圣灵降临

五旬节那天,门徒聚集在一起。 忽然,天上发出一阵响声,好像狂风呼啸而过,充满了他们所在的房子, 又有火焰般的舌头显现出来,分别落在各人的头上。 大家都被圣灵充满,得到圣灵所赐的才能,说起别的语言来。

当时耶路撒冷住着从各国回来的虔诚的犹太人。 众人听见这阵响声便赶过来,听见门徒在说他们各自的语言,都十分纳闷, 惊诧地说:“看啊!这些说话的不都是加利利人吗? 怎么会说我们各自的语言呢? 我们这里有帕提亚人、玛代人、以拦人,以及住在美索不达米亚、犹太、加帕多迦、本都、亚细亚、 10 弗吕迦、旁非利亚、埃及和靠近古利奈的利比亚的人,还有从罗马来的犹太人和改信犹太教的人、 11 克里特人和阿拉伯人。我们都听见他们在用我们各自的语言诉说上帝的伟大!” 12 他们都大感惊奇和困惑,彼此议论说:“这到底是怎么回事?”

13 有些人就讥笑说:“他们不过是被新酒灌醉了!”

彼得讲道

14 彼得和其他十一位使徒都站起来,他大声对众人说:“各位犹太同胞和住在耶路撒冷的人啊,请留心听!我告诉你们这是怎么回事。 15 你们以为这些人是醉了,其实不是,因为现在才早上九点钟。 16 你们眼前看见的正是先知约珥所说的,

17 “‘上帝说,在末后的日子,
我要将我的灵浇灌所有的人,
你们的儿女要说预言,
青年要见异象,
老人要做异梦。
18 那时,我要将我的灵浇灌我的奴仆和婢女,
他们都要说预言。
19 在天上,我要显异兆;
在地上,我要行神迹,有血、有火、有浓烟。
20 太阳要变得昏暗,
月亮要变得血红。
这都要发生在主伟大荣耀的日子来临以前。
21 那时,凡求告主名的,都必得救。’

22 “各位以色列人啊,请留心听。上帝借着拿撒勒人耶稣在你们中间行了异能、奇事和神迹,以证明拿撒勒人耶稣是祂派来的。这是你们都知道的。 23 上帝照着自己的计划和预知把耶稣交在你们手里,你们借着邪恶之人的手把祂钉死在十字架上了。 24 但上帝为祂解除了死亡的痛苦,使祂从死里复活,因为祂不可能被死亡拘禁。 25 论到耶稣,大卫曾说,

“‘我看见主常在我面前,
祂在我右边,我必不动摇。
26 因此我的心欢喜,我的口颂赞,
我的身体也要活在盼望中。
27 因为你不会把我的灵魂撇在阴间,
也不会让你的圣者身体朽坏。
28 你已把生命之路指示我,
叫我在你面前充满喜乐。’

29 “弟兄们,我肯定地对你们说,先祖大卫死了,埋葬了,他的坟墓至今还在这里。 30 大卫是先知,知道上帝曾起誓要从他的后裔中选立一人继承他的王位。 31 他预先知道这事,讲到基督的复活,说,‘祂的灵魂不会被撇在阴间,祂的身体也不会朽坏’。 32 上帝已经使这位耶稣复活了!我们都是这件事的见证人。 33 现在祂升到上帝的右边,从天父领受了所应许的圣灵,并将圣灵浇灌下来,你们今天也耳闻目睹了。 34 大卫并没有升到天上,但他曾说,

“‘主对我主说,
你坐在我的右边,
35 等我使你的仇敌成为你的脚凳。’

36 “所以,全体以色列人啊!你们应当确实地知道,上帝已经立这位被你们钉在十字架上的耶稣为主,为基督了。”

37 他们听了彼得的话,觉得扎心,就对彼得和其他使徒说:“弟兄们,我们该怎么办呢?” 38 彼得说:“你们每一个人都要悔改,奉耶稣基督的名受洗,使你们的罪得到赦免,你们就必领受上帝所赐的圣灵。 39 因为这应许是给你们和你们的儿女,以及远方的人,就是所有被主——我们的上帝呼召的人。”

