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
1599 Geneva Bible
2 1 The Apostles 4 filled with the holy Ghost 8 speak with divers tongues: 12 They are thought to be drunk, 15 but Peter disproveth that. 34 He teacheth that Christ is the Messiah: 37 And seeing the hearers astonied, 38 he exhorteth them to repentance.
1 And [a]when the day of Pentecost was [b]come, they were [c]all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing and mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they sat.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the holy Ghost, and began to speak with [d]other tongues, as the [e]Spirit gave them utterance.
5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, men that feared God, of every nation under heaven.
6 Now when this was noised, the multitude came together and were astonied, because that every man heard them speak his own language.
7 And they wondered all, and marveled, saying among themselves, Behold, are not all these which speak, of Galilee?
8 [f]How then hear we every man our own language, wherein we were born?
9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the inhabitants of Mesopotamia, and of Judea, and of Cappadocia, of Pontus, and Asia,
10 And of Phrygia, and Pamphylia, of Egypt, and of the parts of Libya, which is beside Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, and [g]Jews, and Proselytes,
11 Cretes, and Arabians: we heard them speak in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.
12 [h]They were all then amazed, and doubted, saying one to another, What may this be?
13 And others [i]mocked, and said, They are full of new wine.
14 ¶ But Peter standing with the eleven, [j]lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and ye all that inhabit Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken unto my words.
15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, since it is but the [k]third hour of the day.
16 But this is that, which was spoken by the [l]Prophet (A)Joel,
17 [m]And it shall be in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon [n]all [o]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 mine handmaids I will pour out of my Spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in heaven above, and tokens in the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and the vapors of smoke.
20 The Sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come.
21 [p]And it shall be, that whosoever shall [q]call on the Name of the Lord, shall be saved.
22 [r]Ye men of Israel, hear these words, JESUS of Nazareth, a man [s]approved of God among you with great works, and wonders, and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
23 Him, I say, being delivered by the determinate counsel, and [t]foreknowledge of God, after you had taken, with wicked [u]hands you have crucified and [v]slain.
24 [w]Whom God hath raised up, and loosed the [x]sorrows of death, because it was impossible that he should be holden of it.
25 For David saith concerning him, (B)I beheld the Lord always before me: for he is at my right hand, that I should not be shaken.
26 Therefore did mine heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad, and moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope,
27 Because thou wilt not [y]leave my soul in grave, neither wilt suffer thine Holy one to see corruption.
28 Thou hast [z]showed me the ways of life, and shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
29 Men and brethren, I may boldly speak unto you of the Patriarch David, (C)that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher remaineth with us unto this day.
30 Therefore, seeing he was a Prophet, and knew that God had (D)[aa]sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins he would raise up Christ concerning the flesh, to set him upon his throne.
31 He knowing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that (E)his soul should not be left in grave, neither his flesh should see corruption.
32 [ab]This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
33 Since then that he by the [ac]right hand of God hath been exalted, and hath received of his 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 heaven, but he saith, (F)The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand,
35 Until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
36 Therefore, let all the house of Israel know for a surety, that God hath [ad]made him both Lord, and Christ, this Jesus, I say, whom ye have crucified.
37 Now when they heard it, they were pricked in their hearts, and said unto Peter and the other Apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38 [ae]Then Peter said unto them, Amend your lives, 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 [af]promise is made unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
40 [ag]And with many other words he besought and exhorted them, saying, Save yourselves from this [froward] generation.
41 [ah]Then they that gladly received his word, were baptized, and the same day there were added to the Church about three thousand souls.
42 [ai]And they continued in the Apostles’ doctrine, and [aj]fellowship, and [ak]breaking of bread, and prayers.
43 ¶ [al]And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the Apostles.
44 [am]And all that believed, were in one place, and had all things common.
45 And they sold their possessions, and goods, and parted them to all men, as everyone had need.
46 [an]And they continued daily with one accord in the Temple, and breaking bread at home, did eat their meat together with gladness and singleness of heart,
47 Praising God, and had favor with all the people: and the Lord added to the Church from day to day, such as should be saved.
Footnotes
- Acts 2:1 The Apostles being gathered together on a most solemn feast day in one place, that it might evidently appear to all the world, that they had all one office, one Spirit, one faith, are by a double sign from heaven authorized, and anointed with all the most excellent gifts of the holy Ghost and especially with an extraordinary and necessary gift of tongues.
- Acts 2:1 Word for word, was fulfilled: that is, was begun, as Luke 2:21. For the Hebrews say that a day, or a year is fulfilled or ended, when the former days or years are ended, and the other begun, Jer. 25:12. And it shall come to pass, that when seventy years are fulfilled, I will visit, etc. For the Lord did not bring home his people after the seventieth year was ended, but in the seventieth year. Now the day of Pentecost was the fiftieth day after the feast of the Passover.
- Acts 2:1 The twelve Apostles, which were to be the Patriarchs as it were of the Church.
- Acts 2:4 He calleth them other tongues, which were not the same which the Apostles used commonly, and Mark calleth them new tongues.
