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。
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
GOD’S WORD Translation
8 Saul approved of putting Stephen to death.
On that day widespread persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem. Most believers, except the apostles, were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
2 Devout men buried Stephen as they mourned loudly for him.
3 Saul tried to destroy the church. He dragged men and women out of one home after another and threw them into prison.
Some Samaritans Become Believers
4 The believers who were scattered went from place to place, where they spread the word. 5 Philip went to the city of Samaria and told people about the Messiah. 6 The crowds paid close attention to what Philip said. They listened to him and saw the miracles that he performed. 7 Evil spirits screamed as they came out of the many people they had possessed. Many paralyzed and lame people were cured. 8 As a result, that city was extremely happy.
9 A man named Simon lived in that city. He amazed the people of Samaria with his practice of magic. He claimed that he was great. 10 Everyone from children to adults paid attention to him. They said, “This man is the power of God, and that power is called great.” 11 They paid attention to Simon because he had amazed them for a long time with his practice of magic. 12 However, when Philip spread the Good News about God’s kingdom and the one named Jesus Christ, men and women believed him and were baptized. 13 Even Simon believed, and after he was baptized, he became devoted to Philip. Simon was amazed to see the miracles and impressive things that were happening.
14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that the Samaritans had accepted God’s word, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 Peter and John went to Samaria and prayed that the Samaritans would receive the Holy Spirit. 16 (Before this the Holy Spirit had not come to any of the Samaritans. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit.
18 Simon saw that the Spirit was given to the Samaritans when the apostles placed their hands on them. So he offered Peter and John money 19 and said, “Give me this power so that anyone I place my hands on will receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 Peter told Simon, “May your money be destroyed with you because you thought you could buy God’s gift. 21 You won’t have any share in this because God can see how twisted your thinking is. 22 So change your wicked thoughts, and ask the Lord if he will forgive you for thinking like this. 23 I can see that you are bitter with jealousy and wrapped up in your evil ways.”
24 Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me that none of the things you said will happen to me.”
25 After they had boldly spoken about the message of the Lord, they spread the Good News in many Samaritan villages on their way back to Jerusalem.
Philip Tells an Ethiopian about Jesus
26 An angel from the Lord said to Philip, “Get up, and take the desert road that goes south from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So Philip went.
An Ethiopian man who had come to Jerusalem to worship was on his way home. The man was a eunuch, a high-ranking official in charge of all the treasures of Queen Candace of Ethiopia. 28 As the official rode along in his carriage, he was reading the prophet Isaiah out loud.
29 The Spirit said to Philip, “Go to that carriage, and stay close to it.”
30 Philip ran to the carriage and could hear the official reading the prophet Isaiah out loud. Philip asked him, “Do you understand what you’re reading?”
31 The official answered, “How can I understand unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to sit with him in his carriage.
32 This was the part of the Scriptures that the official was reading:
“He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
He was like a sheep that is silent
when its wool is cut off.
He didn’t open his mouth.
33 When he humbled himself,
he was not judged fairly.
Who from his generation
will talk about his life on earth being cut short?”
34 The official said to Philip, “I would like to know who the prophet is talking about. Is he talking about himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip spoke. Starting with that passage, Philip told the official the Good News about Jesus.
36 As they were going along the road, they came to some water. The official said to Philip, “Look, there’s some water. What can keep me from being baptized?” [a] 38 The official ordered the carriage to stop. He and Philip stepped into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39 When they had stepped out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away. The official joyfully continued on his way and didn’t see Philip again.
40 Philip found himself in the city of Azotus. He traveled through all the cities and spread the Good News until he came to the city of Caesarea.
Footnotes
- 8:36 Some manuscripts and translations add verse 37: “Philip said to the official, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you can be baptized.’ The official answered, ‘I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’ ”
Acts 8
EasyEnglish Bible
8 Saul was standing there while the Jewish leaders killed Stephen. He agreed with what they did.
Saul puts many believers in prison
On the same day that Stephen died, the group of believers who lived in Jerusalem began to have great trouble. People did bad things to them. All the believers left Jerusalem and went to other places in Judea and Samaria. Only Jesus' 12 apostles stayed in Jerusalem.
2 Some good men who loved God buried Stephen's dead body. They were very sad and they cried with loud voices. 3 But Saul brought great trouble to the believers. He wanted to destroy their whole group. So he went to all their houses. He took hold of the believers and he put them into prison. He did that to both men and women.
People in Samaria hear God's good news
4 The believers who had left Jerusalem went to many different towns. In each place, they told the people the message about Jesus. 5 One of them who was called Philip went to a city in Samaria. There he told the people the message about Jesus Christ, God's Messiah.
6 Crowds of people came together to hear Philip speak. They saw him do many miracles which showed that God was with him. So they listened carefully to his message.[a] 7 Many people there had bad spirits, which were living in them. Philip sent the bad spirits out of those people. As the spirits came out, they shouted loudly. Some other people had weak arms or legs, and some people could not walk well. Philip caused many of them to become well again. 8 As a result, the people in that city were very happy.