40 然后,彼得还讲了许多话警戒、劝勉他们,说:“你们要保守自己脱离这邪恶的世代。”

41 结果,那天约有三千人相信了他传的道,接受了洗礼。 42 他们都一心遵守使徒的教导,一起团契、掰饼、祷告。

43 大家都满心敬畏上帝。使徒又行了很多神迹奇事。 44 信徒聚在一起,共用所有的东西。 45 他们把田产家业变卖了,按照各人的需要把钱分给大家。 46 他们天天同心合意地聚集在圣殿里敬拜上帝,又在各人家中掰饼聚会,以欢喜、慷慨的心分享食物, 47 赞美上帝,受到众人的喜爱。主使得救的人数与日俱增。

¶ And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

¶ (And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.)

Now at this sound, the multitude came together and were confounded because each one heard them speak in his own tongue.

And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these who speak Galilaeans?

And how do we hear each one speak in our own tongue, with which we were brought up?

Parthians and Medes and Elamites and the dwellers in Mesopotamia and in Judaea and Cappadocia, in Pontus and Asia,

10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,

11 Cretes and Arabians, we hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

12 And they were all amazed and were in doubt, saying one to another, What does this mean?

13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

14 ¶ Then Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea and all ye that dwell in Jerusalem, be this known unto you and hearken to my words;

15 for these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;

18 and for certain on my slaves and on my handmaids I will pour out in those days of my Spirit, and they shall prophesy;

19 and I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath: blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke;

20 the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord shall come;

21 and it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know,

23 him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain,

24 whom God has raised up, having loosed the pains of death because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

25 For David speaks concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved,

26 therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover even my flesh shall rest in hope

27 because thou wilt not leave my soul in Hades, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.

30 Therefore being a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne;

31 he, seeing this before, spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that his soul was not left in Hades, neither did his flesh see corruption.

32 This Jesus God has raised up, of whom we all are witnesses.

33 Therefore being raised up by the right hand of God and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which ye now see and hear.

34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand

35 until I make thy foes thy footstool.

36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

37 ¶ Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized each one of you into the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

39 For the promise is unto you and to your children and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted, saying, Be saved from this perverse generation.

41 So that those who gladly received his word were baptized, and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

42 ¶ And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers.

43 And fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

44 And all that believed were together and had all things common

45 and sold their possessions and property and distributed them to everyone, as each one had need.

46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food together with gladness and singleness of heart,

47 praising God and having grace with all the people. And the Lord added to the congregation {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} daily such as should be saved.

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a noise came from heaven. It sounded like a strong wind blowing. This noise filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw something that looked like flames of fire. The flames were separated and stood over each person there. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak different languages. The Holy Spirit was giving them the power to do this.

There were some godly Jews in Jerusalem at this time. They were from every country in the world. A large crowd came together because they heard the noise. They were surprised because, as the apostles were speaking, everyone heard in their own language.

They were all amazed at this. They did not understand how the apostles could do this. They said, “Look! These men we hear speaking are all from Galilee.[a] But we hear them in our own languages. How is this possible? We are from all these different places: Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, 10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the areas of Libya near the city of Cyrene, Rome, 11 Crete, and Arabia. Some of us were born Jews, and others have changed their religion to worship God like Jews. We are from these different countries, but we can hear these men in our own languages! We can all understand the great things they are saying about God.”

12 The people were all amazed and confused. They asked each other, “What is happening?” 13 But others were laughing at the apostles, saying they were drunk from too much wine.