- Acts 2:4 Hereby were understood that the Apostles used not now one tongue, and then another by haphazard and at all adventure, or as fantastical men used to do, but with good consideration of their hearers: and to be short, that they spake nothing but as the holy Ghost governed their tongues.
- Acts 2:8 Not that they spake with one voice, and many languages were heard, but that the Apostles spake with strange tongues: for else the miracle had rather been in the hearers, whereas now it is in the speakers, Nazianzen in his oration of Whitsunday.
- Acts 2:10 By Jews, he meaneth them that were both Jews by birth, and Jews by profession of religion though they were born in other places: and they were Proselytes, which were Gentiles born and embraced the Jews’ religion.
- Acts 2:12 God’s word pierceth some so, that it driveth them to seek out the truth, and it doth so choke others, that it forceth them to be witnesses of their own impudency.
- Acts 2:13 The word which he useth here, signifieth such a kind of mocking which is reproachful and contumelious: And by this reproachful mocking we see, that there is no miracle so great and excellent, which the wickedness of man dareth not speak evil of.
- Acts 2:14 Peter’s boldness is to be marked, wherein the grace of the holy Ghost is to be seen, even straight after the beginning.
- Acts 2:15 After the sun rising, which may be about seven or eight of the clock with us.
- Acts 2:16 There is nothing that can dissolve questions and doubts, but testimonies taken out of the Prophets: for men’s reasons may be overturned, but God’s voice cannot be overturned.
- Acts 2:17 Peter setting the truth of God against the false accusations of men, showeth in himself and in his fellows, that that is fulfilled which Joel spake concerning the full giving of the holy Ghost in the latter days: which grace also is offered to the whole Church, to their certain and undoubted destruction, which do contemn it.
- Acts 2:17 All without exception, both upon the Jews and Gentiles.
- Acts 2:17 That is, men.
- Acts 2:21 The chiefest use of all the gifts of the holy Ghost, is to bring men to salvation by faith.
- Acts 2:21 This word, Call on, signifieth in holy Scriptures, an earnest praying and craving for help at God’s hand.
- Acts 2:22 Christ being innocent, was by God’s providence crucified of wicked men.
- Acts 2:22 Who is by those works which God wrought by him, so manifestly approved and allowed of, that no man can gainsay him.
- Acts 2:23 God’s everlasting knowledge going before, which can neither be separated from his determinate counsel, as the Epicureans say, neither yet be the cause of evil: for God in his everlasting and unchangeable counsel, appointed the wicked act of Judas to an excellent end: and God doeth that well which the instruments do ill.
- Acts 2:23 God’s counsel doth not excuse the Jews, whose hands were wicked.
- Acts 2:23 The fault is said to be theirs, by whose counsel and egging forward it is done.
- Acts 2:24 Christ (as David foretold) did not only rise again, but also was in the grave void of all corruption.
- Acts 2:24 The dead that was full of sorrow both of body and mind: therefore when death appeared conqueror and victor over those sorrows, Christ is rightly said to have overcome those sorrows of death, when as being dead, he overcame death, to live forever with his Father.
- Acts 2:27 Thou wilt not suffer me to remain in grave.
- Acts 2:28 Thou hast opened me the way to the true life.
- Acts 2:30 Had sworn solemnly.
- Acts 2:32 Peter witnesseth that Jesus Christ is the appointed everlasting King, which he proveth manifestly by the gifts of the holy Ghost,and the testimony of David.
- Acts 2:33 Might and power of God.
- Acts 2:36 Christ is said to be made, because he was advanced to that dignity: and therefore it is not spoken of his nature, but of his state and dignity.
- Acts 2:38 Repentance and remission of sins in Christ, are two principles of the Gospel, and therefore of our salvation: and they are obtained by the promises apprehended by faith, and are ratified in us by Baptism, wherewith is joined the virtue of the holy Ghost.
- Acts 2:39 The word that is used here, giveth us to understand that it was a free gift.
- Acts 2:40 He is truly joined to the Church which separateth himself from the wicked.
- Acts 2:41 A notable example of the virtue of the holy Ghost: but such as are of age, are not baptized before they make confession of their faith.
- Acts 2:42 The marks of the true Church of the doctrine of the Apostles, the duties of charity, the pure and simple administration of the Sacraments, and true invocation used of all the faithful.
- Acts 2:42 Communicating of goods, and all other duties of charity, as is showed afterward.
- Acts 2:42 The Jews used thin loaves, and therefore they did rather brake them than cut them: So by breaking of bread, they understood that living together and the banquets which they used to keep. And when they kept their love feasts, they used to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, which even in these days began to be corrupted, and Paul amendeth it, 1 Cor. 11.
- Acts 2:43 So oft as the Lord thinketh it expedient, he bridleth the rage of strangers that the Church may be planted, and have some refreshing.
- Acts 2:44 Charity maketh all things common concerning the use, according as necessity requireth.
- Acts 2:46 The faithful came together at the beginning with great fruit, not only to the hearing of the word, but also to meat.
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