Installation of Gentile Cults

⁴¹ Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people ⁴² and that all should give up their particular customs. All the nations accepted the command of the king.^{(A) 43} Many even from Israel gladly adopted his religion; they sacrificed to idols and profaned the Sabbath. ⁴⁴ And the king sent letters by messengers to Jerusalem and the towns of Judah; he directed them to follow customs strange to the land, ⁴⁵ to forbid burnt offerings and sacrifices and drink offerings in the sanctuary, to profane Sabbaths and festivals,^{(B) 46} to defile the sanctuary and the holy ones, ⁴⁷ to build altars and sacred precincts and shrines for idols, to sacrifice pigs and other unclean animals,^{(C) 48} and to leave their sons uncircumcised. They were to make themselves abominable by everything unclean and profane ⁴⁹ so that they would forget the law and change all the ordinances. ⁵⁰ He added,^[a] “And whoever does not obey the command of the king shall die.”^(D)

⁵¹ In such words he wrote to his whole kingdom. He appointed inspectors over all the people and commanded the towns of Judah to offer sacrifice, town by town.^{(E) 52} Many of the people, everyone who forsook the law, joined them, and they did evil in the land; ⁵³ they drove Israel into hiding in every place of refuge they had.^(F)

⁵⁴ Now on the fifteenth day of Chislev, in the one hundred forty-fifth year, they erected a desolating sacrilege on the altar of burnt offering. They also built altars in the surrounding towns of Judah^{(G) 55} and offered incense at the doors of the houses and in the streets. ⁵⁶ The books of the law that they found they tore to pieces and burned with fire. ⁵⁷ Anyone found possessing the book of the covenant or anyone who adhered to the law was condemned to death by decree of the king. ⁵⁸ They kept using violence against Israel, against those who were found month after month in the towns. ⁵⁹ On the twenty-fifth day of the month they offered sacrifice on the altar that was on top of the altar of burnt offering.^{(H) 60} According to the decree, they put to death the women who had their children circumcised^{(I) 61} and their families and those who circumcised them, and they hung the infants from their mothers’ necks.

⁶² But many in Israel stood firm and were resolved in their hearts not to eat unclean food. ⁶³ They chose to die rather than to be defiled by food or to profane the holy covenant, and they did die.^{(J) 64} Very great wrath came upon Israel.

²² “Fellow Israelites,^[a] listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth,^[b] a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know^(A)— ²³ this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law.^{(B) 24} But God raised him up, having released him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power.^{(C) 25} For David says concerning him,

²⁹ “Fellow Israelites,^[c] I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.^{(F) 30} Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne.^{(G) 31} Foreseeing this, David^[d] spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah,^[e] saying,

³² “This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses.^{(I) 33} Being therefore exalted at^[f] the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you see and hear.^{(J) 34} For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

³⁶ “Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah,^[g] this Jesus whom you crucified.”

The First Converts

³⁷ Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers,^[h] what should we do?”^{(L) 38} Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.^{(M) 39} For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.”^{(N) 40} And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” ⁴¹ So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. ⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Life among the Believers

⁴³ Awe came upon everyone because many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.^{(O) 44} All who believed were together and had all things in common;^{(P) 45} they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds^[i] to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶ Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home^[j] and ate their food with glad and generous^[k] hearts,^{(Q) 47} praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.^(R)

Mattathias and His Sons

2 In those days Mattathias son of John son of Simeon, a priest of the clan of Joarib, moved from Jerusalem and settled in Modein.^{(A) 2} He had five sons: John surnamed Gaddi,^{(B) 3} Simon called Thassi,^{(C) 4} Judas called Maccabeus,^{(D) 5} Eleazar called Avaran, and Jonathan called Apphus.^{(E) 6} He saw the blasphemies being committed in Judah and Jerusalem ⁷ and said,

¹⁴ Then Mattathias and his sons tore their clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourned greatly.^(I)

Pagan Worship Refused

¹⁵ The king’s officers who were enforcing the apostasy came to the town of Modein to make them offer sacrifice. ¹⁶ Many from Israel came to them, and Mattathias and his sons were assembled. ¹⁷ Then the king’s officers spoke to Mattathias as follows: “You are a leader, honored and great in this town, and supported by sons and brothers. ¹⁸ Now be the first to come and do what the king commands, as all the nations and the people of Judah and those who are left in Jerusalem have done. Then you and your sons will be numbered among the Friends of the king, and you and your sons will be honored with silver and gold and many gifts.”^(J)

¹⁹ But Mattathias answered and said in a loud voice: “Even if all the nations that live under the rule of the king obey him and have chosen to obey his commandments, every one of them abandoning the religion of their ancestors,^{(K) 20} I and my sons and my brothers will continue to live by the covenant of our ancestors.^{(L) 21} Far be it from us to desert the law and the ordinances. ²² We will not obey the king’s words by turning aside from our religion to the right hand or to the left.”^(M)

²³ When he had finished speaking these words, a Jew came forward in the sight of all to offer sacrifice on the altar in Modein, according to the king’s command. ²⁴ When Mattathias saw it, he burned with zeal, and his heart was stirred. He gave vent to righteous anger; he ran and slaughtered him on the altar. ²⁵ At the same time he killed the king’s officer who was forcing them to sacrifice, and he tore down the altar. ²⁶ Thus he burned with zeal for the law, just as Phinehas did against Zimri son of Salu.^(N)

²⁷ Then Mattathias cried out in the town with a loud voice, saying: “Let every one who is zealous for the law and supports the covenant come out with me!” ²⁸ Then he and his sons fled to the hills and left all that they had in the town.^(O)

Peter Heals a Crippled Beggar

3 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon.^{(A) 2} And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple.^{(B) 3} When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. ⁴ Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” ⁵ And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. ⁶ Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,^[a] stand up and walk.”^{(C) 7} And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. ⁸ Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. ⁹ All the people saw him walking and praising God,^{(D) 10} and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and astonishment at what had happened to him.

Peter Speaks in Solomon’s Portico

¹¹ While he clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s Portico, utterly astonished.^{(E) 12} When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, “Fellow Israelites,^[b] why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? ¹³ The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob,^[c] the God of our ancestors, has glorified his servant^[d] Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him.^{(F) 14} But you rejected the holy and righteous^[e] one and asked to have a murderer given to you,^{(G) 15} and you killed the author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.^{(H) 16} And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus^[f] has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.

¹⁷ “And now, brothers and sisters, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.^{(I) 18} In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah^[g] would suffer.^{(J) 19} Repent, therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, ²⁰ so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord and that he may send the Messiah^[h] appointed for you, that is, Jesus, ²¹ who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets.^{(K) 22} Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you from your own people a prophet like me. You must listen to whatever he tells you.^{(L) 23} And it will be that everyone who does not listen to that prophet will be utterly rooted out of the people.’ ²⁴ And all the prophets, as many as have spoken, from Samuel and those after him, also predicted these days. ²⁵ You are the descendants of the prophets and of the covenant that God gave to your ancestors, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your descendants all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’^{(M) 26} When God raised up his servant,^[i] he sent him first to you, to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”^(N)

Peter and John before the Council

4 While Peter and John^[j] were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came to them,^{(O) 2} much annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming that in Jesus there is the resurrection of the dead.^{(P) 3} So they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.^{(Q) 4} But many of those who heard the word believed, and they numbered about five thousand.^(R)