Acts 8

8 ¹Saul gree with di way dem kill Stephen. Dat same day, big persecution burst against di church for Jerusalem, and everybody scatter go all over Judea and Samaria, na only di apostles remain. ²Some men wey dey fear God bury Stephen, and dem cry well well for im sake. ³But Saul dey destroy di church, e dey enter house after house, dey drag men and women commot, dey throw dem for prison.

Philip Preach for Samaria

⁴So di people wey scatter go everywhere, dey preach di good news of di word. ⁵Philip go down to di city of Samaria, and e preach Christ give dem. ⁶Di crowd put dem mind together to di things wey Philip talk, as dem dey hear and dey see di signs wey e dey do. ⁷Unclean spirits comot from plenty people wey dem bin dey hold, dey scream loud loud, and plenty people wey no fit move dem body and wey dey lame get healing. ⁸So great joy dey for dat city.

⁹One man wey dem dey call Simon bin don dey do magic for dat city before, e dey amaze di people of Samaria, and e dey claim say na some big person. ¹⁰Everybody, from di smallest to di biggest, dey listen to am, dey talk say, “Dis man na di power of God, wey dem dey call Great.” ¹¹Dem put dem mind to am because for long time e don dey amaze dem with im magic. ¹²But when dem believe di good news wey Philip preach about di kingdom of our Papa and di name of Jesus Christ, men and women get baptism. ¹³Simon imsef believe, dem baptize am, and e dey stay close to Philip, e dey wonder as e dey see di signs and di great miracles.

¹⁴When di apostles for Jerusalem hear say Samaria don receive di word of our Papa, dem send Peter and John go meet dem. ¹⁵When dem reach, dem pray for dem, so dat dem fit receive di Holy Spirit, ¹⁶because di Holy Spirit never fall on any of dem yet; na only baptism dem bin get into di name of di Oga Jesus. ¹⁷Den dem put dem hands on dem, and dem receive di Holy Spirit. ¹⁸When Simon see say na through di way di apostles put dem hands, di Spirit dey come, e bring money give dem, ¹⁹e talk say, “Give me dis power too, so dat anybody wey I put my hands on go receive di Holy Spirit.” ²⁰Peter tell am, “Make your silver perish with you, since you think say you fit buy di gift of our Papa with money! ²¹You no get part or share for dis matter, because your heart no dey correct before our Papa. ²²So turn away from dis evil, and pray to our Papa say, if e possible, make e forgive you di thing wey your heart wan do. ²³I see say bitterness don poison you, and evil don tie you.”

²⁴Simon answer, “Una pray to God for me, so dat none of di things wey una talk go come on top me.”

²⁵So, after dem don testify and talk di word of our Oga Jesus, dem go back to Jerusalem, dey preach di good news for plenty villages of Samaria.

Philip and di Man from Ethiopia

²⁶Den one angel of our Papa tell Philip, “Get up, go south to di road wey dey go down from Jerusalem to Gaza”—dat road wey dey pass desert. ²⁷E get up and go. See, one man from Ethiopia wey be eunuch, one big officer for di palace of Candace, di queen of di Ethiopians, wey dey in charge of all her treasure, bin don come Jerusalem to worship, ^a a v27 Candace no be personal name but di royal title for di queen-mother of di kingdom of Cush, wey dey south of Egypt. ²⁸and e dey go back home, e sidon for im chariot, dey read di prophet Isaiah.

²⁹And di Holy Spirit tell Philip, “Go near and follow dat chariot reach.”

³⁰Philip run go, e hear am dey read di prophet Isaiah, and e ask, “You understand wetin you dey read?”

³¹E talk say, “How I go fit, if person no show me di way?” and e beg Philip make e climb come sidon with am. ³²Now di part of di Scripture wey e dey read na dis one: “Like sheep dem lead am go slaughter, and like lamb wey keep quiet before di person wey dey shave im hair, na so e no open im mouth. ³³For im shame dem deny am justice. Who fit talk about im generation? Because dem don take im life comot for di earth.”

³⁴Di eunuch ask Philip, “Abeg tell me, na who di prophet dey talk about—imsef, or another person?”

³⁵Philip open im mouth, and e start from dis Scripture, e tell am di good news about Jesus. ³⁶As dem dey travel di road, dem reach one water, and di eunuch talk say, “Look, water! Wetin stop me make dem baptize me?” ^b b v36 Di oldest manuscripts no get verse 37 for here; later copies add: “Philip talk say, ‘If you believe with all your heart, e fit be.’ And e answer, ‘I believe say Jesus Christ na di Pikin of God.’” ³⁸E order di chariot make e stop; di two of dem go down inside di water, Philip and di eunuch, and Philip baptize am.

³⁹When dem come out from di water, di Spirit of our Papa snatch Philip carry go; di eunuch no see am again, but e continue im journey, dey rejoice. ⁴⁰Philip find imsef for Azotus. E travel pass through, dey announce di good news for every town until e reach Caesarea.