Apostelgeschichte 8
1 Saulus aber hatte Gefallen an seiner Ermordung. An diesem Tage aber erhob sich eine große Verfolgung über die Gemeinde in Jerusalem. Da zerstreuten sich alle in die Landschaften von Judäa und Samaria, mit Ausnahme der Apostel.
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 Den Stephanus aber bestatteten fromme Männer, und erhoben eine große Totenklage über ihn.
3 Saul aber verwüstete die Gemeinde, er drang in die Häuser ein, schleppte Männer und Frauen fort, und lieferte sie ab ins Gefängnis.
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 Die Zerstreuten nun zogen herum mit der frohen Botschaft des Wortes.
The believers who had left Jerusalem went to different places, where they continued preaching the message about Jesus.
5 Philippus aber kam hinab in die Stadt Samariens und verkündete ihnen den Christus
[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 Die Massen aber neigten sich dem, was Philippus sagte, einmütig zu, wie sie es hörten, und zugleich die Zeichen sahen, die er that.
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 Denn von vielen, die unreine Geister hatten, giengen dieselben aus mit lautem Geschrei; viele Gichtbrüchige aber und Lahme wurden geheilt.
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 Es war aber große Freude in jener Stadt.
So [many people] [MTY] in that city greatly rejoiced.
9 Es befand sich aber zuvor schon ein Mann mit Namen Simon in der Stadt, welcher Zauberei trieb und das Volk von Samaria verführte, indem er angab, er sei ein großes Wesen.
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 Dem hieng alles an, klein und groß, und sie sagten: der ist die Kraft Gottes, die man die große heißt.
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 Sie hingen aber an ihm, weil er sie lange Zeit mit seinen Zaubereien verführt hatte.
They continued to listen to him carefully, because for a long time he had astonished them by practicing sorcery.
12 Wie sie nun aber dem Philippus Glauben schenkten, der ihnen die frohe Botschaft vom Reiche Gottes brachte und vom Namen Jesus Christus, ließen sie sich taufen, Männer und Frauen.
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 Simon aber ward ebenfalls gläubig, ließ sich taufen, und hielt sich zu Philippus, und staunte, da er die Zeichen und großen Wunder sah, die da geschahen.
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 Da aber die Apostel in Jerusalem hörten, daß Samaria das Wort Gottes angenommen, schickten sie zu ihnen Petrus und Johannes.
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 Die zogen hinab und beteten für sie, daß sie den heiligen Geist empfiengen.
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 Denn er war noch auf keinen von ihnen gefallen, sie waren nur getauft auf den Namen des Herrn Jesus.
[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 Da legten sie ihnen die Hände auf, und sie empfiengen den heiligen Geist.
[Then Peter and John] placed their hands on [the heads of] each person, and they received the [power of] [MTY] the Holy Spirit.
18 Als aber Simon sahe, daß durch die Handauflegung der Apostel der Geist verliehen werde, brachte er ihnen Geld
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 und sagte: verleihet mir auch diese Macht, daß, wem ich die Hände auflege, der den heiligen Geist bekomme.
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 Petrus aber sagte zu ihm: dein Silber möge samt dir verderben, weil du gemeint hast, die Gabe Gottes durch Geld zu kaufen.
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 Du hast keinen Theil noch Los an diesem Worte; denn dein Herz ist nicht richtig vor Gott.
[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 So thue nun Buße von dieser deiner Bosheit, und bete zum Herrn, ob dir möge der Anschlag deines Herzens vergeben werden.
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 Denn in Galle der Bosheit und Bande der Ungerechtigkeit sehe ich dich gegeben.
[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 Simon aber antwortete und sprach: betet ihr für mich zum Herrn, daß nichts über mich komme von dem, was ihr gesagt.
Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord [God] that [he] will not do to me what you just said!”
25 Nachdem sie nun das Wort des Herrn bezeugt und geredet hatten, kehrten sie zurück nach Jerusalem; und sie verkündeten noch vielen Flecken der Samariter die frohe Botschaft.
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 Ein Engel des Herrn aber sprach zu Philippus: stehe auf und ziehe hin gegen Mittag auf dem Weg, der von Jersualem hinuntergeht nach Gaza, der ist einsam.
[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 Und er stand auf und zog hin. Und siehe, ein Aethiopier, ein Eunuche und Großer der Aethiopischen Königin Kandake, der über ihren gesamten Schatz gesetzt war, war gekommen anzubeten in Jerusalem,
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 und saß nun auf dem Rückweg in seinem Wagen, und las den Propheten Jesaias.
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 Der Geist aber sprach zu Philippus: gehe hinzu und schließe dich diesem Wagen an.
[God’s] Spirit told Philip, “Go near to that chariot and keep walking close to [the man who is riding in] it!”
30 Wie aber Philippus hinlief, hörte er ihn im Propheten Jesaias lesen, und sagte: verstehst du denn, was du liest?
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 Er aber sagte: wie sollte ich, wenn mich niemand anleitet? und er bat den Philippus, aufzusteigen und sich zu ihm zu setzen.
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 Der Abschnitt der Schrift aber, den er las, war der: wie ein Schaf ward er zur Schlachtbank geführt, und wie ein Lamm vor seinen Scherer lautlos: so öffnet er seinen Mund nicht.
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 Durch die Erniedrigung ward sein Gericht aufgehoben; wer mag sein Geschlecht beschreiben? denn weggenommen von der Erde wird sein Leben.
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 Der Eunuche aber wendete sich an Philippus und sagte: ich bitte dich, von wem sagt dies der Prophet? von sich selbst oder von einem anderen?
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 Philippus aber that seinen Mund auf, und ausgehend von dieser Schrift verkündete er ihm die frohe Botschaft von Jesus.
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 Wie sie aber des Weges dahinzogen, kamen sie an ein Wasser, und der Eunuche sagt: siehe hier ist Wasser; was hindert mich, mich taufen zu lassen?
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 Philippus aber sagte zu ihm: wenn du von ganzem Herzen glaubst, ist es gestattet. Er aber antwortete: ich glaube, daß Jesus Christus der Sohn Gottes ist.
38 Und er ließ den Wagen halten, und sie stiegen beide ab zum Wasser, Philippus und der Eunuche, und er taufte ihn.
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 Als sie aber vom Wasser heraufgestiegen waren, entführte der Geist des Herrn den Philippus, und der Eunuche sah ihn nicht mehr. So zog er denn seines Weges dahin in Freude.
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 Philippus aber fand sich ein in Azotus, und zog herum und verkündete die frohe Botschaft allen Städten, bis er nach Cäsarea kam.
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].
