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The Holy Spirit Comes

On the day of Pentecost[a] all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages,[b] as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.

At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.

They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, 10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” 12 They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other.

13 But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all!”

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Footnotes

  1. 2:1 The Festival of Pentecost came 50 days after Passover (when Jesus was crucified).
  2. 2:4 Or in other tongues.

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

When the day of Pentecost was being celebrated,[a] all of them were together in one place. Suddenly, a sound like the roar of a mighty windstorm came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw tongues like flames[b] of fire that separated, and one rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in foreign[c] languages as the Spirit gave them that ability.

Now devout Jews from every nation on earth[d] were living in Jerusalem. When that sound came, a crowd quickly gathered, startled because each one heard the disciples[e] speaking in his own language. Stunned and amazed, they asked, “All of these people who are speaking are Galileans, aren’t they? So how is it that each one of us hears them speaking in his own native language:[f] Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, 10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the district of Libya near Cyrene, Jewish and proselyte visitors from Rome, 11 Cretans, and Arabs, listening to them talk in our own languages about the great deeds of God?”

12 All of them continued to be stunned and puzzled, and they kept asking one another, “What can this mean?”

13 But others kept saying in derision, “They’re drunk on sweet wine!”

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 2:1 Lit. Pentecost had fully arrived
  2. Acts 2:3 Or tongues
  3. Acts 2:4 Or different
  4. Acts 2:5 Lit. nation under heaven
  5. Acts 2:6 Lit. them
  6. Acts 2:8 Lit. in our language in which we were born