Peter Speaks to the People

14 Then Peter stood up with the other eleven apostles. He spoke loudly so that all the people could hear. He said, “My Jewish brothers and all of you who live in Jerusalem, listen to me. I will tell you something you need to know. Listen carefully. 15 These men are not drunk as you think; it’s only nine o’clock in the morning. 16 But Joel the prophet wrote about what you see happening here today. This is what he wrote:

17 ‘God says: In the last days
    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
    Your young men will see visions.
    Your old men will have special dreams.
18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit
    on my servants, men and women,
    and they will prophesy.
19 I will work wonders in the sky above.
    I will cause miraculous signs on the earth below.
    There will be blood, fire, and thick smoke.
20 The sun will be changed into darkness,
    and the moon will be as red as blood.
    Then the great and glorious day of the Lord will come.
21 And everyone who trusts in the Lord[b] will be saved.’ (A)

22 “My fellow Israelites, listen to these words: Jesus from Nazareth was a very special man. God clearly showed this to you. He proved it by the miracles, wonders, and miraculous signs he did through Jesus. You all saw these things, so you know this is true. 23 Jesus was handed over to you, and you killed him. With the help of evil men, you nailed him to a cross. But God knew all this would happen. It was his plan—a plan he made long ago. 24 Jesus suffered the pain of death, but God made him free. He raised him from death. There was no way for death to hold him. 25 David said this about him:

‘I saw the Lord before me always;
    he is at my right side to keep me safe.
26 So my heart is happy,
    and the words I speak are words of joy.
    Yes, even my body will live with hope,
27 because you will not leave me in the place of death.[c]
    You will not let the body of your Holy One rot in the grave.
28 You taught me how to live.
    You will come close to me and give me great joy.’ (B)

29 “My brothers, I can tell you for sure about David, our great ancestor. He died, was buried, and his tomb is still here with us today. 30 He was a prophet and knew something that God had said. God had promised David that someone from his own family would sit on David’s throne as king.[d] 31 David knew this before it happened. That is why he said this about that future king:

‘He was not left in the place of death.
    His body did not rot in the grave.’

David was talking about the Messiah rising from death. 32 So Jesus is the one God raised from death. We are all witnesses of this. We saw him. 33 Jesus was lifted up to heaven. Now he is with God, at God’s right side. The Father has given the Holy Spirit to him, as he promised. So Jesus has now poured out that Spirit. This is what you see and hear. 34 David was not the one who was lifted up to heaven. David himself said,

‘The Lord God said to my Lord:
Sit at my right side,
35     until I put your enemies under your power.[e](C)

36 “So, all the people of Israel should know this for certain: God has made Jesus to be Lord and Messiah. He is the man you nailed to the cross!”

37 When the people heard this, they felt very, very sorry. They asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

38 Peter said to them, “Change your hearts and lives and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ. Then God will forgive your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is for you. It is also for your children and for the people who are far away. It is for everyone the Lord our God calls to himself.”

40 Peter warned them with many other words; he begged them, “Save yourselves from the evil of the people who live now!” 41 Then those who accepted what Peter said were baptized. On that day about 3000 people were added to the group of believers.

The Believers Share

42 The believers spent their time listening to the teaching of the apostles. They shared everything with each other. They ate[f] together and prayed together. 43 Many wonders and miraculous signs were happening through the apostles, and everyone felt great respect for God. 44 All the believers stayed together and shared everything. 45 They sold their land and the things they owned. Then they divided the money and gave it to those who needed it. 46 The believers shared a common purpose, and every day they spent much of their time together in the Temple area. They also ate together in their homes. They were happy to share their food and ate with joyful hearts. 47 The believers praised God and were respected by all the people. More and more people were being saved every day, and the Lord was adding them to their group.

Footnotes

  1. Acts 2:7 from Galilee The people thought men from Galilee could speak only their own language.
  2. Acts 2:21 who trusts in the Lord Literally, “who calls on the name of the Lord,” meaning to show faith in him by worshiping him or praying to him for help.
  3. Acts 2:27 place of death Literally, “Hades.” Also in verse 31.
  4. Acts 2:30 God had promised … as king See 2 Sam. 7:12, 13 and Ps. 132:11.
  5. Acts 2:35 until I put … power Literally, “until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”
  6. Acts 2:42 ate Literally, “broke bread.” This may mean a meal or the Lord’s Supper, the special meal Jesus told his followers to eat to remember him. Also in verse 46. See Lk. 22:14-20.