Apostelgeschichte 8
1 Saulus aber hatte Wohlgefallen an seinem Tode. Es erhub sich aber zu der Zeit eine große Verfolgung über die Gemeinde zu Jerusalem; und sie zerstreueten sich alle in die Länder Judäa und Samarien ohne die 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 Es bestatteten aber Stephanus gottesfürchtige Männer und hielten eine große Klage über ihn.
3 Saulus aber zerstörete die Gemeinde, ging hin und her in die Häuser und zog hervor Männer und Weiber und überantwortete sie 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 nun zerstreuet waren, gingen um und predigten das Wort.
The believers who had left Jerusalem went to different places, where they continued preaching the message about Jesus.
5 Philippus aber kam hinab in eine Stadt in Samarien und predigte ihnen von Christo.
[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 Das Volk aber hörete einmütiglich und fleißig zu, was Philippus sagte, und sahen die Zeichen, die er tat.
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 die unsaubern Geister fuhren aus vielen Besessenen mit großem Geschrei; auch viel Gichtbrüchige und Lahme wurden gesund gemacht.
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 Und ward eine große Freude in derselbigen Stadt.
So [many people] [MTY] in that city greatly rejoiced.
9 Es war aber ein Mann mit Namen Simon, der zuvor in derselbigen Stadt Zauberei trieb und bezauberte das samaritische Volk und gab vor, er wäre etwas Großes.
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 Und sie sahen alle auf ihn, beide, klein und groß, und sprachen: Der ist die Kraft Gottes, die da groß ist!
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 sahen aber darum auf ihn, daß er sie lange Zeit mit seiner Zauberei bezaubert hatte.
They continued to listen to him carefully, because for a long time he had astonished them by practicing sorcery.
12 Da sie aber den Predigten des Philippus glaubten von dem Reich Gottes und von dem Namen Jesu Christi, ließen sich taufen beide, Männer und Weiber.
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 Da ward auch der Simon gläubig und ließ sich taufen und hielt sich zu Philippus. Und als er sah die Zeichen und Taten, die da geschahen, verwunderte er sich.
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 höreten zu Jerusalem, daß Samarien das Wort Gottes angenommen hatte, sandten 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 Welche, da sie hinabkamen, beteten sie über sie, daß sie den Heiligen Geist empfingen.
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 gefallen, sondern waren allein getauft auf den Namen Christi Jesu.)
[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 die Hände auf sie, und sie empfingen 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 Da aber Simon sah, daß der Heilige Geist gegeben ward, wenn die Apostel die Hände auflegten, bot er ihnen Geld an
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 sprach: Gebt mir auch die Macht, daß, so ich jemand die Hände auflege, derselbige den Heiligen Geist empfange.
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 sprach zu ihm: Daß du verdammet werdest mit deinem Gelde, daß du meinest Gottes Gabe werde durch Geld erlanget!
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 wirst weder Teil noch Anfall haben an diesem Wort; denn dein Herz ist nicht rechtschaffen 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 Darum tue Buße für diese deine Bosheit und bitte Gott, ob dir vergeben werden möchte die Tücke deines Herzens.
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 ich sehe, daß du bist voll bitterer Galle und verknüpft mit Ungerechtigkeit.
[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 Da antwortete Simon und sprach: Bittet ihr den HERRN für mich, daß der keines über mich komme, davon ihr gesagt habt!
Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord [God] that [he] will not do to me what you just said!”
25 Sie aber, da sie bezeuget und geredet hatten das Wort des HERRN, wandten sie wieder um gen Jerusalem und predigten das Evangelium vielen samaritischen Flecken.
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 Aber der Engel des HERRN redete zu Philippus und sprach: Stehe auf und gehe gegen Mittag auf die Straße, die von Jerusalem hinabgehet gen Gaza, die da wüste ist.
[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 stund auf und ging hin. Und siehe, ein Mann aus Mohrenland, ein Kämmerer und Gewaltiger der Königin Kandaze in Mohrenland, welcher war über ihre ganze Schatzkammer, der war kommen gen Jerusalem, anzubeten,
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 zog wieder heim und saß auf seinem Wagen und las den Propheten Jesaja.
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 halte dich zu diesem Wagen.
[God’s] Spirit told Philip, “Go near to that chariot and keep walking close to [the man who is riding in] it!”
30 Da lief Philippus hinzu und hörete, daß er den Propheten Jesaja las, und sprach: Verstehest du auch, was du liesest?
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 sprach: Wie kann ich, so mich nicht jemand anleitet? Und ermahnete Philippus, daß er aufträte und setzte sich zu ihm.
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 Inhalt aber der Schrift, die er las, war dieser: Er ist wie ein Schaf, zur Schlachtung geführet, und still wie ein Lamm vor seinem Scherer; also hat er nicht aufgetan seinen Mund.
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 In seiner Niedrigkeit ist sein Gericht aufgehoben; wer wird aber seines Lebens Länge ausreden? Denn sein Leben ist von der Erde weggenommen.
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 Da antwortete der Kämmerer Philippus und sprach: Ich bitte dich, von wem redet der Prophet solches, von ihm selber oder von jemand anders?
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 tat seinen Mund auf und fing von dieser Schrift an und predigte ihm das Evangelium von Jesu.
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 Und als sie zogen der Straße nach, kamen sie an ein Wasser. Und der Kämmerer sprach: Siehe, da ist Wasser; was hindert's, daß ich mich taufen lasse?
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 sprach: Glaubest du von ganzem Herzen, so mag's wohl sein. Er antwortete und sprach: Ich glaube, daß Jesus Christus Gottes Sohn ist.
38 Und er hieß den Wagen halten, und stiegen hinab in das Wasser, beide, Philippus und der Kämmerer; und er taufete 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 Da sie aber heraufstiegen aus dem Wasser, rückte der Geist des HERRN Philippus hinweg, und der Kämmerer sah ihn nicht mehr; er zog aber seine Straße fröhlich.
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 ward funden zu Asdod und wandelte umher und predigte allen Städten das Evangelium, bis daß er kam gen Cäseräa.
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].
