Ebikolwa by’Abatume 8
1 Sawulo yali omu ku abo abaawagira okuttibwa kwa Suteefano. Era ku lunaku olwo okuyigganya Ekkanisa ne kutandika n’amaanyi mangi nnyo mu Yerusaalemi. Abakkiriza bonna, okuggyako abatume, ne basaasaanira mu Buyudaaya ne mu Samaliya.
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 Abantu ba Katonda ne baggyawo Suteefano ne bamutwala ne bamuziika mu kwaziirana okungi.
3 Naye Sawulo n’akolerera okuzikiriza Ekkanisa; n’agenda buli wantu ng’akwata abasajja n’abakazi n’abatwala mu kkomera.
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 Naye abakkiriza abadduka mu Yerusaalemi ne bagenda mu buli kifo nga babuulira Enjiri ya Yesu.
The believers who had left Jerusalem went to different places, where they continued preaching the message about Jesus.
5 Awo Firipo, n’alaga mu kimu ku bibuga bya Samaliya n’abuulira abantu Enjiri ya Kristo.
[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 Ebibiina ne bimuwuliriza nnyo kubanga abantu bonna baalaba ebyamagero bye yakola.
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 Baddayimooni bangi ne bava ku bantu nga bwe baleekaana; abaali bakoozimbye n’abalema bonna ne bawonyezebwa;
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 ekibuga ne kijjula essanyu.
So [many people] [MTY] in that city greatly rejoiced.
9 Waaliwo omusajja erinnya lye Simooni eyali omufumu omwatiikirivu mu kibuga omwo era nga yeewuunyisa nnyo abantu bonna mu Samaliya. Yeeyogerangako nti muntu mukulu era wa kitiibwa.
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 Era abantu bangi ab’ekitiibwa n’abatali ba kitiibwa baamwogerangako nti, “Omusajja oyo ge maanyi ga Katonda agayitibwa, ‘Amangi.’”
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 Ne bamussangako nnyo omwoyo olw’ebyobufuusa bye yakolanga.
They continued to listen to him carefully, because for a long time he had astonished them by practicing sorcery.
12 Naye bwe bakkiriza obubaka bwa Firipo ng’abuulira ku bwakabaka bwa Katonda n’erinnya lya Yesu Kristo abasajja n’abakazi ne babatizibwa.
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 Awo ne Simooni yennyini n’akkiriza era n’abatizibwa, n’agobereranga Firipo buli gye yalaganga; era ebyamagero Firipo bye yakolanga, Simooni n’abyewuunya nnyo.
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 Awo abatume abaali mu Yerusaalemi bwe baawulira ng’abantu mu Samaliya bakkirizza ekigambo kya Katonda, ne babatumira Peetero ne Yokaana.
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 Bwe baatuuka ne basabira abakkiriza bano abaggya bafune Mwoyo Mutukuvu,
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 kubanga yali tannaba kubakkako, kubanga baali babatizibbwa mu linnya lya Mukama waffe Yesu kyokka.
[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 Awo Peetero ne Yokaana ne bassa emikono gyabwe ku bakkiriza abo, ne bafuna Mwoyo Mutukuvu.
[Then Peter and John] placed their hands on [the heads of] each person, and they received the [power of] [MTY] the Holy Spirit.
18 Simooni, Omufumu, bwe yalaba ng’abantu bafunye Mwoyo Mutukuvu olw’abatume okubassaako emikono kyokka, kyeyava atoola ensimbi aziwe abatume bamuguze obuyinza obwo.
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 N’abagamba nti, “Mumpe obuyinza obwo, buli gwe nnassangako emikono gyange afune Mwoyo Mutukuvu!”
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 Naye Peetero n’amugamba nti, “Ensimbi zo zizikirire naawe olw’okulowooza nti ekirabo kya Katonda kiyinza okugulibwa obugulibwa n’ensimbi.
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 Mu nsonga eno tolinaamu mugabo kubanga omutima gwo si mulongoofu mu maaso ga Katonda.
