Acts 5:17-26

Common English Bible

The Jerusalem Council harasses the apostles

¹⁷ The high priest, together with his allies, the Sadducees, was overcome with jealousy. ¹⁸ They seized the apostles and made a public show of putting them in prison. ¹⁹ An angel from the Lord opened the prison doors during the night and led them out. The angel told them, ²⁰ “Go, take your place in the temple, and tell the people everything about this new life.” ²¹ Early in the morning, they went into the temple as they had been told and began to teach.

When the high priest and his colleagues gathered, they convened the Jerusalem Council, that is, the full assembly of Israel’s elders. They sent word to the prison to have the apostles brought before them. ²² However, the guards didn’t find them in the prison. They returned and reported, ²³ “We found the prison locked and well-secured, with guards standing at the doors, but when we opened the doors we found no one inside!” ²⁴ When they received this news, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were baffled and wondered what might be happening. ²⁵ Just then, someone arrived and announced, “Look! The people you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!” ²⁶ Then the captain left with his guards and brought the apostles back. They didn’t use force because they were afraid the people would stone them.