Acts 3:1-4:31

International Children’s Bible

Peter Heals a Crippled Man

3 One day Peter and John went to the Temple. It was three o’clock in the afternoon. This was the time for the daily prayer service. ² There, at the Temple gate called Beautiful Gate, was a man who had been crippled all his life. Every day he was carried to this gate to beg. He would ask for money from the people going into the Temple. ³ The man saw Peter and John going into the Temple and asked them for money. ⁴ Peter and John looked straight at him and said, “Look at us!” ⁵ The man looked at them; he thought they were going to give him some money. ⁶ But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold, but I do have something else I can give you: By the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth—stand up and walk!” ⁷ Then Peter took the man’s right hand and lifted him up. Immediately the man’s feet and ankles became strong. ⁸ He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk. He went into the Temple with them, walking and jumping, and praising God. ^9-10 All the people recognized him. They knew he was the crippled man who always sat by the Beautiful Gate begging for money. Now they saw this same man walking and praising God. The people were amazed. They could not understand how this could happen.

Peter Speaks to the People

¹¹ The man was holding on to Peter and John. All the people were amazed and ran to Peter and John at Solomon’s Porch. ¹² When Peter saw this, he said to them, “Men of Israel, why are you surprised? You are looking at us as if it were our own power that made this man walk. Do you think this happened because we are good? No! ¹³ The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, gave glory to Jesus, his servant. But you gave him up to be killed. Pilate decided to let him go free. But you told Pilate you did not want Jesus. ¹⁴ He was pure and good, but you said you did not want him. You told Pilate to give you a murderer^[a] instead of Jesus. ¹⁵ And so you killed the One who gives life! But God raised him from death. We are witnesses to this. ¹⁶ It was the power of Jesus that made this crippled man well. This happened because we trusted in the power of Jesus. You can see this man, and you know him. He was made completely well because of trust in Jesus. You all saw it happen!

¹⁷ “Brothers, I know you did those things to Jesus because you did not understand what you were doing. Your leaders did not understand either. ¹⁸ God said this would happen. He said through the prophets that his Christ would suffer and die. And now God has made these things come true in this way. ¹⁹ So you must change your hearts and lives! Come back to God, and he will forgive your sins. ²⁰ Then the Lord will give you times of spiritual rest. He will give you Jesus, the One he chose to be the Christ. ²¹ But Jesus must stay in heaven until the time comes when all things will be made right again. God told about this time long ago when he spoke through his holy prophets. ²² Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will give you a prophet like me. He will be one of your own people. You must obey everything he tells you. ²³ Anyone who does not obey him will die, separated from God’s people.’^{[b] 24} Samuel, and all the other prophets who spoke for God after Samuel, told about this time now. ²⁵ You have received what the prophets talked about. You have received the agreement God made with your ancestors. He said to your father Abraham, ‘Through your descendants all the nations on the earth will be blessed.’^{[c] 26} God has raised up his servant and sent him to you first. He sent Jesus to bless you by turning each of you away from doing evil things.”

Peter and John at the Council

4 While Peter and John were speaking to the people, a group of men came up to them. There were Jewish priests, the captain of the soldiers that guarded the Temple, and some Sadducees. ² They were upset because the two apostles were teaching the people. Peter and John were preaching that people will rise from death through the power of Jesus. ³ The Jewish leaders grabbed Peter and John and put them in jail. It was already night, so they kept them in jail until the next day. ⁴ But many of those who heard Peter and John preach believed the things they said. There were now about 5,000 men in the group of believers.

⁵ The next day the Jewish rulers, the Jewish elders, and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. ⁶ Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander were there. Everyone from the high priest’s family was there. ⁷ They made Peter and John stand before them. The Jewish leaders asked them: “By what power or authority did you do this?”

⁸ Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit. He said to them, “Rulers of the people and you elders, ⁹ are you questioning us about a good thing that was done to a crippled man? Are you asking us who made him well? ¹⁰ We want all of you and all the Jewish people to know that this man was made well by the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth! You nailed him to a cross, but God raised him from death. This man was crippled, but he is now well and able to stand here before you because of the power of Jesus! ¹¹ Jesus is

¹² Jesus is the only One who can save people. No one else in the world is able to save us.”

¹³ The Jewish leaders saw that Peter and John were not afraid to speak. They understood that these men had no special training or education. So they were amazed. Then they realized that Peter and John had been with Jesus. ¹⁴ They saw the crippled man standing there beside the two apostles. They saw that the man was healed. So they could say nothing against them. ¹⁵ The Jewish leaders told them to leave the meeting. Then the leaders talked to each other about what they should do. ¹⁶ They said, “What shall we do with these men? Everyone in Jerusalem knows that they have done a great miracle! We cannot say it is not true. ¹⁷ But we must warn them not to talk to people anymore using that name. Then this thing will not spread among the people.”

¹⁸ So they called Peter and John in again. They told them not to speak or to teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John answered them, “What do you think is right? What would God want? Should we obey you or God? ²⁰ We cannot keep quiet. We must speak about what we have seen and heard.” ^21-22 The Jewish leaders could not find a way to punish them because all the people were praising God for what had been done. (This miracle was a proof from God. The man who was healed was more than 40 years old!) So the Jewish leaders warned the apostles again and let them go free.

The Believers’ Prayer

²³ Peter and John left the meeting of Jewish leaders and went to their own group. They told them everything that the leading priests and the Jewish elders had said to them. ²⁴ When the believers heard this, they prayed to God with one purpose. They prayed, “Lord, you are the One who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in the world. ²⁵ Our father David was your servant. With the help of the Holy Spirit he said:

²⁷ These things really happened when Herod, Pontius Pilate, the non-Jewish people, and the Jewish people all came together against Jesus here in Jerusalem. Jesus is your holy Servant. He is the One you made to be the Christ. ²⁸ These people made your plan happen; it happened because of your power and your will. ²⁹ And now, Lord, listen to what they are saying. They are trying to make us afraid! Lord, we are your servants. Help us to speak your word without fear. ³⁰ Help us to be brave by showing us your power; make sick people well, give proofs, and make miracles happen by the power of Jesus, your holy servant.”

³¹ After they had prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke God’s word without fear.