Acts 2
J.B. Phillips New Testament
The first Pentecost for the young Church
2 1-4 Then when the actual day of Pentecost came they were all assembled together. Suddenly there was a sound from heaven like the rushing of a violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were seated. Before their eyes appeared tongues like flames which separated off and settled above the head of each one of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages as the Spirit gave them power to proclaim his message.
The Church’s first impact on devout Jews
5-11 Now there were staying in Jerusalem Jews of deep faith from every nation of the world. When they heard this sound a crowd quickly collected and were completely bewildered because each one of them heard these men speaking in his own language. They were absolutely amazed and said in their astonishment, “Listen, surely all these speakers are Galileans? Then how does it happen that every single one of us can hear the particular language he has known from a child? There are Parthians, Medes and Elamites; there are men whose homes are in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the parts of Africa near Cyrene, as well as visitors from Rome! There are Jews and proselytes, men from Crete and men from Arabia, yet we can all hear these men speaking of the magnificence of God in our native language.”
12 Everyone was utterly amazed and did not know what to make of it, Indeed they kept saying to each other, “What on earth can this mean?”
13 But there were others who laughed mockingly and said, “These fellows have drunk too much new wine!”
Peter explains the fulfilment of God’s promise
14-21 Then Peter, with the eleven standing by him, raised his voice and addressed them: “Fellow Jews, and all who are living in Jerusalem, listen carefully to what I say while I explain to you what has happened! These men are not drunk as you suppose—it is after all only nine o’clock in the morning of this great feast day. No, this is something which was predicted by the prophet Joel, ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on my menservants and on my maidservants I will pour out my Spirit in those days and they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapour of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and notable day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
22-28 “Men of Israel, I beg you to listen to my words. Jesus of Nazareth was a man proved to you by God himself through the works of power, the miracles and the signs which God showed through him here amongst you—as you very well know. This man, who was put into your power by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed up and murdered, and you used for your purpose men without the Law! But God would not allow the bitter pains of death to touch him. He raised him to life again—and indeed there was nothing by which death could hold such a man. When David speaks about him he says, ‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; moreover my flesh will also rest in hope, because you will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will you allow your holy one to see corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of joy in your presence.’
29-35 “Men and brother-Jews, I can surely speak freely to you about the patriarch David. There is no doubt that he died and was buried, and his grave is here among us to this day. But while he was alive he was a prophet. He knew that God had given him a most solemn promise that he would place one of his descendants upon his throne. He foresaw the resurrection of Christ, and it is this of which he is speaking. Christ was not deserted in death and his body was never destroyed. ‘Christ is the man Jesus, whom God raised up—a fact of which all of us are eye-witnesses!’ He has been raised to the right hand of God; he has received from the Father and poured out upon us the promised Holy Spirit—that is what you now see and hear! David never ascended to Heaven, but he certainly said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool’.
36 “Now therefore the whole nation of Israel must know beyond the shadow of a doubt that this Jesus, whom you crucified, God has declared to be both Lord and Christ.”
The reaction to Peter’s speech
37 When they heard this they were cut to the quick, and they cried to Peter and the other apostles, “Men and fellow-Jews, what shall we do now?”
38-39 Peter told them, “You must repent and every one of you must be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ, so that you may have your sins forgiven and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For this great promise is for you and your children—yes, and for all who are far away, for as many as the Lord our God shall call to himself!”
40 Peter said much more than this as he gave his testimony and implored them, saying, “Save yourselves from this perverted generation!”
The first large-scale conversion
41-42 Then those who welcomed his message were baptised, and on that day alone about three thousand souls were added to the number of disciples. They continued steadily learning the teaching of the apostles, and joined in their fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayer.
43-47 Everyone felt a deep sense of awe, while many miracles and signs took place through the apostles. All the believers shared everything in common; they sold their possessions and goods and divided the proceeds among the fellowship according to individual need. Day after day they met by common consent in the Temple; they broke bread together in their homes, sharing meals with simple joy. They praised God continually and all the people respected them. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were finding salvation.
Acts 2
King James Version
2 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?
13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:
21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:
27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Acts 2
New King James Version
Coming of the Holy Spirit
2 When (A)the Day of Pentecost had fully come, (B)they were all [a]with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and (C)it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them [b]divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And (D)they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began (E)to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The Crowd’s Response
5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, (F)devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the (G)multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak (H)Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own [c]language in which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and (I)Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and [d]Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” 12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”
13 Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”
Peter’s Sermon(J)
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, (K)since it is only [e]the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 ‘And(L) it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
(M)That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and (N)your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
(O)And they shall prophesy.
