Acts 3
New American Standard Bible
Healing the Beggar Who Was Unable to Walk
3 Now (A)Peter and John were going up to the temple at the [a]ninth hour, (B)the hour of prayer. 2 And (C)a man who had been unable to walk from [b]birth was being carried, whom they (D)used to set down every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, (E)in order for him to beg for charitable gifts from those entering the temple grounds. 3 When he saw (F)Peter and John about to go into the temple grounds, he began asking to receive a charitable gift. 4 But Peter, along with John, (G)looked at him intently and said, “Look at us!” 5 And he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, “I do not have silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: (H)In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!” 7 And grasping him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. 8 And (I)leaping up, he stood and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And (J)all the people saw him walking and praising God; 10 and they recognized him as being the very one who used to (K)sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg for charitable gifts, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Peter’s Second Sermon
11 While he was clinging to (L)Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the [c](M)portico named Solomon’s, completely astonished. 12 But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why are you staring at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him walk? 13 (N)The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, (O)the God of our fathers, has glorified His [d](P)servant Jesus, the one whom (Q)you handed over and disowned in the presence of (R)Pilate, when he had (S)decided to release Him. 14 But you disowned (T)the Holy and Righteous One, and (U)asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 but put to death the [e](V)Prince of life, whom (W)God raised from the dead, [f]a fact to which we are (X)witnesses. 16 And on the basis of faith (Y)in His name, it is [g]the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.
17 “And now, brothers, I know that you acted (Z)in ignorance, just as your (AA)rulers also did. 18 But the things which (AB)God previously announced by the mouths of all the prophets, (AC)that His [h]Christ would suffer, He has fulfilled in this way. 19 Therefore (AD)repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that (AE)times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; 20 and that He may send Jesus, the [i]Christ appointed for you, 21 (AF)whom heaven must receive until the [j]period of (AG)restoration of all things, about which (AH)God spoke by the mouths of His holy prophets from ancient times. 22 Moses said, ‘(AI)The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your countrymen; to Him you shall listen regarding everything He says to you. 23 (AJ)And it shall be that every (AK)soul that does not listen to that prophet (AL)shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ 24 And likewise, (AM)all the prophets who have spoken from Samuel and his successors onward, have also announced these days. 25 It is you who are (AN)the sons of the prophets and of the (AO)covenant which God ordained with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘(AP)And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ 26 God (AQ)raised up His [k]Servant for you (AR)first, and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”
Acts 3
The Message
3 1-5 One day at three o’clock in the afternoon, Peter and John were on their way into the Temple for prayer meeting. At the same time there was a man crippled from birth being carried up. Every day he was set down at the Temple gate, the one named Beautiful, to beg from those going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter the Temple, he asked for a handout. Peter, with John at his side, looked him straight in the eye and said, “Look here.” He looked up, expecting to get something from them.
6-8 Peter said, “I don’t have a nickel to my name, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!” He grabbed him by the right hand and pulled him up. In an instant his feet and ankles became firm. He jumped to his feet and walked.
8-10 The man went into the Temple with them, walking back and forth, dancing and praising God. Everybody there saw him walking around and praising God. They recognized him as the one who sat begging at the Temple’s Gate Beautiful and rubbed their eyes, astonished, scarcely believing what they were seeing.
11 The man threw his arms around Peter and John, ecstatic. All the people ran up to where they were at Solomon’s Porch to see it for themselves.
Turn to Face God
12-16 When Peter saw he had a congregation, he addressed the people:
“Oh, Israelites, why does this take you by such complete surprise, and why stare at us as if our power or piety made him walk? The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has glorified his Son Jesus. The very One that Pilate called innocent, you repudiated. You repudiated the Holy One, the Just One, and asked for a murderer in his place. You no sooner killed the Author of Life than God raised him from the dead—and we’re the witnesses. Faith in Jesus’ name put this man, whose condition you know so well, on his feet—yes, faith and nothing but faith put this man healed and whole right before your eyes.
17-18 “And now, friends, I know you had no idea what you were doing when you killed Jesus, and neither did your leaders. But God, who through the preaching of all the prophets had said all along that his Messiah would be killed, knew exactly what you were doing and used it to fulfill his plans.
19-23 “Now it’s time to change your ways! Turn to face God so he can wipe away your sins, pour out showers of blessing to refresh you, and send you the Messiah he prepared for you, namely, Jesus. For the time being he must remain out of sight in heaven until everything is restored to order again just the way God, through the preaching of his holy prophets of old, said it would be. Moses, for instance, said, ‘Your God will raise up for you a prophet just like me from your family. Listen to every word he speaks to you. Every last living soul who refuses to listen to that prophet will be wiped out from the people.’
24-26 “All the prophets from Samuel on down said the same thing, said most emphatically that these days would come. These prophets, along with the covenant God made with your ancestors, are your family tree. God’s covenant-word to Abraham provides the text: ‘By your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.’ But you are first in line: God, having raised up his Son, sent him to bless you as you turn, one by one, from your evil ways.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson