Acts 2:14-40

Acts 1 Acts 3

Acts 2:14-40 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Peter’s Sermon

¹⁴But Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them: “Men of Judah and all you residents of Jerusalem, let me explain this^[a] to you and pay attention to my words. ¹⁵For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it’s only nine in the morning.^[b] ¹⁶On the contrary, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷And it will be in the last days, says God,
that I will pour out My Spirit on all humanity;
then your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams.
¹⁸I will even pour out My Spirit
on My male and female slaves in those days,
and they will prophesy.
¹⁹I will display wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below:
blood and fire and a cloud of smoke.
²⁰The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the great and remarkable Day of the Lord comes.
²¹Then everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.^[c]

²²“Men of Israel, listen to these words: This Jesus the Nazarene was a man pointed out to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through Him, just as you yourselves know. ²³Though He was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used^[d] lawless people^[e] to nail Him to a cross and kill Him. ²⁴God raised Him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it. ²⁵For David says of Him:

I saw the Lord ever before me;
because He is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
²⁶Therefore my heart was glad,
and my tongue rejoiced.
Moreover, my flesh will rest in hope,
²⁷because You will not leave me in Hades
or allow Your Holy One to see decay.
²⁸You have revealed the paths of life to me;
You will fill me with gladness
in Your presence.^[f]

²⁹“Brothers, I can confidently speak to you about the patriarch David: He is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. ³⁰Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn an oath to him to seat one of his descendants^[g]^[h] on his throne. ³¹Seeing this in advance, he spoke concerning the resurrection of the Messiah:

He^[i] was not left in Hades,
and His flesh did not experience decay.^[j]

³²“God has resurrected this Jesus. We are all witnesses of this. ³³Therefore, since He has been exalted to the right hand of God and has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, He has poured out what you both see and hear. ³⁴For it was not David who ascended into the heavens, but he himself says:

The Lord declared to my Lord,
‘Sit at My right hand
³⁵until I make Your enemies Your footstool.’^[k]

³⁶“Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah!”

Forgiveness through the Messiah

³⁷When they heard this, they came under deep conviction^[l] and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles: “Brothers, what must we do?”

³⁸“Repent,” Peter said to them, “and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off,^[m] as many as the Lord our God will call.” ⁴⁰And with many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt^[n] generation!”