1Savao je odobravao Stjepanovo smaknuće.
Progonstvo vjernika
Tog je dana započeo veliki val progona Crkve u Jeruzalemu pa su se svi osim apostola razbježali po Judeji i Samariji. 2Neki pobožni ljudi pokopali su Stjepana i održali veliko žalovanje za njim. 3Savao je pak pustošio Crkvu. Išao je od kuće do kuće te muškarce i žene odvlačio i predavao u tamnicu.
Filip propovijeda u Samariji
4Ali vjernici koji su pobjegli iz Jeruzalema posvuda su išli navješćujući Radosnu vijest o Isusu. 5Filip je, primjerice, otišao u Samariju i ondje ljudima propovijedao o Kristu. 6Mnoštvo je jednodušno prihvaćalo Filipove riječi slušajući ga i gledajući čudesa koja je činio. 7Izgonio je mnoge nečiste duhove koji su vrišteći izlazili iz opsjednutih. Iscijelio je mnoge uzete i hrome. 8U tomu je gradu tako zavladala velika radost.
9Neki čovjek imenom Šimun već se dugo ondje bavio čarobnjaštvom. Opčaravao je narod i izdavao se za velikog čovjeka. 10Samarijanci su mu se, od najmanjega do najvećega, priklanjali i nazivali ga “velikim” i “Božjom silom”. 11Činili su to zato što ih je dugo opčaravao svojim vradžbinama. 12Ali tada su povjerovali Filipu koji je navješćivao Radosnu vijest o Božjemu kraljevstvu i imenu Isusa Krista. Krstili su se muškarci i žene. 13I sam je Šimun povjerovao i krstio se te slijedio Filipa kuda god je išao. Zadivljeno je promatrao čudesa i znamenje koje je Filip činio.
14Kad su apostoli u Jeruzalemu čuli da su u Samariji prihvatili Božju riječ, pošalju onamo Petra i Ivana. 15Oni dođu i pomole se za obraćenike da prime Svetoga Duha. 16Jer Sveti Duh još nije sišao ni na koga od njih. Bili su samo kršteni u ime Gospodina Isusa. 17Polagali su ruke na njih te su primali Svetoga Duha.
18Kad je Šimun vidio da ljudi primaju Svetoga Duha kad apostoli na njih polože ruke, ponudi apostolima novac: 19“Dajte i meni tu moć da svatko na koga položim ruke primi Svetoga Duha!”
20Ali Petar mu odgovori: “Propao i taj novac i ti skupa s njim! Misliš li da Božji dar možeš kupiti novcem? 21Ti na ovo nemaš pravo jer ti srce nije pravo pred Bogom! 22Obrati se od svoje zloće i moli se Gospodinu pa će ti možda oprostiti nakane zlog srca. 23Vidim da si pun gorčine i okovan grijehom.”
24“Vi se za mene molite Gospodinu da me ne snađe to što ste rekli!” odgovori Šimun.
25Pošto su svjedočili i propovijedali Božju riječ u Samariji, Petar i Ivan vratili su se u Jeruzalem. Putem su se zaustavljali u samarijskim selima navješćujući Radosnu vijest.
Filip i Etiopljanin
26A Filipu reče anđeo Gospodnji: “Kreni na jug pustom cestom što iz Jeruzalema vodi u Gazu.” 27I Filip pođe. Susretne nekog Etiopljanina, dvorskog rizničara, visokog dostojanstvenika etiopske kraljice, kandake. On je išao u Jeruzalem da se pokloni Bogu. 28Vraćajući se iz Jeruzalema sjedio je u kočiji i čitao naglas iz Knjige proroka Izaije.
29Sveti Duh reče Filipu: “Priđi i hodaj uz kočiju!”
30Filip pritrči. Začuje kako čovjek čita Izaiju pa upita: “Razumijete li to što čitate?”
31“A kako da razumijem ako me tko ne pouči?” odgovori čovjek. Zamoli Filipa da se popne u kočiju i sjedne do njega. 32Čitao je ovaj ulomak:
“Odveli su ga kao ovcu na klanje.
Kao janje nijemo pred onima što ga strižu,
ni usta nije otvorio.
33Ponižen je i lišen pravde.
Tko da opiše njegov naraštaj?
Jer život je njegov uzet sa zemlje.”8:32-33 Izaija 53:7-8.
34Dostojanstvenik zatim upita Filipa: “Reci mi, molim te, govori li to prorok o sebi ili o kome drugome?” 35Filip mu, počevši od toga ulomka, objasni evanđelje i navijesti Isusa.
36Vozeći se tako naiđu na neku vodu, a dostojanstvenik upita: “Evo vode! Što me priječi da se krstim?”8:36 Neki rukopisi sadržavaju i 37. stih: “Možeš se krstiti”, odgovori Filip, “ako vjeruješ svim srcem.” Dostojanstvenik odgovori: “Vjerujem da je Isus Krist Božji Sin.” 38Zapovjedi da kočija stane pa obojica siđu do vode. Filip ga ondje krsti.
39Kad su izišli iz vode, Sveti Duh ponese Filipa i dostojanstvenik ga više nije vidio. On radosno nastavi svojim putem, 40a Filip se nađe u gradu Azotu. Kud god je išao, putem je po gradovima propovijedao Radosnu vijest sve dok nije stigao u Cezareju.
1And Saul approved of their killing him.
The Church Persecuted and Scattered
On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.
Philip in Samaria
4Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8So there was great joy in that city.
Simon the Sorcerer
9Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” 11They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. 12But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
14When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”
24Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”
25After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.
Philip and the Ethiopian
26Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian8:27 That is, from the southern Nile region eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
30Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
31“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”8:33 Isaiah 53:7,8 (see Septuagint)
34The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” 378:37 Some manuscripts include here Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” 38And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
