Atũmwo 8
1 Nake Saũlũ aarĩ ho, na agĩĩtĩkĩra atĩ ooragwo. Mũthenya ũcio kanitha ũkĩnyariirwo mũno kũu Jerusalemu, nao andũ othe o tiga atũmwo makĩhurunjũkĩra Judea na Samaria.
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 Andũ etigĩri Ngai magĩthika Stefano na makĩmũcakaĩra mũno.
3 No Saũlũ akĩambĩrĩria kwananga kanitha. Aathiiaga nyũmba o nyũmba, akĩrutũrũraga arũme na andũ-a-nja, akĩmaikagia njeera.
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 Nao andũ arĩa maahurunjĩtwo nĩmahunjirie kiugo kĩa Ngai o kũrĩa guothe maathiiaga.
The believers who had left Jerusalem went to different places, where they continued preaching the message about Jesus.
5 Filipu agĩikũrũka agĩthiĩ itũũra rĩarĩ Samaria, akĩhunjia ũhoro wa Kristũ kuo.
[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 Rĩrĩa ikundi cia andũ ciaiguire Filipu na ikĩona ciama iria aaringaga, othe magĩthikĩrĩria ũrĩa oigaga.
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 Ngoma thũku nĩcioimaga andũ aingĩ igĩkayũrũrũkaga, na andũ aingĩ maarũarĩte mũrimũ wa gũkua ciĩga, na andũ arĩa maarĩ onju makĩhonio.
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 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio gũkĩgĩa na gĩkeno kĩnene itũũra-inĩ rĩu.
So [many people] [MTY] in that city greatly rejoiced.
9 Na rĩrĩ, itũũra-inĩ rĩu nĩ kwarĩ na mũndũ wetagwo Simoni, nake nĩaragũrĩte kwa ihinda na akagegia andũ othe a Samaria. Nake nĩetĩĩaga na ageetua atĩ aarĩ mũndũ mũnene mũno,
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 nao andũ othe, arĩa anini na arĩa anene, makamũthikagĩrĩria na makoiga na mũgambo mũnene atĩrĩ, “Mũndũ ũyũ nĩwe hinya wa ũngai ũrĩa ũĩkaine ta Hinya Mũnene.”
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 Maatũũrĩte mamuumaga thuutha tondũ nĩamagegetie hĩndĩ ndaaya na ũragũri wake.
They continued to listen to him carefully, because for a long time he had astonished them by practicing sorcery.
12 No rĩrĩa meetĩkirie Filipu akĩhunjia Ũhoro-ũrĩa-Mwega wa ũthamaki wa Ngai na wa rĩĩtwa rĩa Jesũ Kristũ-rĩ, makĩbatithio, arũme o hamwe na andũ-a-nja.
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 Simoni we mwene agĩĩtĩkia na akĩbatithio. Nake akĩrũmĩrĩra Filipu kũrĩa guothe aathiiaga, agegetio nĩ imenyithia cia hinya na ciama iria onaga.
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 Rĩrĩa atũmwo arĩa maarĩ kũu Jerusalemu maiguire atĩ andũ a Samaria nĩmetĩkĩrĩte kiugo kĩa Ngai-rĩ, makĩmatũmĩra Petero na Johana.
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 Nao maakinya kuo, makĩmahoera nĩguo maamũkĩre Roho Mũtheru,
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 tondũ nginya hĩndĩ ĩyo Roho Mũtheru ndaakoretwo aikũrũkĩire mũndũ o na ũmwe wao; tiga o kũbatithio maabatithĩtio thĩinĩ wa rĩĩtwa rĩa Mwathani Jesũ.
[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 Hĩndĩ ĩyo Petero na Johana makĩmaigĩrĩra moko, nao makĩamũkĩra Roho Mũtheru.
[Then Peter and John] placed their hands on [the heads of] each person, and they received the [power of] [MTY] the Holy Spirit.
18 Rĩrĩa Simoni onire atĩ Roho aaheanagwo na ũndũ wa kũigĩrĩrwo moko nĩ atũmwo-rĩ, akĩenda amahe mbeeca,
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 akiuga atĩrĩ, “Heei ũhoti ũyũ o na niĩ nĩgeetha ũrĩa wothe ndaigĩrĩra moko makwa akaamũkĩra Roho Mũtheru.”
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 Petero akĩmũcookeria atĩrĩ, “Mbeeca ciaku irothiranĩra hamwe nawe, nĩgũkorwo wĩciirĩtie no ũgũre kĩheo kĩa Ngai na mbeeca.
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 Wee ndũrĩ na handũ, o na ndũrĩ na igai ũtungata-inĩ ũyũ, tondũ ngoro yaku ti njagĩrĩru mbere ya Ngai.
[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 Wĩrire waganu ũyũ na ũhooe Mwathani. Hihi nĩegũkũrekera nĩ ũndũ wa gũkorwo na rĩciiria ta rĩu ngoro-inĩ yaku.
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 Nĩgũkorwo nguona ũiyũrĩtwo nĩ marũrũ na ũgatuĩka ngombo ya mehia.”
