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 paralysed or lame were healed. 8So there was great joy in that city.
Simon the sorcerer
9Now for some time a man named Simon had practised 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 baptised, both men and women. 13Simon himself believed and was baptised. 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 baptised 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, 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 travelled 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 baptised?’ 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 baptised 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 travelled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
1Ndipo Saulo anavomerezana nawo pa imfa ya Stefano.
Kuzunzika kwa Mpingo
Tsiku lomwelo, mpingo wa mu Yerusalemu unayamba kuzunzidwa, ndipo onse, kupatulapo atumwi, anabalalikira ku madera onse a Yudeya ndi Samariya. 2Anthu okonda Mulungu anayika maliro a Stefano ndipo anamulira kwambiri. 3Koma Saulo anayamba kuwononga mpingo. Amapita nyumba ndi nyumba, ndipo amagwira amuna ndi amayi ndi kukawatsekera ku ndende.
Filipo ku Samariya
4Okhulupirira amene anabalalika amalalikira konse kumene amapita. 5Filipo anapita ku mzinda wa ku Samariya ndipo analalikira za Khristu kumeneko. 6Gulu la anthu litamva Filipo akulalikira komanso kuona zizindikiro zozizwitsa zimene ankazichita, onse anamvetsetsa zimene iye amanena. 7Mizimu yoyipa inatuluka mwa anthu ambiri ikufuwula kwambiri ndipo ambiri amene anali akufa ziwalo ndi olumala anachiritsidwa. 8Kotero munali chimwemwe chachikulu mu mzindawo.
Simoni Wamatsenga
9Koma mu mzindawo munali munthu dzina lake Simoni, amene amachita za matsenga ndi kudabwitsa anthu a mu Samariya. Iye amadzitamandira kuti ndi wopambana, 10ndipo anthu onse, aakulu ndi aangʼono anamumvera ndi kunena kuti, “Munthu uyu ndi mphamvu ya Mulungu yotchedwa Mphamvu yayikulu.” 11Anthu amamutsata chifukwa kwa nthawi yayitali amawadabwitsa ndi matsenga akewo. 12Koma atakhulupirira Filipo akulalikira Uthenga Wabwino wa ufumu wa Mulungu ndiponso dzina la Yesu Khristu, anthuwo anabatizidwa amuna ndi amayi. 13Nayenso Simoni anakhulupirira ndipo anabatizidwa, natsatira Filipo kulikonse, ndipo anadabwa kwambiri pamene anaona zizindikiro zazikulu ndi zozizwitsa.
14Atumwi a ku Yerusalemu atamva kuti anthu a ku Samariya analandira Mawu a Mulungu, anatumiza Petro ndi Yohane. 15Atafika anawapempherera kuti alandire Mzimu Woyera, 16chifukwa Mzimu Woyera anali asanafike pa wina aliyense wa iwo; anali atangobatizidwa mʼdzina la Ambuye Yesu. 17Ndipo Petro ndi Yohane anasanjika manja awo pa iwo, ndipo analandira Mzimu Woyera.
18Simoni ataona kuti Mzimu anaperekedwa kwa iwo atumwi atawasanjika manja, iye anafuna kuwapatsa ndalama ndipo anati, 19“Inenso ndipatseni mphamvu imeneyi kuti aliyense amene ndimusanjika manja anga azilandira Mzimu Woyera.”
20Petro anayankha kuti, “Ndalama zako utayike nazo pamodzi, chifukwa unaganiza kuti ungathe kugula mphatso ya Mulungu ndi ndalama! 21Ulibe gawo kapena mbali pa utumikiwu, chifukwa mtima wako suli wolungama pamaso pa Mulungu. 22Lapa zoyipa zakozi ndipo upemphere kwa Ambuye. Mwina adzakukhululukira maganizo a mu mtima mwako. 23Pakuti ine ndikuona kuti ndiwe wowawidwa mtima ndiponso kapolo wa tchimo.”
24Ndipo Simoni anayankha, “Mundipempherere kwa Ambuye kuti zisandigwere izi mwanenazi.”
25Atatha kuchitira umboni ndi kulalikira mawu a Ambuye, Petro ndi Yohane anabwerera ku Yerusalemu, atalalikira Uthenga Wabwino mʼmidzi yambiri ya Asamariya.
Filipo ndi Nduna ya Zachuma ya ku Etiopia
26Mngelo wa Ambuye anati kwa Filipo, “Nyamuka pita chakummwera, ku msewu wa ku chipululu wopita ku Gaza kuchokera ku Yerusalemu.” 27Ndipo ananyamuka napita, ndipo akuyenda anakumana ndi munthu wa ku Etiopia wa udindo waukulu woyangʼanira chuma cha Kandake, mfumu yayikazi ya ku Etiopia. Munthu ameneyu anapita ku Yerusalemu kukapembedza Mulungu, 28ndipo akubwerera kwawo atakwera pa galeta lake amawerenga buku la mneneri Yesaya. 29Mzimu anamuwuza Filipo kuti, “Pita pa galeta ilo ndipo ukakhale pafupi nalo.”
30Pamenepo Filipo anathamangira ku galeta ndipo anamva munthuyo akuwerenga buku la mneneri Yesaya. Filipo anamufunsa kuti, “Kodi mukumvetsa zimene mukuwerengazi?”
31Iye anayankha kuti, “Ndingamvetse bwanji popanda wina wondimasulira?” Ndipo iye anayitana Filipo kuti abwere ndikukhala naye mʼgaleta.
32Mawu amene ndunayo imawerenga anali awa:
“Monga mwana wankhosa wopita naye kokamupha amachitira,
kapena monga nkhosa imakhalira duu poyimeta,
momwemonso iye sanatsekule pakamwa pake.
33Iye ananyozedwa ndipo panalibe chilungamo pa mlandu wake.
Ndipo ndani amene analabadirako za zidzukulu zake
poona kuti iye anachotsedwa mʼdziko la anthu amoyo?”
34Ndunayo inamufunsa Filipo kuti, “Chonde, uzeni, kodi mneneri akuyankhula za ndani, za iye mwini kapena za munthu wina?” 35Pamenepo Filipo anayambira pa malemba omwewo kumuwuza za Uthenga Wabwino wa Yesu.
36Akuyenda mu msewu anafika pamalo pamene panali madzi ndipo ndunayo inati, “Taonani madzi awa. Kodi pali chondiletsa kuti ndibatizidwe?” 37Filipo anati, “Ngati mukhulupirira ndi mtima wanu wonse mukhoza kubatizidwa.” Ndunayo inayankha kuti, “Ine ndikukhulupirira kuti Yesu Khristu ndi Mwana wa Mulungu.” 38Ndipo analamulira galeta kuti liyime. Onse awiriwo, Filipo ndi Ndunayo anatsika ndi kulowa mʼmadzi ndipo Filipo anamubatiza. 39Pamene iwo anatuluka mʼmadzimo, Mzimu wa Ambuye anamukwatula Filipo, ndipo Ndunayo sinamuonenso, koma inapitiriza ulendo wake ikusangalala. 40Koma Filipo anapezeka kuti ali ku Azoto ndipo anazungulira konse, kulalikira Uthenga Wabwino mʼmizinda yonse mpaka anakafika ku Kaisareya.
