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Acts 2
The Voice
Acts 2
The Voice
2 When the holy day of Pentecost came 50 days after Passover, they were gathered together in one place.
2 Picture yourself among the disciples:
A sound roars from the sky without warning, the roar of a violent wind, and the whole house where you are gathered reverberates with the sound. 3 Then a flame appears, dividing into smaller flames and spreading from one person to the next. 4 All the people present are filled with the Holy Spirit and begin speaking in languages they’ve never spoken, as the Spirit empowers them.
5 Because of the holy festival, there are devout Jews staying as pilgrims in Jerusalem from every nation under the sun. 6 They hear the sound, and a crowd gathers. They are amazed because each of them can hear the group speaking in their native languages. 7 They are shocked and amazed by this.
Pilgrims: Just a minute. Aren’t all of these people Galileans? 8 How in the world do we all hear our native languages being spoken? 9 Look—there are Parthians here, and Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamians, and Judeans, residents of Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia, 10 Phrygians and Pamphylians, Egyptians and Libyans from Cyrene, Romans including both Jews by birth and converts, 11 Cretans, and Arabs. We’re each, in our own languages, hearing these people talk about God’s powerful deeds.
12 Their amazement becomes confusion as they wonder,
Pilgrims: What does this mean?
Skeptics: 13 It doesn’t mean anything. They’re all drunk on some fresh wine!
This miraculous sign of God’s kingdom is astounding. The followers of Jesus are not known as people who drink too much wine with breakfast, so this fantastic episode requires some other kind of explanation. Unfortunately it is impossible to comprehend or explain what transpires on Pentecost. But this is not a novelty performance; rather, it is the foundation of the kingdom of God in that it establishes the church as the place where God moves on the earth through His Spirit. They expect a political kingdom, but God moves in people’s hearts to transform individuals and communities.
14 As the twelve stood together, Peter shouted to the crowd,
Peter: Men of Judea and all who are staying here in Jerusalem, listen. I want you to understand: 15 these people aren’t drunk as you may think. Look, it’s only nine o’clock in the morning! 16 No, this isn’t drunkenness; this is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel. 17 Hear what God says!
In the last days,
I will offer My Spirit to humanity as a libation.
Your children will boldly speak the word of the Lord.
Young warriors will see visions,
and your elders will dream dreams.
18 Yes, in those days I shall offer My Spirit to all servants,
both male and female, and they will boldly speak My word.
19 And in the heaven above and on the earth below,
I shall give signs of impending judgment: blood, fire, and clouds of smoke.
20 The sun will become a void of darkness,
and the moon will become blood.
Then the great and dreadful day of the Lord will arrive,
21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be liberated into God’s freedom and peace.[a]
22 All of you Israelites, listen to my message: it’s about Jesus of Nazareth, a man whom God authenticated for you by performing in your presence powerful deeds, wonders, and signs through Him, just as you yourselves know. 23 This man, Jesus, who came into your hands by God’s sure plan and advanced knowledge, you nailed to a cross and killed in collaboration with lawless outsiders. 24 But God raised Jesus and unleashed Him from the agonizing birth pangs of death, for death could not possibly keep Jesus in its power. 25 David spoke of Jesus’ resurrection, saying:
I see the Lord is ever present with me.
I will not live in fear or abandon my calling because He guides my right hand.
26 My heart is glad; my soul rejoices;
my body is safe.
27 You will not abandon me to experience the suffering of a miserable afterlife,
nor leave Your Holy One to rot alone.
28 Instead, You direct me on a path that leads to a beautiful life.
As I walk with You, the pleasures are never-ending, and I know true joy and contentment.[b]
29 My fellow Israelites, I can say without question that David our ancestor died and was buried, and his tomb is with us today. 30 David wasn’t speaking of himself; he was speaking as a prophet. He saw with prophetic insight that God had made a solemn promise to him: God would put one of his descendants on His throne. 31 Here’s what David was seeing in advance; here’s what David was talking about—the Anointed One would be resurrected. Think of David’s words about Him not being abandoned to the place of the dead nor being left to decay in the grave. 32 He was talking about Jesus, the One God has raised, whom all of us have seen with our own eyes and announce to you today. 33 Since Jesus has been lifted to the right hand of God—the highest place of authority and power—and since Jesus has received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, He has now poured out what you have seen and heard here today. 34 Remember: David couldn’t have been speaking of himself rising to the heavens when he said,
The Master said to my master,
“Sit here at My right hand,
in the place of honor and power,
35 And I will gather Your enemies together,
lead them in on hands and knees,
and You will rest Your feet on their backs.”[c]
36 Everyone in Israel should now realize with certainty what God has done: God has made Jesus both Lord and Anointed King—this same Jesus whom you crucified.
