Acts 8:24

Easy-to-Read Version

Simon answered, "Both of you pray to the Lord for me, so that what you have said will not happen to me."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Pray to the Lord for me,” Simon replied, “so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

King James Version (1611)
Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for mee, that none of these things which ye haue spoken, come vpon me.

King James Version
Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.

English Standard Version
And Simon answered, "Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me."

New American Standard Bible
But Simon answered and said, "Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me."

New Century Version
Simon answered, "Both of you pray for me to the Lord so the things you have said will not happen to me."

Amplified Bible
But Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me both of you, so that nothing of what you have said will come upon me."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But Simon answered and said, "Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me."

Legacy Standard Bible
But Simon answered and said, "Pray earnestly to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me."

Berean Standard Bible
Then Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing you have said may happen to me."

Contemporary English Version
Simon said, "Please pray to the Lord, so that what you said won't happen to me."

Complete Jewish Bible
Shim‘on answered, "Pray to the Lord for me, so that none of the things you have spoken about will happen to me."

Darby Translation
And Simon answering said, Supplicate *ye* for me to the Lord, so that nothing may come upon me of the things of which ye have spoken.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye haue spoken, come vpon me.

George Lamsa Translation
Then Semon answered and said, Pray God for me so that none of these things which you have spoken may come upon me.

Good News Translation
Simon said to Peter and John, "Please pray to the Lord for me, so that none of these things you spoke of will happen to me."

Lexham English Bible
But Simon answered and said, "You pray to the Lord for me so that nothing of what you have said will come upon me."

Literal Translation
And answering Simon said, You petition to the Lord for me, so that nothing of which you have spoken may come on me.

American Standard Version
And Simon answered and said, Pray ye for me to the Lord, that none of the things which ye have spoken come upon me.

Bible in Basic English
And Simon, answering, said, Make prayer for me to the Lord, so that these things which you have said may not come on me.

Hebrew Names Version
Shim`on answered, "Pray for me to the Lord, that none of the things which you have spoken come on me."

International Standard Version
Simon answered, "Both of you prayPray (pl.)">[fn] to the Lord for me that none of the things you have said will happen to me."Genesis 20:7,17; Exodus 8:8; Numbers 21:7; 1 Kings 13:6; Job 1:42:8; James 5:16;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
Simon answered and said, Pray you on my behalf, of Aloha, that not any of these things which you have spoken may come upon me.

Murdock Translation
Simon answered and said: Intercede ye with God for me, that nothing of which ye have mentioned may come upon me.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
The aunswered Simon & said: Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these thinges which ye haue spoke fall on me.

English Revised Version
And Simon answered and said, Pray ye for me to the Lord, that none of the things which ye have spoken come upon me.

World English Bible
Simon answered, "Pray for me to the Lord, that none of the things which you have spoken come on me."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And Simon answering said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things, which ye have spoken, may come upon me.

Weymouth's New Testament
"Pray, both of you, to the Lord for me," answered Simon, "that nothing of what you have said may come upon me."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Symount answeride, and seide, Preie ye for me to the Lord, that no thing of these thingis that ye han seid, com on me.

Update Bible Version
And Simon answered and said, You pray for me to the Lord, that none of the things which you have spoken come on me.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.

New English Translation
But Simon replied, "You pray to the Lord for me so that nothing of what you have said may happen to me."

New King James Version
Then Simon answered and said, "Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me."

New Living Translation
"Pray to the Lord for me," Simon exclaimed, "that these terrible things you've said won't happen to me!"

New Life Bible
Simon said, "Pray to the Lord for me that nothing you have said will come to me."

New Revised Standard
Simon answered, "Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may happen to me."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Simon, answering, said - Entreat ye, in my behalf, unto the Lord; that, nothing, may come upon me, of the things whereof ye have spoken!

Douay-Rheims Bible
Then Simon answering, said: Pray you for me to the Lord that none of these things which you have spoken may come upon me.

Revised Standard Version
And Simon answered, "Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Then answered Simon and sayde: Praye ye to the lorde for me yt none of these thinges whiche ye have spoken fall on me.

Young's Literal Translation
And Simon answering, said, `Beseech ye for me unto the Lord, that nothing may come upon me of the things ye have spoken.'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then answered Simon, & sayde: Praye ye vnto the LORDE for me, yt none of these thinges wherof ye haue spoken, come vpon me.

Mace New Testament (1729)
Simon answered, do you pray to the Lord for me, that nothing like what you mention may befall me.

THE MESSAGE
"Oh!" said Simon, "pray for me! Pray to the Master that nothing like that will ever happen to me!"

Simplified Cowboy Version
Simon retreated quickly, "Please, cowboy. Pray for me that none of what you said will happen to me!"

Contextual Overview

¹⁴ The apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had accepted the word of God. So they sent Peter and John to the people in Samaria. ¹⁵ When Peter and John arrived, they prayed for the Samaritan believers to receive the Holy Spirit. ¹⁶ These people had been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, but the Holy Spirit had not yet come down on any of them. This is why Peter and John prayed. ¹⁷ When the two apostles laid their hands on the people, they received the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ Simon saw that the Spirit was given to people when the apostles laid their hands on them. So he offered the apostles money. ¹⁹ He said, "Give me this power so that when I lay my hands on someone, they will receive the Holy Spirit." ²⁰ Peter said to Simon, "You and your money should both be destroyed because you thought you could buy God's gift with money. ²¹ You cannot share with us in this work. Your heart is not right before God. ²² Change your heart! Turn away from these evil thoughts and pray to the Lord. Maybe he will forgive you. ²³ I see that you are full of bitter jealousy and cannot stop yourself from doing wrong."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Pray: Genesis 20:7, Genesis 20:17, Exodus 8:8, Exodus 10:17, Exodus 12:32, Numbers 21:7, 1 Samuel 12:19, 1 Samuel 12:23, 1 Kings 13:6, Ezra 6:10, Ezra 8:23, Job 42:8, James 5:16

