< 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].
σαυλοσ δε ην συνευδοκων τη αναιρεσει αυτου εγενετο δε εν εκεινη τη ημερα διωγμοσ μεγασ επι την εκκλησιαν την εν ιεροσολυμοισ παντεσ δε διεσπαρησαν κατα τασ χωρασ τησ ιουδαιασ και σαμαρειασ πλην των αποστολων
2
συνεκομισαν δε τον στεφανον ανδρεσ ευλαβεισ και εποιησαντο κοπετον μεγαν επ αυτω
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.
σαυλοσ δε ελυμαινετο την εκκλησιαν κατα τουσ οικουσ εισπορευομενοσ συρων τε ανδρασ και γυναικασ παρεδιδου εισ φυλακην
4 The believers who had left Jerusalem went to different places, where they continued preaching the message about Jesus.
οι μεν ουν διασπαρεντεσ διηλθον ευαγγελιζομενοι τον λογον
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.
φιλιπποσ δε κατελθων εισ πολιν τησ σαμαρειασ εκηρυσσεν αυτοισ τον χριστον
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.
προσειχον τε οι οχλοι τοισ λεγομενοισ υπο του φιλιππου ομοθυμαδον εν τω ακουειν αυτουσ και βλεπειν τα σημεια α εποιει
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.
πολλων γαρ των εχοντων πνευματα ακαθαρτα βοωντα φωνη μεγαλη εξηρχετο πολλοι δε παραλελυμενοι και χωλοι εθεραπευθησαν
8 So [many people] [MTY] in that city greatly rejoiced.
και εγενετο χαρα μεγαλη εν τη πολει εκεινη
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.
ανηρ δε τισ ονοματι σιμων προυπηρχεν εν τη πολει μαγευων και εξιστων το εθνοσ τησ σαμαρειασ λεγων ειναι τινα εαυτον μεγαν
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].”
ω προσειχον απο μικρου εωσ μεγαλου λεγοντεσ ουτοσ εστιν η δυναμισ του θεου η μεγαλη
11 They continued to listen to him carefully, because for a long time he had astonished them by practicing sorcery.
προσειχον δε αυτω δια το ικανω χρονω ταισ μαγειαισ εξεστακεναι αυτουσ
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]}.
οτε δε επιστευσαν τω φιλιππω ευαγγελιζομενω τα περι τησ βασιλειασ του θεου και του ονοματοσ ιησου χριστου εβαπτιζοντο ανδρεσ τε και γυναικεσ
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.
ο δε σιμων και αυτοσ επιστευσεν και βαπτισθεισ ην προσκαρτερων τω φιλιππω θεωρων τε δυναμεισ και σημεια γινομενα εξιστατο
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.
ακουσαντεσ δε οι εν ιεροσολυμοισ αποστολοι οτι δεδεκται η σαμαρεια τον λογον του θεου απεστειλαν προσ αυτουσ τον πετρον και ιωαννην
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.
οιτινεσ καταβαντεσ προσηυξαντο περι αυτων οπωσ λαβωσιν πνευμα αγιον
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].
ουπω γαρ ην επ ουδενι αυτων επιπεπτωκοσ μονον δε βεβαπτισμενοι υπηρχον εισ το ονομα του χριστου ιησου
17 [Then Peter and John] placed their hands on [the heads of] each person, and they received the [power of] [MTY] the Holy Spirit.
τοτε επετιθουν τασ χειρασ επ αυτουσ και ελαμβανον πνευμα αγιον
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,
θεασαμενοσ δε ο σιμων οτι δια τησ επιθεσεωσ των χειρων των αποστολων διδοται το πνευμα το αγιον προσηνεγκεν αυτοισ χρηματα
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].”
λεγων δοτε καμοι την εξουσιαν ταυτην ινα ω εαν επιθω τασ χειρασ λαμβανη πνευμα αγιον
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)
πετροσ δε ειπεν προσ αυτον το αργυριον σου συν σοι ειη εισ απωλειαν οτι την δωρεαν του θεου ενομισασ δια χρηματων κτασθαι
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.)
