on of the Apostles hands the holy Ghost was giuen, he offred them money,
19 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].”
Saying, Giue mee also this power, that on whomsoeuer I lay the handes, he may receiue the holy Ghost.
20 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)
Then saide Peter vnto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou thinkest that the gift of God may be obteined with money.
21 [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.)
Thou hast neither part nor fellowship in this businesse: for thine heart is not right in the sight of God.
22 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]
Repent therefore of this thy wickednes, and pray God, that if it be possible, the thought of thine heart may be forgiuen thee.
23 [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]!”
For I see that thou art in the gall of bitternes, and in the bonde of iniquitie.
24 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord [God] that [he] will not do to me what you just said!”
Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye haue spoken, come vpon me.
25 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].
So they, when they had testified and preached the worde of the Lord, returned to Hierusalem, and preached the Gospel in many townes of the Samaritans.
26 [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.
Then the Angel of the Lord spake vnto Philip, saying, Arise, and goe towarde the South vnto the way that goeth downe from Hierusalem vnto Gaza, which is waste.
27 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],
And hee arose and went on: and beholde, a certaine Eunuche of Ethiopia, Candaces the Queene of the Ethiopians chiefe Gouernour, who had the rule of all her treasure, and came to Hierusalem to worship:
28 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].
And as he returned sitting in his charet, he read Esaias the Prophet.
29 [God’s] Spirit told Philip, “Go near to that chariot and keep walking close to [the man who is riding in] it!”
Then the Spirit said vnto Philip, Goe neere and ioyne thy selfe to yonder charet.
30 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?”
And Philip ranne thither, and heard him reade the Prophet Esaias, and said, But vnderstandest thou what thou readest?
31 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].
And he saide, Howe can I, except I had a guide? And he desired Philip, that he would come vp and sit with him.
32 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].
Nowe the place of the Scripture which he read, was this, Hee was lead as a sheepe to the slaughter: and like a lambe domme before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth.
33 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.
In his humilitie his iudgement hath bene exalted: but who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
34 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?”
Then the Eunuche answered Philippe, and saide, I pray thee of whome speaketh the Prophet this? of himselfe, or of some other man?
35 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].
Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same Scripture, and preached vnto him Iesus.
36 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]”
And as they went on their way, they came vnto a certaine water, and the Eunuche said, See, here is water: what doeth let me to be baptized?
And Philippe said vnto him, If thou beleeuest with all thine heart, thou mayest. Then he answered, and saide, I beleeue that that Iesus Christ is that Sonne of God.
38 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.
Then he commanded the charet to stand stil: and they went downe both into the water, both Philip and the Eunuche, and he baptized him.
39 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].
And assoone as they were come vp out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the Eunuche sawe him no more: so he went on his way reioycing.
40 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].
But Philippe was found at Azotus, and he walked to and from preaching in all the cities, till he came to Cesarea.