[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 Noolwekyo weenenye ekikolwa ekyo ekibi weegayirire Mukama, oboolyawo Katonda ayinza okukusonyiwa ebirowoozo byo ebyo ebibi.
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 Kubanga ndaba nga mu mutima gwo mujjudde obuggya, era oli muddu wa kibi.”
[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 Simooni n’abeegayirira nti, “Munsabire eri Mukama ebintu ebyo bye mwogedde bireme okuntuukako.”
Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord [God] that [he] will not do to me what you just said!”
25 Awo Peetero ne Yokaana bwe baamala okubuulira ekigambo kya Katonda n’obuvumu, ne basitula okuddayo mu Yerusaalemi, nga bagenda babuulira Enjiri mu bibuga bingi bye baayitangamu mu Samaliya.
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 Awo malayika wa Mukama n’agamba Firipo nti, “Kwata ekkubo eriraga mu bukiikaddyo, eriva e Yerusaalemi nga liyita mu ddungu okugenda e Ggaaza.”
[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 Firipo n’akwata ekkubo eryo. Mu kiseera ekyo waaliwo omusajja Omwesiyopya mu kkubo eryo ng’ava mu kusinza e Yerusaalemi. Yali mulaawe nga mukungu mu lubiri lwa Kandake, kabaka omukazi owa Esiyopya, era ye yali omuwanika we omukulu.
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 Yali atudde mu ggaali lye ng’addayo ewaabwe nga bw’asoma ekitabo kya nnabbi Isaaya.
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 Awo Mwoyo Mutukuvu n’agamba Firipo nti, “Semberera eggaali eryo oligendereko.”
[God’s] Spirit told Philip, “Go near to that chariot and keep walking close to [the man who is riding in] it!”
30 Firipo n’adduka n’atuuka ku ggaali, n’awulira Omwesiyopya ng’asoma mu kitabo kya nnabbi Isaaya. N’amubuuza nti, “By’osoma obitegeera?”
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 Omwesiyopya n’addamu nti, “Nnaabitegeera ntya nga sirina abinnyinnyonnyola?” N’asaba Firipo ayingire mu ggaali lye batuule bombi.
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 Ekyawandiikibwa kye yali asoma nga kigamba bwe kiti nti: “Yatwalibwa ng’endiga egenda okuttibwa. Ng’omwana gw’endiga bwe gusiriikirira nga bagusalako ebyoya, naye bw’atyo teyayasamya kamwa ke.
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 Yajoogebwa n’atalamulwa mu bwenkanya. Ani alyogera ku bazzukulu be? Kubanga ekiseera kye eky’obulamu bwe ku nsi kyakoma!”
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 Omulaawe kwe kubuuza Firipo nti, “Nnyinnyonnyola, munnange, nnabbi gw’ayogerako; yeeyogerako yekka oba ayogera ku mulala?”
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 Awo Firipo n’atandika n’Ekyawandiikibwa ekyo n’amubuulira Enjiri ya Yesu Kristo.
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 Bwe baali bagenda ne batuuka awali amazzi, omulaawe n’agamba nti, “Laba amazzi! Kale lwaki sibatizibwa?”
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 Awo Firipo n’amugamba nti, “Oyinza okubatizibwa, bw’oba ng’okkiriza n’omutima gwo gwonna.” Omulaawe n’addamu nti, “Nzikiriza nga Yesu Kristo Mwana wa Katonda.”
38 Awo n’alagira omugoba w’eggaali lye okuyimirira, ne bakka mu mazzi, Firipo n’amubatiza.
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 Bwe baava mu mazzi amangwago Omwoyo wa Mukama n’atwala Firipo, Omulaawe n’ataddayo kumulaba nate, naye n’atambula olugendo lwe ng’ajjudde essanyu.
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 Naye Firipo n’alabikira mu Azoto, n’agenda ng’abuulira Enjiri mu bibuga byonna eby’omu kitundu ekyo okutuukira ddala e Kayisaliya.
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].