37 When the people heard this, their hearts were pierced; and they said to Peter and his fellow apostles,
Pilgrims: Our brothers, what should we do?
Peter: 38 Reconsider your lives; change your direction. Participate in the ceremonial washing of baptism[d] in the name of Jesus God’s Anointed, the Liberating King. Then your sins will be forgiven, and the gift of the Holy Spirit will be yours. 39 For the promise of the Spirit is for you, for your children, for all people—even those considered outsiders and outcasts—the Lord our God invites everyone to come to Him.
Just as God raised Jesus from a decaying body, Peter holds out hope for God to liberate those who follow Him from their decaying culture.
40 Peter was pleading and offering many logical reasons to believe. 41 Whoever made a place for his message in their hearts received the baptism;[e] in fact, that day alone, about 3,000 people joined the disciples.
42 The community continually committed themselves to learning what the apostles taught them, gathering for fellowship, breaking bread, and praying. 43 Everyone felt a sense of awe because the apostles were doing many signs and wonders among them. 44 There was an intense sense of togetherness among all who believed; they shared all their material possessions in trust. 45 They sold any possessions and goods that did not benefit the community and used the money to help everyone in need. 46 They were unified as they worshiped at the temple day after day. In homes, they broke bread and shared meals with glad and generous hearts. 47 The new disciples praised God, and they enjoyed the goodwill of all the people of the city. Day after day the Lord added to their number everyone who was experiencing liberation.
Footnotes
- 2:17–21 Joel 2:28–32
- 2:25–28 Psalm 16:8–11
- 2:34–35 Psalm 110:1
- 2:38 Literally, immersion, a rite of initiation and purification
- 2:41 Literally, immersion, a rite of initiation and purification
Acts 2
Lexham English Bible
Acts 2
Lexham English Bible
Pentecost and the Coming of the Holy Spirit
2 And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in the same place. 2 And suddenly a sound like a violent rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 And divided[a] tongues like fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages[b] as the Spirit gave them ability to speak out.
5 Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And when[c] this sound occurred, the crowd gathered and was in confusion, because each one was hearing them speaking in his own language. 7 And they were astounded and astonished, saying, “Behold, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how do we hear, each one of us, in our own native language?[d] 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and those residing in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,[e] 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya toward Cyrene, and the Romans who were in town, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own languages the great deeds of God!” 12 And all were amazed and greatly perplexed, saying to one another,[f] “What can this mean?”[g] 13 But others jeered and[h] said, “They are full of sweet new wine!”
Peter’s Sermon on the Day of Pentecost
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them, “Judean men, and all those who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and pay attention to my words! 15 For these men are not drunk, as you assume, because it is the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
17 ‘And it will be in the last days,’ God says,
‘I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
and your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams.
18 And even on my male slaves and on my female slaves
I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
19 And I will cause wonders in the heaven[i] above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
20 The sun will be changed to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.
21 And it will be that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.’[j]
22 “Israelite men, listen to these words! Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— 23 this man, delivered up by the determined plan and foreknowledge of God, you executed by[k] nailing to a cross[l] through the hand of lawless men. 24 God raised him[m] up, having brought to an end the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says with reference to him,
‘I saw the Lord before me continually,[n]
for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken.
26 For this reason my heart was glad
and my tongue rejoiced greatly,
furthermore also my flesh will live in hope,
27 because you will not abandon my soul in Hades,
nor will you permit your Holy One to experience decay.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with gladness with your presence.’[o]
29 “Men and brothers, it is possible to speak with confidence to you about the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us until this day. 30 Therefore, because he[p] was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants[q] on his throne, 31 by[r] having foreseen this,[s] he spoke about the resurrection of the Christ,[t] that neither was he abandoned in Hades nor did his flesh experience decay. 32 This Jesus God raised up, of which[u] we all are witnesses. 33 Therefore, having been exalted to the right hand of God and having received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, he has poured out this that you see and hear.[v] 34 For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’[w]
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt, that God has made him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified!”