Reciprocal: Exodus 8:28 - entreat Exodus 9:28 - Entreat Numbers 11:2 - cried Numbers 12:11 - I beseech thee Jeremiah 37:3 - Pray Jeremiah 42:2 - and pray Matthew 25:8 - Give

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then answered Simon, and said,.... Whose conscience might be touched, and smote with what Peter had said; and he might be terrified with the wrath of God, and filled with fear of his judgment coming upon him for his wickedness, and might now stand trembling before the apostles: and if this was not his case, he was a most hardened and audacious wretch; and his following words must be understood in a different sense, from what they might seem to have, when they came out of his mouth:

pray ye to the Lord for me; the Arabic version reads, "pray ye two"; the words are addressed both to Peter and John; for though Peter only spake to him, yet John joined with him, and assented to what he said, and approved of it; and which he might signify either by word or gesture; wherefore Simon desires both of them, that they would pray to the Lord for him; but whether he was serious, and in good earnest in this, is a question; since there is no reason to believe he truly repented, from the accounts given of him by ancient writers; who always represent him as an opposer of the apostles and their doctrine, as the father of all heresies, as a blasphemous wretch; who gave out that he was the Father in Samaria, the Son in Judea, and the Holy Ghost in other places; and as a very lewd and wicked man, who carried about with him a whore, whose name was Helena; whom he called the mother of the universe, and gave out the angels were made by her, and the world by them; with many other errors, blasphemies, and impieties: so that it should rather seem, that though Peter was serious in his advice to Simon, yet he was not so in his request to him; but in a sarcastic sneering way, desired his prayers for him; suggesting, that he was not in any pain about what he had said: and if he was in earnest, he did not take Peter's advice to pray for himself; nor did he declare any repentance for his sin; and his desire that the apostles would pray for him, might not be from any sense he had of the evil of his sin, but from a slavish fear of the evil, or mischief, that was like to come upon him for his sin, as appears by what follows:

that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me; as that his money should perish with him, and he with that; or that he should go into destruction; that everlasting destruction and ruin would be his portion; and that he should have no part nor lot in eternal life, unless he repented, and his sin was pardoned: and this confirms what has been before observed, that John assented to what Peter spoke, or said the same, or such like things to Simon as he did.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Pray ye ... - Here remark:

(1) That Simon was directed to pray for himself Acts 8:22, but he had no disposition to do it, but was willing to ask others to do it for him. Sinners will often ask others to pray for them, when they are too proud, or too much in love with sin, to pray for themselves.

(2) The main thing that Peter wished to impress on him was a sense of his sin. Simon did not regard this, but looked only to the punishment. He was terrified and alarmed; he sought to avoid future “punishment,” but he had no alarm about his “sins.” So it is often with sinners. So it was with Pharaoh Exodus 8:28, Exodus 8:32, and with Jeroboam 1 Kings 13:6. Sinners often quiet their own consciences by asking ministers and Christian friends to pray for them, while “they” still purpose to persevere in iniquity. If people expect to be saved, they must pray “for themselves”; and pray not chiefly to be freed from “punishment,” but from the “sin which deserves hell.” This is all that we hear of Simon in the New Testament; and the probability is, that, like many other sinners, he did not pray for himself, but continued to live in the gall of bitterness, and died in the bond of iniquity. The testimony of antiquity is decided on that point. See the notes on Acts 8:9.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 8:24. Pray ye to the Lord for me — The words of Peter certainly made a deep impression on Simon's mind; and he must have had a high opinion of the apostle's sanctity and influence with God, when he thus commended himself to their prayers. And we may hope well of his repentance and salvation, if the reading of the Codex Bezae, and the margin of the later Syriac may be relied on: Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none (τουτων των κακων) OF ALL THOSE EVILS which ye have spoken (μοι) TO ME, may come upon me: (ος πολλα κλαιων ου διελιμπανεν) WHO WEPT GREATLY, and DID NOT CEASE. That is, he was an incessant penitent. However favourably this or any other MS. may speak of Simon, he is generally supposed to have "grown worse and worse, opposing the apostles and the Christian doctrine, and deceiving many cities and provinces by magical operations; till being at Rome, in the reign of the Emperor Claudius, he boasted that he could fly, and when exhibiting before the emperor and the senate, St. Peter and St. Paul being present, who knew that his flying was occasioned by magic, prayed to God that the people might be undeceived, and that his power might fail; in consequence of which he came tumbling down, and died soon after of his bruises." This account comes in a most questionable shape, and has no evidence which can challenge our assent. To me, it and the rest of the things spoken of Simon the sorcerer appear utterly unworthy of credit. Calmet makes a general collection of what is to be found in Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian; Eusebius, Theodoret, Augustine, and others, on the subject of Simon Magus; and to him, if the reader think it worth the pains, he may refer. The substance of these accounts is given above, and in Clarke's note on "Acts 8:9"; and to say the least of them they are all very dubious. The tale of his having an altar erected to him at Rome, with the inscription, Simoni sancto deo, "To the holy god Simon," has been founded on an utter mistake, and has been long ago sufficiently confuted. See the inscriptions in Gruter, vol. i. p. 96, inscript. No. 5, 6, 7.