[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 Hĩndĩ ĩyo Simoni akĩmũcookeria atĩrĩ, “Hooerai harĩ Mwathani nĩgeetha ndikae gũkorwo nĩ ũndũ o na ũmwe wa macio mwagweta.”
Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord [God] that [he] will not do to me what you just said!”
25 Rĩrĩa maarĩkirie kũheana ũira na kũhunjia kiugo kĩa Mwathani-rĩ, Petero na Johana magĩcooka Jerusalemu, o makĩhunjagia Ũhoro-ũrĩa-Mwega tũtũũra-inĩ tũingĩ twa Samaria.
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 Na rĩrĩ, mũraika wa Mwathani akĩĩra Filipu atĩrĩ, “Thiĩ werekeire gũthini, ũkinye njĩra-inĩ, njĩra ĩrĩa ya werũ-inĩ, ĩrĩa ĩikũrũkĩte kuuma Jerusalemu ĩgathiĩ nginya Gaza.”
[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 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio akiumagara, na arĩ njĩra-inĩ agĩcemania na Mũhabashi warĩ mũhakũre, mũndũ mũnene warĩ igweta ũrĩa warũgamĩrĩire kĩgĩĩna gĩa Kandake, mũthamaki-mũndũ-wa-nja wa Ahabashi. Mũndũ ũyũ aathiĩte Jerusalemu kũhooya Ngai;
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 na arĩ njĩra-inĩ akĩinũka, aaikarĩte ngaari-inĩ yake ya mbarathi agĩthoma ibuku rĩa Isaia ũrĩa mũnabii.
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 Roho akĩĩra Filipu atĩrĩ, “Thiĩ ngaari-inĩ ĩĩrĩa ya mbarathi ũikare hakuhĩ nayo.”
[God’s] Spirit told Philip, “Go near to that chariot and keep walking close to [the man who is riding in] it!”
30 Hĩndĩ ĩyo Filipu akĩhanyũka nginya ngaari-inĩ ĩyo ya mbarathi, akĩigua mũndũ ũcio agĩthoma ibuku rĩa Isaia ũrĩa mũnabii, akĩmũũria atĩrĩ, “Nĩũrataũkĩrwo nĩ ũhoro ũcio ũrathoma?”
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 Nake agĩcookia atĩrĩ, “Ingĩtaũkĩrwo atĩa, tiga hagĩire mũndũ wa kũndaarĩria?” Nĩ ũndũ ũcio akĩĩra Filipu ahaice ngaari ĩyo ya mbarathi, aikaranie nake.
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 Mũndũ ũcio warĩ mũhakũre aathomaga gacunjĩ gaka ka Maandĩko: “Aatwarirwo o ta ngʼondu gĩthĩnjĩro-inĩ, na o ta ũrĩa gatũrũme gakiraga ki karĩ mbere ya mũndũ ũrĩa ũrakenja guoya, noguo o nake ataatumũrire kanua gake.
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 Nĩaconorithirio na ndaigana gũtuĩrwo ciira na kĩhooto. Nũũ ũngĩaria ũhoro wa njiaro ciake? Nĩgũkorwo muoyo wake nĩwehererio ũkiuma gũkũ thĩ.”
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 Mũndũ ũcio mũhakũre akĩũria Filipu atĩrĩ, “Ndagũthaitha, ta njĩĩra atĩrĩ, mũnabii araaria ũhoro wa ũ, nĩ ũhoro wake we mwene kana nĩ ũhoro wa mũndũ ũngĩ?”
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 Hĩndĩ ĩyo Filipu akĩrutia ũhoro hau, akĩmũhe Ũhoro-ũrĩa-Mwega ũkoniĩ Jesũ.
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 Na marĩ njĩra-inĩ magĩthiĩ-rĩ, magĩkinya handũ haarĩ na maaĩ, nake mũndũ ũcio warĩ mũhakũre akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Ta rora, maaĩ nĩmo maya. Nĩ kĩĩ kĩngĩgiria mbatithio?”
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 (Nake Filipu akiuga atĩrĩ, “Ũngĩĩtĩkia na ngoro yaku yothe, no ũbatithio.” Nake agĩcookia atĩrĩ, “Nĩnjĩtĩkĩtie atĩ Jesũ Kristũ nĩwe Mũrũ wa Ngai.)”
38 Nake agĩathana ngaari ĩyo ya mbarathi ĩrũgame. Hĩndĩ ĩyo Filipu na mũndũ ũcio mũhakũre magĩikũrũka, magĩtoonya maaĩ-inĩ, nake Filipu akĩmũbatithia.
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 Na rĩrĩa moimĩrire maaĩ-inĩ, Roho wa Mwathani o rĩmwe akĩoya Filipu, akĩmweheria, nake mũndũ ũcio mũhakũre akĩaga kũmuona rĩngĩ, no agĩthiĩ na mbere na rũgendo akenete.
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 No Filipu nĩonekanire Azota, na agĩthiĩ akĩhunjagia Ũhoro-ũrĩa-Mwega matũũra-inĩ mothe nginya agĩkinya Kaisarea.
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].
