Acts 8
8
1And Saul had agreed with the Sanhedrin that Stephen should die.
The Church Is Treated Badly and Scattered
On that day the church in Jerusalem began to be attacked and treated badly. All except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2Godly Jews buried Stephen. They mourned deeply for him. 3But Saul began to destroy the church. He went from house to house. He dragged away men and women and put them in prison.
Philip Goes to Samaria
4The believers who had been scattered preached the word everywhere they went. 5Philip went down to a city in Samaria. There he preached about the Messiah. 6The crowds listened to Philip and saw the signs he did. All of them paid close attention to what he said. 7Evil spirits screamed and came out of many people. Many people who were disabled or who couldn’t walk were healed. 8So there was great joy in that city.
Simon the Evil Magician
9A man named Simon lived in the city. For quite a while he had practiced evil magic there. He amazed all the people of Samaria. He claimed to be someone great. 10And all the people listened to him, from the least important of them to the most important. They exclaimed, “It is right to call this man the Great Power of God!” 11He had amazed them for a long time with his evil magic. So they followed him. 12But Philip announced the good news of God’s kingdom and the name of Jesus Christ. So men and women believed and were baptized. 13Simon himself believed and was baptized. He followed Philip everywhere. He was amazed by the great signs and miracles he saw.
14The apostles in Jerusalem heard that people in Samaria had accepted God’s word. So they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15When they arrived there, they prayed for the new believers. They prayed that they would receive the Holy Spirit. 16The Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17Then Peter and John placed their hands on them. And they received the Holy Spirit.
18Simon watched as the apostles placed their hands on them. He saw that the Spirit was given to them. So he offered money to Peter and John. 19He said, “Give me this power too. Then everyone I place my hands on will receive the Holy Spirit.”
20Peter answered, “May your money be destroyed with you! Do you think you can buy God’s gift with money? 21You have no part or share in this holy work. Your heart is not right with God. 22Turn away from this evil sin of yours. Pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23I see that you are very bitter. You are a prisoner of sin.”
24Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me. Pray that nothing you have said will happen to me.”
25Peter and John continued to preach the word of the Lord and tell people about Jesus. Then they returned to Jerusalem. On the way they preached the good news in many villages in Samaria.
Philip and the Man From Ethiopia
26An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip. “Go south to the desert road,” he said. “It’s the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27So Philip started out. On his way he met an Ethiopian official. The man had an important position in charge of all the wealth of the Kandake. Kandake means queen of Ethiopia. This official had gone to Jerusalem to worship. 28On his way home he was sitting in his chariot. He was reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29The Holy Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot. Stay near it.”
30So Philip ran up to the chariot. He heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you’re reading?” Philip asked.
31“How can I?” he said. “I need someone to explain it to me.” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32Here is the part of Scripture the official was reading. It says,
“He was led like a sheep to be killed.
Just as lambs are silent while their wool is being cut off,
he did not open his mouth.
33When he was treated badly, he was refused a fair trial.
Who can say anything about his children?
His life was cut off from the earth.” (Isaiah 53:7,8)
34The official said to Philip, “Tell me, please. Who is the prophet talking about? Himself, or someone else?” 35Then Philip began with that same part of Scripture. He told him the good news about Jesus.
36-37As they traveled along the road, they came to some water. The official said, “Look! Here is water! What can stop me from being baptized?” 38He gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the official went down into the water. Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away. The official did not see him again. He went on his way full of joy. 40Philip was seen next at Azotus. From there he traveled all around. He preached the good news in all the towns. Finally he arrived in Caesarea.
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Acts 8: NIrV
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Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®
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Gevurot Meyruach Hakodesh 8
8
1And there came about in that day a great pogrom keneged (against) the Brit Chadasha Kehillah in Yerushalayim, and everyone was scattered throughout the regions of Yehudah and Shomron except the Moshiachʼs Shlichim.
2And chasidim came and gave kevurah (burial) to Stefanos and they made loud lamentation over him.
3But Rav Sha'ul was making havoc of the Moshiachʼs Kehillah, barging in bais by bais, dragging off both anashim and nashim, and delivering them over to the beis hasohar.
4The ones therefore having been scattered went about darshenen the dvar Hashem.
5Now Philippos,#8:5 Ac 6:5 having gone down to the city of Shomron, was preaching to them the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach.
6And the multitudes with one accord were paying attention to the things being said by Philippos, as they heard him and saw the otot which he was accomplishing.
7For many had ruchot teme'ot coming out, crying out with a kol gadol, and many having been paralyzed and many pisechim (lame ones) were given refu'ah shleimah.
8And there was great simchah in that city.
9Now a certain ish by name Shim'on was previously in the city practicing magic and astonishing the people of Shomron, saying that he himself was an ish of gadlus (with remarkable superiority) and gadol.
10And to this certain Shim'on everyone from katon to gadol was paying attention, saying, Hinei! This man is the ko'ach (power) of Hashem, the ko'ach hagadol.