The Response to Peter’s Sermon
37 Now when they[x] heard this,[y] they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “What should we do, men and brothers?” 38 And Peter said[z] to them, “Repent and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all those who are far away, as many as the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he solemnly urged and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this crooked generation!” 41 So those who accepted his message were baptized, and on that day about three thousand souls were added.
The Fellowship of the First Believers
42 And they were devoting themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayers. 43 And fear came on every soul, and many wonders and signs were being performed by the apostles. 44 And all who believed were in the same place, and had everything in common. 45 And they began selling[aa] their[ab] possessions and property, and distributing these things to all, to the degree that anyone had need. 46 And every day, devoting themselves to meeting[ac] with one purpose in the temple courts[ad] and breaking bread from house to house, they were eating their food with joy and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding every day to the total of those who were being saved.
Footnotes
- Acts 2:3 Or perhaps “distributed”
- Acts 2:4 Or “tongues”
- Acts 2:6 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“happened”)
- Acts 2:8 Literally “our own language in which we were born”
- Acts 2:9 A reference to the Roman province of Asia (modern Asia Minor)
- Acts 2:12 Literally “one to the other”
- Acts 2:12 Literally “what does this want to be”
- Acts 2:13 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“jeered”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Acts 2:19 Or “sky”
- Acts 2:21 A quotation from Joel 2:28–32
- Acts 2:23 Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“nailing to”) which is understood as means
- Acts 2:23 The words “a cross” are not in the Greek text but are implied by the nature of the verb
- Acts 2:24 Literally “whom”; it is necessary to specify “him” in the translation to avoid confusion with the “lawless men” in the previous verse
- Acts 2:25 Literally “through everything”
- Acts 2:28 A quotation from Ps 16:8–11
- Acts 2:30 Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“was”) which is understood as causal
- Acts 2:30 Literally “from the fruit of his loins”
- Acts 2:31 Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“having foreseen”) which is understood as means
- Acts 2:31 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Acts 2:31 Or “Messiah”
- Acts 2:32 Or “of whom,” referring to Jesus
- Acts 2:33 Some manuscripts have “both see and hear”
- Acts 2:35 A quotation from Ps 110:1
- Acts 2:37 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
- Acts 2:37 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Acts 2:38 Some manuscripts explicitly add “said”
- Acts 2:45 The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began selling”)
- Acts 2:45 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Acts 2:46 The words “to meeting” are not in the Greek text but are implied
- Acts 2:46 Here “courts” is supplied to distinguish this area from the interior of the temple building itself
Acts 2
New International Version
Acts 2
New International Version
The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost
2 When the day of Pentecost(A) came, they were all together(B) in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.(C) 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit(D) and began to speak in other tongues[a](E) as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing(F) Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed,(G) they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?(H) 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,(I) Pontus(J) and Asia,[b](K) 10 Phrygia(L) and Pamphylia,(M) Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene;(N) visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”(O)
Peter Addresses the Crowd
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!(P) 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 “‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.(Q)
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,(R)
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.(S)
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,(T)
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood(U)
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord(V) will be saved.’[c](W)
22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth(X) was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs,(Y) which God did among you through him,(Z) as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge;(AA) and you, with the help of wicked men,[d] put him to death by nailing him to the cross.(AB) 24 But God raised him from the dead,(AC) freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.(AD) 25 David said about him:
“‘I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest in hope,
27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
you will not let your holy one see decay.(AE)
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.’[e](AF)
29 “Fellow Israelites,(AG) I can tell you confidently that the patriarch(AH) David died and was buried,(AI) and his tomb is here(AJ) to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.(AK) 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay.(AL) 32 God has raised this Jesus to life,(AM) and we are all witnesses(AN) of it. 33 Exalted(AO) to the right hand of God,(AP) he has received from the Father(AQ) the promised Holy Spirit(AR) and has poured out(AS) what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
35 until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.”’[f](AT)
36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord(AU) and Messiah.”(AV)
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”(AW)
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized,(AX) every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.(AY) And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.(AZ) 39 The promise is for you and your children(BA) and for all who are far off(BB)—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”(BC) 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number(BD) that day.
The Fellowship of the Believers
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching(BE) and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread(BF) and to prayer.(BG) 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.(BH) 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common.(BI) 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.(BJ) 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.(BK) They broke bread(BL) in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.(BM) And the Lord added to their number(BN) daily those who were being saved.
The Voice (VOICE)
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
Lexham English Bible (LEB)
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.