19 (P)I will show wonders in heaven above
And signs in the earth beneath:
Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
20 (Q)The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
21 And it shall come to pass
That (R)whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Shall be saved.’
22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you (S)by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— 23 Him, (T)being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, (U)you [f]have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 (V)whom God raised up, having [g]loosed the [h]pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. 25 For David says concerning Him:
(W)‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face,
For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad;
Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.
27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see (X)corruption.
28 You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’
29 “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you (Y)of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, being a prophet, (Z)and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, [i]according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, (AA)that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 (AB)This Jesus God has raised up, (AC)of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore (AD)being exalted [j]to (AE)the right hand of God, and (AF)having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He (AG)poured out this which you now see and hear.
34 “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself:
(AH)‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
35 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ’
36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
37 Now when they heard this, (AI)they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
38 Then Peter said to them, (AJ)“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the [k]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and (AK)to your children, and (AL)to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
A Vital Church Grows
40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this [l]perverse generation.” 41 Then those who [m]gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 (AM)And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ [n]doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and (AN)many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and (AO)had all things in common, 45 and [o]sold their possessions and goods, and (AP)divided[p] them among all, as anyone had need.
46 (AQ)So continuing daily with one accord (AR)in the temple, and (AS)breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And (AT)the Lord added [q]to the church daily those who were being saved.
Footnotes
- Acts 2:1 NU together
- Acts 2:3 Or tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each
- Acts 2:8 dialect
- Acts 2:11 Arabians
- Acts 2:15 9 a.m.
- Acts 2:23 NU omits have taken
- Acts 2:24 destroyed or abolished
- Acts 2:24 Lit. birth pangs
- Acts 2:30 NU He would seat one on his throne,
- Acts 2:33 Possibly by
- Acts 2:38 forgiveness
- Acts 2:40 crooked
- Acts 2:41 NU omits gladly
- Acts 2:42 teaching
- Acts 2:45 would sell
- Acts 2:45 distributed
- Acts 2:47 NU omits to the church
Acts 2
English Standard Version
The Coming of the Holy Spirit
2 When (A)the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like (B)a mighty rushing wind, and (C)it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues (D)as of fire appeared to them and rested[a] on each one of them. 4 And they were all (E)filled with the Holy Spirit and began (F)to speak in other tongues (G)as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And (H)at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And (I)they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking (J)Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and (K)Medes and (L)Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and (M)proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And (N)all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others (O)mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
Peter's Sermon at Pentecost
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, (P)since it is only the third hour of the day.[b] 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
17 (Q)“‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
(R)that I will pour out my Spirit (S)on all flesh,
and your sons and (T)your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
18 even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and (U)they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
20 (V)the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before (W)the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
21 And it shall come to pass that (X)everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, (Y)a man attested to you by God (Z)with (AA)mighty works and wonders and signs that (AB)God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus,[c] (AC)delivered up according to (AD)the definite plan and (AE)foreknowledge of God, (AF)you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 (AG)God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because (AH)it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him,
(AI)“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell (AJ)in hope.
27 For you will not abandon my soul to (AK)Hades,
(AL)or let your (AM)Holy One (AN)see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about (AO)the patriarch David (AP)that he both died and (AQ)was buried, and (AR)his tomb is with us to this day. 30 (AS)Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that (AT)God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that (AU)he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus (AV)God raised up, (AW)and of that we all are witnesses. 33 (AX)Being therefore (AY)exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from (AZ)the Father (BA)the promise of the Holy Spirit, (BB)he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For (BC)David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
(BD)“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
35 until I make your enemies your footstool.”’
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that (BE)God has made him (BF)both Lord and Christ, this Jesus (BG)whom you crucified.”
37 Now when (BH)they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, (BI)what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, (BJ)“Repent and (BK)be baptized every one of you (BL)in the name of Jesus Christ (BM)for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive (BN)the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For (BO)the promise is for you and (BP)for your children and for all (BQ)who are far off, everyone (BR)whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, (BS)“Save yourselves from this (BT)crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and (BU)there were added that day about three thousand souls.
The Fellowship of the Believers
42 And (BV)they devoted themselves to the apostles' (BW)teaching and the (BX)fellowship, to (BY)the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe[d] came upon every soul, and (BZ)many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and (CA)had all things in common. 45 And (CB)they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, (CC)attending the temple (CD)together and (CE)breaking bread in their homes, they received their food (CF)with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and (CG)having favor with all the people. And the Lord (CH)added to their number (CI)day by day those who (CJ)were being saved.
The New Testament in Modern English by J.B Phillips copyright © 1960, 1972 J. B. Phillips. Administered by The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England. Used by Permission.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
