使徒行传 8
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
教会受迫害
8 当时，扫罗也赞成杀死司提凡。从那天起，耶路撒冷的教会开始遭到极大的迫害。除了使徒之外，门徒都分散到犹太和撒玛利亚各地。 2 有些虔诚人将司提凡埋葬了，为他大声痛哭。
3 扫罗却在摧毁教会，他挨家挨户搜寻，把男女信徒抓进监里。
腓利传扬福音
4 但那些逃往各地的信徒逃到哪里，就将福音传到哪里。 5 腓利来到撒玛利亚城宣讲基督。 6 城里的人耳闻目睹他所行的神迹，都聚精会神地听他讲道。 7 当时有许多人被污鬼附身，那些污鬼大声喊叫着被赶了出来。还有不少瘫子和瘸子也被医好了。 8 城里洋溢着欢乐的气氛。
术士归主
9 有个名叫西门的术士，向来妄自尊大，曾用邪术使撒玛利亚人惊奇不已。 10 无论贵贱，众人都听从他，称他为“上帝的大能者”。 11 他们听从他，因为他长期用邪术迷惑他们。 12 后来，他们相信了腓利传的有关上帝的国度和耶稣基督的福音，男男女女都接受了洗礼。 13 西门本人也信了基督，接受了洗礼，并常常追随腓利左右。腓利所行的神迹奇事令他非常惊奇。
14 耶路撒冷的使徒听说撒玛利亚人接受了上帝的道，就派彼得和约翰去那里。 15 二人到了，为那些信徒祷告，好让他们领受圣灵， 16 因为他们只是奉耶稣的名受了洗，圣灵还没有降在他们身上。 17 使徒把手按在他们身上，他们就领受了圣灵。
18 西门看见使徒把手一按在人身上，就有圣灵赐下来，便拿钱给使徒， 19 说：“请把这能力也给我吧，以便我把手按在谁身上，就使谁领受圣灵。”
20 彼得责备他说：“你和你的钱都一同毁灭吧！因为你以为可以用钱买上帝的恩赐！ 21 你在上帝面前心术不正，休想在我们的事工上有份。 22 你要悔改，离弃邪恶，向主祷告，或许主会赦免你心中的邪念。 23 我看得出你正因为嫉妒而心里充满了苦涩，被罪恶捆绑。”
24 西门说：“请为我求求主，免得我遭受你们所说的刑罚。”
25 彼得和约翰为主做见证，传讲主的道。之后，他们启程回耶路撒冷，沿途又在撒玛利亚各村庄传扬福音。
太监归主
26 有一天，主的天使对腓利说：“起来，向南走，往耶路撒冷通往迦萨的路去。”那条路很荒凉。 27 腓利立刻动身，结果在那条路上遇见一个埃塞俄比亚的太监。他是埃塞俄比亚女王甘大基手下的重臣，负责管理国库。他刚从耶路撒冷参加敬拜回来， 28 正坐在车上诵读以赛亚先知的书。 29 圣灵吩咐腓利：“赶上去，贴近那辆马车！”
30 腓利跑上前，听见太监在诵读以赛亚先知的书，就问：“你明白所读的经文吗？”
31 他说：“没有人为我解释，我怎能明白呢？”他就请腓利上车和他一起坐。 32 他刚才念的那段经文是：
“祂默然不语，
像被人牵去宰杀的羔羊，
又如在剪毛人手下一声不吭的绵羊。
33 祂忍受耻辱，
无人为祂主持公道，
谁能明白那个世代呢？
因为祂的生命竟然被夺去。”
34 太监问腓利：“请问先知是在说谁？在说他自己还是在说别人？” 35 腓利就从这段经文入手向他传耶稣的福音。 36 他们往前走的时候，经过一处有水的地方，太监说：“你看，这里有水，我可以在这里接受洗礼吗？” 37 腓利说：“只要你全心相信，当然可以。”太监说：“我相信耶稣基督是上帝的儿子！”
38 于是，太监吩咐停车，二人一同下到水里，腓利为他施洗。 39 他们从水里上来时，主的灵把腓利带走了。太监看不见腓利了，就继续前行，满心欢喜。 40 后来，腓利出现在亚锁都。他走遍那里，在各城各乡传扬福音，直到凯撒利亚。
Acts 8
Expanded Bible
8 Saul ·agreed that the killing of Stephen was good [L approved of his execution/death].
Troubles for the Believers
On that day the church of Jerusalem began to be persecuted, and all the believers, except the apostles, were scattered throughout [L the countryside/regions of] Judea and Samaria [C the southern and central regions of Israel].
2 And some ·religious [devout; pious; godly] ·people [or men] buried Stephen and ·cried loudly [or mourned deeply] for him. 3 [L But] Saul ·was also trying to destroy [or began harassing/mistreating/doing harm to] the church, going from house to house, dragging ·out [or off] men and women and putting them in ·jail [prison]. 4 But wherever the believers were scattered, they told people the ·Good News [Gospel].
Philip Preaches in Samaria
5 Philip [C one of the seven leaders chosen to serve; 6:5; 21:8] went to ·the city[a] [or a city; or the main city] of Samaria [C perhaps the city of Sebaste, known in ancient times as Samaria] and ·preached about [proclaimed] the ·Christ [Messiah]. 6 When the ·people [L crowds] there heard Philip and saw the ·miracles [signs] he was doing, they all [L with one accord/mind] listened carefully to what he said. 7 Many of these people had ·evil [L unclean; 5:16] spirits in them, but Philip made the evil spirits ·leave [come out]. The spirits made a loud ·noise [cry] when they came out. Philip also healed many ·weak [paralyzed] and ·crippled [lame] people there. 8 So the people in that city were ·very happy [joyful; greatly rejoicing].
