Acts 2-6

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:

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:

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:

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.

A Lame Man Healed

3 Now Peter and John went up together ^(AU)to the temple at the hour of prayer, ^(AV)the ninth hour. ² And ^(AW)a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, ^(AX)to ^[r]ask alms from those who entered the temple; ³ who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. ⁴ And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” ⁵ So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. ⁶ Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: ^(AY)In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” ⁷ And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. ⁸ So he, ^(AZ)leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. ^9 (BA)And all the people saw him walking and praising God. ¹⁰ Then they knew that it was he who ^(BB)sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Preaching in Solomon’s Portico

¹¹ Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch ^(BC)which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed. ¹² So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? ^13 (BD)The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, ^(BE)glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you ^(BF)delivered up and ^(BG)denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. ¹⁴ But you denied ^(BH)the Holy One ^(BI)and the Just, and ^(BJ)asked for a murderer to be granted to you, ¹⁵ and killed the ^[s]Prince of life, ^(BK)whom God raised from the dead, ^(BL)of which we are witnesses. ^16 (BM)And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

¹⁷ “Yet now, brethren, I know that ^(BN)you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. ¹⁸ But ^(BO)those things which God foretold ^(BP)by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. ^19 (BQ)Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, ²⁰ and that He may send ^[t]Jesus Christ, who was ^[u]preached to you before, ^21 (BR)whom heaven must receive until the times of ^(BS)restoration of all things, ^(BT)which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since ^[v]the world began. ²² For Moses truly said to the fathers, ^(BU)‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. ²³ And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ ²⁴ Yes, and ^(BV)all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also ^[w]foretold these days. ^25 (BW)You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ^(BX)‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ ²⁶ To you ^(BY)first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, ^(BZ)in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”

Peter and John Arrested

4 Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the ^(CA)Sadducees came upon them, ² being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. ³ And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. ⁴ However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

Addressing the Sanhedrin

⁵ And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes, ⁶ as well as ^(CB)Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. ⁷ And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, ^(CC)“By what power or by what name have you done this?”

^8 (CD)Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: ⁹ If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, ¹⁰ let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, ^(CE)that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, ^(CF)whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. ¹¹ This is the ^(CG)‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ ^12 (CH)Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

The Name of Jesus Forbidden

¹³ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, ^(CI)and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. ¹⁴ And seeing the man who had been healed ^(CJ)standing with them, they could say nothing against it. ¹⁵ But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, ¹⁶ saying, ^(CK)“What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a ^[x]notable miracle has been done through them is ^(CL)evident^[y] to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷ But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.”

^18 (CM)So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John answered and said to them, ^(CN)“Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. ^20 (CO)For we cannot but speak the things which ^(CP)we have seen and heard.” ²¹ So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, ^(CQ)because of the people, since they all ^(CR)glorified God for ^(CS)what had been done. ²² For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.

Prayer for Boldness^(CT)

²³ And being let go, ^(CU)they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. ²⁴ So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, ^(CV)You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, ²⁵ who ^[z]by the mouth of Your servant David have said:

²⁷ “For ^(CX)truly against ^(CY)Your holy Servant Jesus, ^(CZ)whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together ^28 (DA)to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. ²⁹ Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants ^(DB)that with all boldness they may speak Your word, ³⁰ by stretching out Your hand to heal, ^(DC)and that signs and wonders may be done ^(DD)through the name of ^(DE)Your holy Servant Jesus.”

³¹ And when they had prayed, ^(DF)the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, ^(DG)and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

Sharing in All Things

³² Now the multitude of those who believed ^(DH)were of one heart and one soul; ^(DI)neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. ³³ And with ^(DJ)great power the apostles gave ^(DK)witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And ^(DL)great grace was upon them all. ³⁴ Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; ^(DM)for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, ^35 (DN)and laid them at the apostles’ feet; ^(DO)and they distributed to each as anyone had need.

³⁶ And ^[aa]Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of ^[ab]Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, ^37 (DP)having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Lying to the Holy Spirit

5 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. ² And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. ^3 (DQ)But Peter said, “Ananias, why has ^(DR)Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? ⁴ While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”

⁵ Then Ananias, hearing these words, ^(DS)fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. ⁶ And the young men arose and ^(DT)wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him.

⁷ Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. ⁸ And Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?”

She said, “Yes, for so much.”

⁹ Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together ^(DU)to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” ^10 (DV)Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. ^11 (DW)So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.

Continuing Power in the Church

¹² And ^(DX)through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. ^(DY)And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. ¹³ Yet ^(DZ)none of the rest dared join them, ^(EA)but the people esteemed them highly. ¹⁴ And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, ¹⁵ so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, ^(EB)that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. ¹⁶ Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing ^(EC)sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

Imprisoned Apostles Freed

^17 (ED)Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with ^[ac]indignation, ^18 (EE)and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison. ¹⁹ But at night ^(EF)an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, ²⁰ “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people ^(EG)all the words of this life.”

²¹ And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. ^(EH)But the high priest and those with him came and called the ^[ad]council together, with all the ^[ae]elders of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.

Apostles on Trial Again

²² But when the officers came and did not find them in the prison, they returned and reported, ²³ saying, “Indeed we found the prison shut securely, and the guards standing ^[af]outside before the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside!” ²⁴ Now when ^[ag]the high priest, ^(EI)the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be. ²⁵ So one came and told them, ^[ah]saying, “Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!”

²⁶ Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, ^(EJ)for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned. ²⁷ And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, ²⁸ saying, ^(EK)“Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, ^(EL)and intend to bring this Man’s ^(EM)blood on us!”

²⁹ But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: ^(EN)“We ought to obey God rather than men. ^30 (EO)The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by ^(EP)hanging on a tree. ^31 (EQ)Him God has exalted to His right hand to be ^(ER)Prince and ^(ES)Savior, ^(ET)to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. ³² And ^(EU)we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit ^(EV)whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

Gamaliel’s Advice

³³ When they heard this, they were ^(EW)furious^[ai] and plotted to kill them. ³⁴ Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named ^(EX)Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the people, and commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while. ³⁵ And he said to them: “Men of Israel, ^[aj]take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men. ³⁶ For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, ^[ak]joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing. ³⁷ After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed. ³⁸ And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; ^39 (EY)but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found ^(EZ)to fight against God.”

⁴⁰ And they agreed with him, and when they had ^(FA)called for the apostles ^(FB)and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. ⁴¹ So they departed from the presence of the council, ^(FC)rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for ^[al]His name. ⁴² And daily ^(FD)in the temple, and in every house, ^(FE)they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

Seven Chosen to Serve

6 Now in those days, ^(FF)when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the ^(FG)Hellenists,^[am] because their widows were neglected ^(FH)in the daily distribution. ² Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, ^(FI)“It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. ³ Therefore, brethren, ^(FJ)seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this ^(FK)business; ⁴ but we ^(FL)will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

⁵ And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, ^(FM)a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and ^(FN)Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and ^(FO)Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, ⁶ whom they set before the apostles; and ^(FP)when they had prayed, ^(FQ)they laid hands on them.

⁷ Then ^(FR)the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many ^(FS)of the priests were obedient to the faith.

Stephen Accused of Blasphemy

⁸ And Stephen, full of ^[an]faith and power, did great ^(FT)wonders and signs among the people. ⁹ Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. ¹⁰ And ^(FU)they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. ^11 (FV)Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” ¹² And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council. ¹³ They also set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak ^[ao]blasphemous words against this holy place and the law; ^14 (FW)for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us.” ¹⁵ And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.