9 A man called Simon lived in that city. For a long time, he had used magic to do great things. All the people who lived in Samaria were very surprised at what he did. Simon told everyone that he was a very important person. 10 All the people in the city watched Simon carefully. This included the people who were important and all the other people too. Everyone said, ‘This man has great power that comes from God.’ 11 Simon had used his magic for a long time and he had surprised them all very much. Because of that, they listened to him carefully. 12 But then Philip told them the good news about the kingdom of God. He told them the message about God's Messiah, Jesus. Many men and women believed Philip's message, so he baptized them. 13 Simon also believed and Philip baptized him too. After this, Simon stayed near to Philip. He was very surprised at the powerful miracles which Philip did.
14 The apostles who were in Jerusalem heard about all this. They heard that many people in Samaria had believed God's word. So they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When these two apostles arrived in Samaria, they prayed for the people who now believed in Jesus. They asked God to give the new believers the Holy Spirit. 16 The Holy Spirit had not yet come to any of these people. When Philip had baptized them, he had just used the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 So Peter and John put their hands on the head of each believer, and they each received the Holy Spirit.
18 Simon saw that God gave the Holy Spirit to people when the apostles put their hands on them. So he said to Peter and John, ‘Here is some money for you. 19 Please give me this same power. I want to put my hands on other people, so that they will receive the Holy Spirit.’
20 Peter answered Simon, ‘I pray that God will destroy you and your money! You think that you can buy this gift with your money! It is very wrong for you to think that. It is God who gives that gift. 21 You cannot do the work which we are doing. God knows that you are not thinking the right things. 22 You must turn away from those very bad thoughts. Turn to the Lord and pray that he will forgive you. Then perhaps he will forgive you for these bad thoughts. 23 You are very upset because you are jealous. I can see that sin rules your life.’
24 Then Simon said to Peter and John, ‘Please, pray to the Lord God for me. Then none of these bad things that you have spoken about will happen to me.’
25 Peter and John told the people about the Lord Jesus and they spoke God's message to them. Then they returned to Jerusalem. On their way, they went through many villages in Samaria and they told the people the good news about Jesus.
Philip meets a man from Ethiopia
26 Then an angel of the Lord God came to Philip. He said, ‘Philip, go south to the road between Jerusalem and Gaza which goes through the wilderness.’[b]
27 So Philip started on his journey. While he was going along this road, he met an important officer from Ethiopia. This man had authority over the queen of Ethiopia's money. The queen was called Candace. The officer was travelling home from Jerusalem. He had been there to worship God.[c]
28 Now the man was travelling home again in his chariot. He was reading something from the book that God's prophet Isaiah wrote. 29 The Holy Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and walk beside it.’
30 So Philip ran to the cart as it went along. The officer was reading aloud from the prophet Isaiah's book and Philip heard him. So Philip asked the man, ‘Do you understand the things that you are reading about?’
31 The man answered, ‘I cannot understand it. I need someone to explain it to me.’ Then he said to Philip, ‘Come up here and sit with me in the cart.’
32 The officer was reading these words from the book of Isaiah:
‘He was like a sheep that people were leading away to kill.
He was like a lamb when they are cutting off its wool,
but it makes no noise.
In the same way, he did not say anything.
33 People did not respect him at all.
They refused to judge him in a fair way.
Nobody can say anything about his descendants,
because his life on earth came to an end.’[d]
34 The officer said to Philip, ‘Please tell me who the prophet Isaiah wrote about. Was he writing about himself or about another person?’ 35 Then Philip explained to the man the words that Isaiah had written. Then he went on to tell him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they were travelling along the road, they came to a place with some water. The man said to Philip, ‘Look! There is some water here. Please will you baptize me? Is there anything to stop you?’
[37 Philip said to him, ‘I can baptize you if you really believe in Jesus.’ The man said to Philip, ‘I do believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’][e]
38 The officer said to the man who was driving the chariot, ‘Stop the chariot!’ Then he went down with Philip into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39 They both came up out of the water again. Immediately the Lord's Holy Spirit took Philip away from that place. The officer did not see Philip again. He continued his journey and he was very happy.
40 Philip saw that he was now in Azotus.[f] From there, he visited many towns and he told people the good news about Jesus. He did this as he went all the way to Caesarea.[g]
Footnotes
- 8:6 The Holy Spirit lived in Philip. He helped Philip to speak in a powerful way. Because of this Philip could do these special things for the people.
- 8:26 It was about 70 kilometres from Jerusalem to the town of Gaza.
- 8:27 Ethiopia is a country in Africa. Candace was a special name for their queen. We think that the man from Ethiopia was a Gentile. But now he worshipped the God of the Jews. The Ethiopian man was riding in a chariot that horses pulled. It was not the kind of chariot that soldiers used when they went to fight.
- 8:33 We can read this in Isaiah 53:7-8. Isaiah wrote this about Jesus hundreds of years earlier.
- 8:37 Most Bibles do not have verse 37.
- 8:40 Azotus was a town 30 kilometres north of Gaza.
- 8:40 Caesarea was an important city in Israel. The Roman ruler sometimes lived there. Caesarea was at the coast and it was an important port. It was 70 kilometres from Jerusalem. We think that Philip lived in Caesarea for many years. Philip was still living in Caesarea when Luke wrote about him again in Acts 21:8.
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