ουκ εστιν σοι μερισ ουδε κληροσ εν τω λογω τουτω η γαρ καρδια σου ουκ εστιν ευθεια ενωπιον του θεου
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]
μετανοησον ουν απο τησ κακιασ σου ταυτησ και δεηθητι του θεου ει αρα αφεθησεται σοι η επινοια τησ καρδιασ σου
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]!”
εισ γαρ χολην πικριασ και συνδεσμον αδικιασ ορω σε οντα
24 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord [God] that [he] will not do to me what you just said!”
αποκριθεισ δε ο σιμων ειπεν δεηθητε υμεισ υπερ εμου προσ τον κυριον οπωσ μηδεν επελθη επ εμε ων ειρηκατε
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].
οι μεν ουν διαμαρτυραμενοι και λαλησαντεσ τον λογον του κυριου υπεστρεψαν εισ ιερουσαλημ πολλασ τε κωμασ των σαμαρειτων ευηγγελισαντο
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.
αγγελοσ δε κυριου ελαλησεν προσ φιλιππον λεγων αναστηθι και πορευου κατα μεσημβριαν επι την οδον την καταβαινουσαν απο ιερουσαλημ εισ γαζαν αυτη εστιν ερημοσ
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],
και αναστασ επορευθη και ιδου ανηρ αιθιοψ ευνουχοσ δυναστησ κανδακησ τησ βασιλισσησ αιθιοπων οσ ην επι πασησ τησ γαζησ αυτησ οσ εληλυθει προσκυνησων εισ ιερουσαλημ
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].
ην τε υποστρεφων και καθημενοσ επι του αρματοσ αυτου και ανεγινωσκεν τον προφητην ησαιαν
29 [God’s] Spirit told Philip, “Go near to that chariot and keep walking close to [the man who is riding in] it!”
ειπεν δε το πνευμα τω φιλιππω προσελθε και κολληθητι τω αρματι τουτω
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?”
προσδραμων δε ο φιλιπποσ ηκουσεν αυτου αναγινωσκοντοσ τον προφητην ησαιαν και ειπεν αρα γε γινωσκεισ α αναγινωσκεισ
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].
ο δε ειπεν πωσ γαρ αν δυναιμην εαν μη τισ οδηγηση με παρεκαλεσεν τε τον φιλιππον αναβαντα καθισαι συν αυτω
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].
η δε περιοχη τησ γραφησ ην ανεγινωσκεν ην αυτη ωσ προβατον επι σφαγην ηχθη και ωσ αμνοσ εναντιον του κειροντοσ αυτον αφωνοσ ουτωσ ουκ ανοιγει το στομα αυτου
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.
εν τη ταπεινωσει αυτου η κρισισ αυτου ηρθη την δε γενεαν αυτου τισ διηγησεται οτι αιρεται απο τησ γησ η ζωη αυτου
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?”
αποκριθεισ δε ο ευνουχοσ τω φιλιππω ειπεν δεομαι σου περι τινοσ ο προφητησ λεγει τουτο περι εαυτου η περι ετερου τινοσ
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].
ανοιξασ δε ο φιλιπποσ το στομα αυτου και αρξαμενοσ απο τησ γραφησ ταυτησ ευηγγελισατο αυτω τον ιησουν
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]”
ωσ δε επορευοντο κατα την οδον ηλθον επι τι υδωρ και φησιν ο ευνουχοσ ιδου υδωρ τι κωλυει με βαπτισθηναι
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.
και εκελευσεν στηναι το αρμα και κατεβησαν αμφοτεροι εισ το υδωρ ο τε φιλιπποσ και ο ευνουχοσ και εβαπτισεν αυτον
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].
οτε δε ανεβησαν εκ του υδατοσ πνευμα κυριου ηρπασεν τον φιλιππον και ουκ ειδεν αυτον ουκετι ο ευνουχοσ επορευετο γαρ την οδον αυτου χαιρων
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].
φιλιπποσ δε ευρεθη εισ αζωτον και διερχομενοσ ευηγγελιζετο τασ πολεισ πασασ εωσ του ελθειν αυτον εισ καισαρειαν

< Acts 8 >