Hechos 8
1 Saulo estuvo de acuerdo con este asesinato. Aquel día se desató una gran persecución contra la Iglesia de Jerusalén. Todos se dispersaron por las regiones de Judea y Samaria, excepto los apóstoles.
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 Unos hombres piadosos sepultaron a Esteban e hicieron gran lamentación por él.
3 Saulo asolaba a la iglesia. Entraba de casa en casa, arrastraba a hombres y mujeres y [los] entregaba en [la] cárcel.
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 Pero los esparcidos proclamaban la Palabra dondequiera que iban.
The believers who had left Jerusalem went to different places, where they continued preaching the message about Jesus.
5 Felipe bajó a una ciudad de Samaria y les predicaba a Cristo.
[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 La multitud, cuando oyó y vio las señales milagrosas que hacía, prestaba atención unánime a lo expresado por Felipe.
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 Porque muchos espíritus impuros daban alaridos y salían de los poseídos. Muchos paralíticos y cojos eran sanados.
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 Hubo grande gozo en aquella ciudad.
So [many people] [MTY] in that city greatly rejoiced.
9 Pero un hombre llamado Simón practicaba la magia y asombraba a la gente de Samaria y se hacía pasar como un gran personaje.
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 Todos, desde el más pequeño hasta el más grande, le ponían atención y decían: Éste es el gran poder de Dios.
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 Le prestaban mucha atención porque los asombró con las magias durante mucho tiempo.
They continued to listen to him carefully, because for a long time he had astonished them by practicing sorcery.
12 Pero hombres y mujeres creyeron las Buenas Noticias del reino de Dios en el Nombre de Jesucristo que Felipe les proclamaba, y se bautizaban.
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 Aun el mismo Simón creyó, y después de ser bautizado, estaba adherido constantemente a Felipe. Se maravillaba al ver las señales milagrosas y los grandes prodigios que hacía.
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 Cuando los apóstoles en Jerusalén supieron que Samaria había recibido la Palabra de Dios, les enviaron a Pedro y Juan.
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 Llegaron y hablaron con Dios por ellos para que recibieran [el] Espíritu Santo,
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 porque aún no había descendido sobre ellos. Solo habían sido bautizados en el Nombre del Señor Jesús.
[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 Luego les impusieron las manos y recibieron [el] Espíritu Santo.
[Then Peter and John] placed their hands on [the heads of] each person, and they received the [power of] [MTY] the Holy Spirit.
18 Entonces Simón, quien vio que por la imposición de las manos de los apóstoles era dado el Espíritu, les ofreció dinero
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 y dijo: Denme también este poder para que a cualquiera a quien imponga las manos reciba el Espíritu Santo.
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 Entonces Pedro le contestó: Tu dinero permanezca contigo para destrucción, porque pensaste que el Don de Dios se compra por dinero.
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 Tú no tienes parte ni participación en este asunto, porque tu corazón no es recto delante de Dios.
[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 Por tanto cambia de mente en cuanto a esta maldad y ruega al Señor. Tal vez te sea perdonado lo que pensaste.
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 Porque veo que estás en hiel de amargura y en atadura de maldad.
[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 Simón respondió: Rueguen ustedes al Señor por mí para que no me sucedan estas cosas.
Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord [God] that [he] will not do to me what you just said!”
25 Después de testificar solemnemente y hablar la Palabra del Señor, regresaron a Jerusalén. En el camino proclamaron las Buenas Noticias en muchas aldeas de samaritanos.
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 Un ángel del Señor habló a Felipe: Vé hacia el sur por el camino solitario que baja de Jerusalén a 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 Fue y vio a un eunuco etíope, funcionario tesorero de Candace, reina de los etíopes, quien había ido a adorar en Jerusalén.
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 Mientras regresaba en su carruaje leía el profeta Isaías.
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 Entonces el Espíritu dijo a Felipe: Vé y júntate a este carruaje.
[God’s] Spirit told Philip, “Go near to that chariot and keep walking close to [the man who is riding in] it!”
30 Felipe corrió y oyó que leía el profeta Isaías. Le preguntó: ¿Entiendes lo que lees?
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 Y él contestó: ¿Cómo podría si alguno no me explica? Y rogó a Felipe que subiera a sentarse con él.
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 La porción de la Escritura que leía era ésta: Como oveja fue llevado al matadero, y como cordero silencioso ante el que lo trasquila no abrió su boca.
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 En la humillación no se le hizo justicia. ¿Quién describirá su generación? Porque su vida fue removida de la tierra.
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 El eunuco preguntó a Felipe: Te ruego, ¿De quién dice esto el profeta? ¿De él mismo o de otro?
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 Entonces Felipe comenzó desde esta Escritura, y le anunció las Buenas Noticias de Jesús.
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 Cuando iban por el camino, llegaron a un lugar donde había agua, y el eunuco dijo: ¡Aquí hay agua! ¿Qué impide que sea bautizado?
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]”
38 Mandó parar el carruaje. Ambos bajaron al agua, y Felipe lo bautizó.
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 Cuando subieron del agua, [el] Espíritu del Señor arrebató a Felipe, y el eunuco no lo vio más, pero siguió su camino con gozo.
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 Felipe se halló en Azoto, y al pasar, proclamaba las Buenas Noticias a todas las ciudades, hasta llegar a Cesarea.
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].
