使徒行传 8
Chinese New Version (Traditional)
8 司提反被害，掃羅也欣然同意。
掃羅迫害教會
從那天起，耶路撒冷的教會大受迫害；除了使徒以外，所有的人都分散到猶太和撒瑪利亞各地。 2 有些虔誠的人安葬了司提反，為他大大悲痛一番。 3 掃羅卻殘害教會，逐家進去，連男帶女拉去坐監。
福音傳到撒瑪利亞
4 那些分散的人，經過各地，傳揚福音真道。 5 腓利下到撒瑪利亞城，宣講基督。 6 群眾聽了腓利所講的，看見他所行的神蹟，就同心聽從了他的話。 7 許多人有污靈附在他們身上，污靈大聲喊叫了之後，就出來了；還有許多癱子瘸子都醫好了。 8 在那城裡，就大有歡樂。
9 有一個人名叫西門，從前在城裡行過邪術，使撒瑪利亞的居民驚奇，他又自命不凡， 10 城裡大大小小都聽從他，說：“這就是那稱為‘ 神的大能’的人。” 11 他們聽從他，因為他長久用邪術，使他們驚奇。 12 等到腓利向他們傳了 神的國的福音，和耶穌基督的名，他們就信了腓利，連男帶女都受了洗。 13 連西門自己也信了，他受洗之後，常和腓利在一起，看見所發生的神蹟和大能的事，就覺得很驚奇。
14 在耶路撒冷的使徒，聽見撒瑪利亞居民領受了 神的道，就差派彼得和約翰到他們那裡去。 15 二人到了，就為大家禱告，要讓他們接受聖靈。 16 因為聖靈還沒有降在他們任何一個身上，他們只是受了洗歸入主耶穌的名下。 17 於是使徒為他們按手，他們就受了聖靈。 18 西門看見使徒一按手，就有聖靈賜下來，就拿錢給他們， 19 說：“請把這權柄也給我，叫我為誰按手，誰就可以受聖靈。” 20 彼得對他說：“你的銀子跟你一同滅亡吧！因為你以為 神的恩賜，是可以用錢買的。 21 你和這件事是毫無關係的，因為你在 神面前存心不正。 22 所以，你要悔改離棄這罪惡，要祈求主，也許你心中的意念可以得到赦免。 23 我看出你正在苦膽之中，邪惡捆綁著你。” 24 西門回答：“請你們為我求主，好讓你們所說的，沒有一樣臨到我身上。”
25 使徒作了見證，講了主的道，就回耶路撒冷去，一路上在撒瑪利亞人的許多村莊裡傳揚福音。
腓利對太監傳講耶穌
26 有主的一位使者對腓利說：“起來，向南走，往那從耶路撒冷下迦薩的路上去。”那條路在曠野裡。 27 他就動身去了。有一個衣索匹亞人，是衣索匹亞女王干大基有權力的太監，掌管女王全部國庫。他上耶路撒冷去禮拜。 28 他回去的時候，坐在車上讀以賽亞先知的書。 29 聖靈對腓利說：“你往前去，靠近那車子！” 30 腓利就跑過去，聽見他讀以賽亞先知的書，就問他：“你所讀的，你明白嗎？” 31 他說：“沒有人指導我，怎能明白呢？”於是請腓利上車，同他坐在一起。 32 他所讀的那段經文，就是：
“他像羊被牽去宰殺，
又像羊羔在剪毛的人面前無聲，
他總是這樣不開口。
33 他受屈辱的時候，
得不到公平的審判，
誰能說出他的身世呢？
因為他的生命從地上被奪去。”
34 太監對腓利說：“請問先知這話是指誰說的？指他自己呢？還是指別人？” 35 腓利就開口，從這段經文開始，向他傳講耶穌。 36 他們一路走，到了有水的地方，太監說：“你看，這裡有水，有甚麼可以阻止我受洗呢？”（有些抄本在此有第37節：“腓利說：‘你若全心相信，就可以受洗。’他回答說：‘我信耶穌基督是 神的兒子。’”） 38 於是太監吩咐停車，腓利和他兩人下到水中，腓利就給他施洗。 39 他們從水裡上來的時候，主的靈就把腓利提去了，太監再也看不見他，就歡歡喜喜地上路。 40 後來有人在亞鎖都遇見腓利。他走遍各城，傳講福音，直到該撒利亞。
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].
Chinese New Version (CNV). Copyright © 1976, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2005 by Worldwide Bible Society.
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