9 But there was a man named Simon in that city. ·Before Philip came there, [L Previously] Simon had practiced ·magic [sorcery] and amazed all the people of Samaria. He ·bragged and called himself [L said he was] a great man. 10 All the people—·the least important and the most important [L from the smallest to the greatest]—paid attention to Simon, saying, “This man has the power of God, called ‘·the Great Power [L Great]’!” 11 Simon had amazed them with his ·magic [sorcery] so long that the people ·became his followers [L paid attention to him]. 12 But when Philip told them the ·Good News [Gospel] about the kingdom of God and the ·power [L name] of Jesus Christ, men and women believed Philip and were baptized. 13 Simon himself believed, and after he was baptized, he stayed very close to Philip. When he saw the ·miracles [signs] and the powerful things Philip did, Simon was amazed.
14 When the apostles who were still in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria [8:1] had ·accepted [received] the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 When Peter and John arrived, they prayed that the Samaritan believers might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 These people had [L only] been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, but the Holy Spirit had not yet ·come [L fallen] upon any of them. 17 Then, when ·the two apostles [L they] began ·laying [placing] their hands on the people [C a ritual of blessing and/or conferring of authority], they received the Holy Spirit.
18 Simon saw that the Spirit was given to people when the apostles ·laid [placed] their hands on them. So he offered the apostles money, 19 saying, “Give me also this power so that anyone on whom I ·lay [place] my hands will receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 Peter said to him, “·You and your money should both be destroyed [L May your silver perish with you], because you thought you could ·buy [get; obtain] God’s gift with money. 21 You ·cannot [L have no part or] share with us in this ·work [ministry; L thing; word] since your heart is not right before God. 22 ·Change your heart! Turn away from [L Repent of] this evil thing you have done, and pray to the Lord. Maybe he will forgive you for ·thinking this [L the intent of your heart]. 23 [L For] I see that you are full of ·bitter jealousy [L the gall/bile of bitterness; C a metaphor; gall is a bitter fluid; Deut. 29:18] and ·ruled by sin [L in bondage to wickedness/unrighteousness].”
24 Simon answered, “Both of you pray for me to the Lord so the things you have said will not happen to me.”
25 After ·Peter and John [L they] ·told the people what they had seen Jesus do [L testified; bore witness] and after they had spoken the ·message [word] of the Lord, they went back to Jerusalem. On the way, they went through many Samaritan ·towns [villages] and preached the ·Good News [Gospel] to the people.
Philip Teaches an Ethiopian
26 An angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get ·ready [up] and go ·south [or at about noon] to the road that leads down to Gaza from Jerusalem [C a distance of about fifty miles]—the ·desert [wilderness] road.” 27 So Philip got ·ready [up] and went. On the road he saw a man from Ethiopia [C not present-day Ethiopia (Abyssinia), but Nubia in northern Sudan], a eunuch [or court official; C royal servants were sometimes made eunuchs (castrated males), especially if they served in the presence of females]. He was an important officer in the service of ·Candace [or the Kandáke; C a title, not a name, meaning “queen”], the queen of the Ethiopians; he was responsible for ·taking care of all her money [her entire treasury]. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship. 28 Now, as he was on his way home, he was sitting in his chariot reading from the ·Book of Isaiah, the prophet [L the prophet Isaiah]. 29 The Spirit said to Philip, “Go to that chariot and ·stay near [join] it.”
30 So when Philip ran toward the chariot, he heard the man reading from Isaiah the prophet [C ancient peoples generally read aloud]. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31 He answered, “How can I understand unless someone ·explains it to [guides; directs] me?” Then he ·invited [urged] Philip to climb in and sit with him. 32 The portion of Scripture he was reading was this:
“He was like a sheep being led to ·be killed [L the slaughter].
He was quiet, as a lamb is quiet ·while its wool is being cut [L before its shearer];
he never opened his mouth.
33 He was shamed and was treated ·unfairly [unjustly].
·He died without children to continue his family [L Who can describe his generation?; C having no descendants was a mark of shame and failure].
[L For] His life on earth ·has ended [was taken away; Is. 53:7–8].”
34 The ·officer [L eunuch] said to Philip, “Please tell me, who is the prophet talking about—himself or someone else [C the idea of a suffering messiah was not commonly understood in Judaism]?” 35 Philip ·began to speak [L opened his mouth], and starting with this same Scripture, he told the man the ·Good News [Gospel] about Jesus.
36 While they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. The ·officer [L eunuch] said, “Look, here is water. What is ·stopping [preventing] me from being baptized?” |37 Philip answered, “If you believe with all your heart, you can.” The officer said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”|[b] 38 Then the officer commanded the chariot to stop. Both Philip and the ·officer [L eunuch] went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord ·took [snatched; carried] Philip away; the officer ·never [or no longer] saw him again. And the ·officer [L eunuch] continued on his way home, ·full of joy [rejoicing]. 40 But Philip ·appeared [or found himself; L was found] in a city called Azotus [C another name for Ashdod, just to the north of Gaza] and ·preached [proclaimed] the ·Good News [Gospel] in all the towns on the way from Azotus to Caesarea [C a city further north up the coast].
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