使 徒 行 傳 5
Chinese New Testament: Easy-to-Read Version
亚拿尼亚和撒非喇
5 一个名叫亚拿尼亚的人和他的妻子撒非喇也卖掉一些田产。 2 他私自留下一部分钱，只把剩下的放在了使徒的脚边。这事他妻子也知道。 3 彼得说∶“亚拿尼亚，你为什么要让撒旦占据你的心，而对圣灵说谎，藏起了一部分卖田的钱呢？ 4 你卖地之前，难道那块地不是属于你的吗？你卖地后，难道那笔钱不是任你支配的吗？你怎么会想出这个主意来的呢？你不是对人说谎，而是在对上帝说谎。” 5 亚拿尼亚听到这里，便一头栽倒在地死了。所有听到这事的人都充满了恐惧。 6 年轻男子走上去，把他的尸体裹了起来，抬出去埋了。
7 过了三个小时左右，亚拿尼亚的妻子走了进来，她并不知道所发生的事情。 8 彼得问她道∶“告诉我，你们卖地的钱就这些吗？”
撒非喇答道∶“对，就是这些。”
9 听罢，彼得对她说∶“你们俩为什么打定主意要试探主的灵呢？看，那些埋葬了你丈夫的人，正站在门口，他们也会把你给抬出去的。” 10 话音刚落，她便栽倒在了彼得的脚旁，死掉了。那些人进来发现他死了，便把她也抬了出去，埋在了她丈夫的旁边。 11 整个教会的人们，以及所有听说了这件事的人都充满了敬畏。
来自上帝的证明
12 通过使徒之手，许多奇事和神迹在人们中间得以发生。使徒们都聚在“所罗门廊”下， 13 但是外人都不敢加入他们，尽管所有的人都称颂他们。 14 越来越多的人信仰了主，有许多男女加入到信徒的行列。 15 大家把他们的病人都抬到大街上，让他们躺在床上或者垫子上，以便当彼得走过时，至少让他的身影落在一些病人身上。 16 从耶路撒冷附近城镇来的人群，带来了他们的病人和那些受到邪灵折磨的人，这些人的病全都被治好了。
使徒被捕
17 因此，大祭司 [a]和他的同僚们，也就是撒都该党徒们，都非常嫉妒。 18 他们便逮捕了使徒，把他们投进了监狱。 19 可是，夜里，主的一个天使打开了狱门，把他们领了出来，并对他们说： 20 “去站在大殿院子里，告诉人们关于这新生命的全部事情。” 21 使徒们听从了这话，在黎明时分，进了大殿院，开始教导人们。
大祭司和他的同僚们来了，他们召集起议会和所有的以色列的长老，并派人去监狱里带使徒们。 22 但是，当那些人来到监狱时，却发现使徒们不在里面了。他们便返回去报告， 23 说∶“我们发现牢门牢牢地锁着，卫兵也守在门外，可是打开一看，里面一个人也没有。” 24 大殿的警卫队长和祭司长听到这些，都觉得十分纳闷，不知道发生了什么事， 25 这时，有个人进来告诉他们说∶“你们关进监狱里的那些人正站在大殿院里教唆人们呢！” 26 警卫队长便带着手下的人，又把那些使徒们抓了回来。他们没有动用暴力，因为他们害怕在场的人们会用石头砸他们。
27 他们把使徒带了进来，让他们站在全议会人的面前，大祭司质问他们∶ 28 “我们已严厉的禁止过，不许你们再以这个人的名义教导。可是你们的教导还是充满了耶路撒冷，并且要把这个人的死归罪于我们！”
29 彼得和其他的使徒们答道∶“我们必须服从上帝，而不是服从人。 30 耶稣被你们吊死在十字架上，而我们祖先的上帝却使耶稣从死亡中复活。 31 上帝把他做为王子和救世主升到了自己的右侧，以便让他给以色列人悔过自新和得到宽恕的机会。 32 我们是这一切的见证人，上帝赋予服从他的人的圣灵，也是这一切的见证！”
33 议会的人听到这里，都勃然大怒起来。他们想把使徒 [b]们杀了。 34 但是，议会里有一个法利赛人，名字叫迦玛列，是一位受所有人尊敬的律法师。他下令让人们把使徒们带出去一会儿， 35 然后对其他人说∶“我的同胞以色列人啊，你们计划如何去处置这些人，必须慎重。 36 记得曾出现过丢大吧？他自命不凡，大约有四百男子加入了他，他被杀掉了，他的跟随者都被驱散了，没折腾出什么结果来。 37 在他之后，到了人口普查的时候，又出现了加利利人犹大，他引诱一些人跟随自己，他也被杀了，他的随从也被驱散了。 38 因此，关于目前这个案子，我告诉你们，不要管这些人，由他们去吧，因为，他们的计划或活动，如果是源于人，他们必要失败； 39 但是，如果它源于上帝，你们就无法阻止他们，并且甚至会有可能发现自己在与上帝做对。
他们听取了他的意见， 40 于是把使徒们叫了进来，下令打了他们一顿，并发布命令不许他们再以耶稣的名义传道，然后便把他们放了。 41 使徒们非常高兴地离开了议会，因为他们被认为配得上为了耶稣的名字受耻辱。 42 日复一日，无论是在大殿院里还是在人们家里，他们从末停止过教导人们和宣讲耶稣是基督 [c]的福音。
Footnotes
- 使 徒 行 傳 5:17 大祭司： 犹太人最重要的祭司和领袖。
- 使 徒 行 傳 5:33 使徒： 受耶稣挑选，用特殊的方式来代表他的人。
- 使 徒 行 傳 5:42 基督： 受油膏者，（弥赛亚）或由上帝所选的那位。
Acts 5
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 5
Ananias and Sapphira.[a] 1 A man named Ananias, however, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. 2 He retained for himself, with his wife’s knowledge, some of the purchase price, took the remainder, and put it at the feet of the apostles. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart so that you lied to the holy Spirit and retained part of the price of the land?(A) 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain yours? And when it was sold, was it not still under your control? Why did you contrive this deed? You have lied not to human beings, but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last, and great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men came and wrapped him up, then carried him out and buried him.
