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 τε διεσπαρησαν κατα τας χωρας της ιουδαιας και σαμαρειας πλην των αποστολων
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 μεγαλη φωνη 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 παντες 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 του 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 σημεια και δυναμεις μεγαλας γινομενας 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 κυριου 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 αν 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
ειπεν δε ο φιλιππος ει πιστευεις εξ ολης της καρδιας εξεστιν αποκριθεις δε ειπεν πιστευω τον υιον του θεου ειναι τον ιησουν χριστον
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