11And they were giving heed to him, because he for a long time had astonished them by magic tricks.
12But with emunah in the darshenen of Philippos about the Malchut Hashem and the Shem of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua, they, both anashim and nashim, were submitting to Moshiachʼs mikveh tevilah of teshuva.
13And Shim'on himself also had emunah, and, having submitted to Moshiachʼs tevilah of teshuva, was following Philippos, and, seeing otot and nifla'ot and moftim hagedolim taking place, he was constantly nispoyel (standing in awe).
14And when Moshiachʼs Shlichim heard in Yerushalayim that Shomron has accepted the dvar Hashem, they sent Kefa and Yochanan to them,
15Who, having come down, davened for them that they might receive the Ruach Hakodesh.
16For the Ruach Hakodesh had not yet fallen upon any one of them, but only they had received a tevilah of teshuva in a mikveh mayim b'Shem Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua Adoneinu.
17Then Kefa and Yochanan were laying their hands upon them, and they were receiving the Ruach Hakodesh.
18And when Shim'on saw that through the laying on of hands of Moshiachʼs Shlichim that the Ruach Hakodesh is given, he brought to them kesef,
19Saying, Give me also this samchut that on whomever I may lay my hands such may receive the Ruach Hakodesh.
20But Kefa said to him, May your kesef perish with you because the matnat Hashem you thought by kesef to acquire.#8:20 2Kgs 5:16; Dt 5:17
21There is not to you a chelek (allotted portion) nor share in this matter, for your lev (heart) is krum (deviant) and not upright before Hashem.#8:21 Neh 2:20; Ps 78:37
22Therefore make teshuva from your wickedness and daven (pray) to Hashem if efsher (perhaps) you will receive selicha (forgiveness) for the intent of your lev,
23For I see you are in bitter gall and the bond of haresha.#8:23 Dt 29:18 TARGUM HASHIVIM; Jer 4:18; Isa 58:6
24And in reply Shim'on said, Daven for me to Hashem that nothing may come upon me of which you have spoken.#8:24 Ex 8:8; Num 21:7; 1Kgs 13:6; Jer 42:2
25The ones then having testified and spoken the dvar Adonoi were returning to Yerushalayim and to many villages of the Shomronim preaching the Besuras HaGeulah.
26And a malach Adonoi spoke to Philippos, saying, Get up and go south on the derech going down from Yerushalayim to Gaza. This is desert.
27And having got up, Philippos went. And, hinei, an Ethiopian man, a eunuch, a court official of the Kandake of the Ethiopians! He was over all of her Otzrot (treasury) and had come worshipping to Yerushalayim,#8:27 Ps 68:31; 87:4; Zeph 3:10; Isa 56:3-5; 1Kgs 8:41-43
28And he was returning and sitting in his chariot and he was reading Yeshayah HaNavi.
29And the Ruach Hakodesh said to Philippos, Approach and join this chariot.
30And having run, Philippos heard him reading Yeshayah HaNavi, and Philippos said, So do you have binah of what you are reading?
31And he said, How then might I be able, unless someone will guide me? And he invited Philippos to come up and sit with him.
32Now the keta (section) of the Tanakh which he was reading was this: KASEH LATEVACH YUVAL (He#8:32 Moshiach was led as a lamb to the slaughter) and as a Seh#8:32 Isa 53:7 (Lamb) before the one having sheared it is silent, LO YIFTACH PIV (He does not open his mouth).
33In humiliation his justice was taken away. The descendants of him who will tell? Because he is taken away from HA'ARETZ CHAYYIM.#8:33 Isa 53:7,8 TARGUM HASHIVIM
34And in reply the eunuch said to Philippos, I ask you about whom the Navi (prophet) says this? About himself or about some other person?
35And having opened his mouth, and beginning from this keta (section) of the Kitvei Hakodesh, Philippos began to preach and fier ois (elucidate) Yehoshua/Yeshua to him.
36And as they were going along the derech, they came upon some mayim and the eunuch says, Hinei, mayim! What prevents me from being given Moshiachʼs tevilah of teshuva in the mikveh mayim?
[37And Philippos said, If you have emunah b'chol levavcha, it is mutar. And he answered, saying, Ani ma'amin ki Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua Ben HaElohim hu.]
38And he commanded the chariot to stop and both went down into the mikveh mayim, both Philippos and the eunuch, and Philippos gave him Moshiachʼs tevilah of teshuva in the mikveh mayim.
39And when they came up from the mikveh mayim, the Ruach Hakodesh of Hashem took Philippos away, and the eunuch did not see him any longer, but was going on his way with lev same'ach.#8:39 1Kgs 18:12; 2Kgs 2:16; Ezek 3:12,14; 8:3; 11:1,24; 43:5
40But Philippos was found in Ashdod, and passing through, he was preaching the Besuras HaGeulah to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
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