7 After an interval of about three hours, his wife came in, unaware of what had happened. 8 Peter said to her, “Tell me, did you sell the land for this amount?” She answered, “Yes, for that amount.” 9 Then Peter said to her, “Why did you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen, the footsteps of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 At once, she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men entered they found her dead, so they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.(B)
Signs and Wonders of the Apostles.[b] 12 Many signs and wonders were done among the people at the hands of the apostles. They were all together in Solomon’s portico.(C) 13 None of the others dared to join them, but the people esteemed them. 14 Yet more than ever, believers in the Lord, great numbers of men and women, were added to them. 15 Thus they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on one or another of them.(D) 16 A large number of people from the towns in the vicinity of Jerusalem also gathered, bringing the sick and those disturbed by unclean spirits, and they were all cured.
Trial Before the Sanhedrin.[c] 17 Then the high priest rose up and all his companions, that is, the party of the Sadducees, and, filled with jealousy,(E) 18 laid hands upon the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, led them out, and said,(F) 20 “Go and take your place in the temple area, and tell the people everything about this life.” 21 When they heard this, they went to the temple early in the morning and taught. When the high priest and his companions arrived, they convened the Sanhedrin, the full senate of the Israelites, and sent to the jail to have them brought in. 22 But the court officers who went did not find them in the prison, so they came back and reported, 23 “We found the jail securely locked and the guards stationed outside the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” 24 When they heard this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss about them, as to what this would come to. 25 Then someone came in and reported to them, “The men whom you put in prison are in the temple area and are teaching the people.” 26 Then the captain and the court officers went and brought them in, but without force, because they were afraid of being stoned by the people.(G)
27 When they had brought them in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, the high priest questioned them, 28 “We gave you strict orders [did we not?] to stop teaching in that name. Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and want to bring this man’s blood upon us.”(H) 29 But Peter and the apostles said in reply, “We must obey God rather than men.(I) 30 [d]The God of our ancestors raised Jesus,(J) though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand[e] as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.(K) 32 We are witnesses of these things, as is the holy Spirit that God has given to those who obey him.”(L)
33 When they heard this, they became infuriated and wanted to put them to death. 34 [f]But a Pharisee in the Sanhedrin named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up, ordered the men to be put outside for a short time,(M) 35 and said to them, “Fellow Israelites, be careful what you are about to do to these men. 36 [g]Some time ago, Theudas appeared, claiming to be someone important, and about four hundred men joined him, but he was killed, and all those who were loyal to him were disbanded and came to nothing. 37 After him came Judas the Galilean at the time of the census. He also drew people after him, but he too perished and all who were loyal to him were scattered. 38 So now I tell you, have nothing to do with these men, and let them go. For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. 39 But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.” They were persuaded by him. 40 After recalling the apostles, they had them flogged, ordered them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, and dismissed them.(N) 41 So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.(O) 42 And all day long, both at the temple and in their homes, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the Messiah, Jesus.(P)
Footnotes
- 5:1–11 The sin of Ananias and Sapphira did not consist in the withholding of part of the money but in their deception of the community. Their deaths are ascribed to a lie to the holy Spirit (Acts 5:3, 9), i.e., they accepted the honor accorded them by the community for their generosity, but in reality they were not deserving of it.
- 5:12–16 This, the third summary portraying the Jerusalem community, underscores the Twelve as its bulwark, especially because of their charismatic power to heal the sick; cf. Acts 2:42–47; 4:32–37.
- 5:17–42 A second action against the community is taken by the Sanhedrin in the arrest and trial of the Twelve; cf. Acts 4:1–3. The motive is the jealousy of the religious authorities over the popularity of the apostles (Acts 5:17) who are now charged with the defiance of the Sanhedrin’s previous order to them to abandon their prophetic role (Acts 5:28; cf. Acts 4:18). In this crisis the apostles are favored by a miraculous release from prison (Acts 5:18–24). (For similar incidents involving Peter and Paul, see Acts 12:6–11; 16:25–29.) The real significance of such an event, however, would be manifest only to people of faith, not to unbelievers; since the Sanhedrin already judged the Twelve to be inauthentic prophets, it could disregard reports of their miracles. When the Twelve immediately resumed public teaching, the Sanhedrin determined to invoke upon them the penalty of death (Acts 5:33) prescribed in Dt 13:6–10. Gamaliel’s advice against this course finally prevailed, but it did not save the Twelve from the punishment of scourging (Acts 5:40) in a last endeavor to shake their conviction of their prophetic mission.
- 5:30 Hanging him on a tree: that is, crucifying him (cf. also Gal 3:13).
- 5:31 At his right hand: see note on Acts 2:33.
- 5:34 Gamaliel: in Acts 22:3, Paul identifies himself as a disciple of this Rabbi Gamaliel I who flourished in Jerusalem between A.D. 25 and 50.
- 5:36–37 Gamaliel offers examples of unsuccessful contemporary movements to argue that if God is not the origin of this movement preached by the apostles it will perish by itself. The movement initiated by Theudas actually occurred when C. Cuspius Fadus was governor, A.D. 44–46. Luke’s placing of Judas the Galilean after Theudas and at the time of the census (see note on Lk 2:1–2) is an indication of the vagueness of his knowledge of these events.
Copyright © 2004 by World Bible Translation Center
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.