A Lame Beggar Healed at the Temple

Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a certain man was being carried who was lame from birth.[a] He[b] was placed every day at the gate of the temple called “Beautiful,” so that he could ask for charitable gifts from those who were going into the temple courts.[c] When he[d] saw Peter and John about to go into the temple courts,[e] he began asking to receive alms. And Peter looked intently at him, together with John, and[f] said, “Look at us!” So he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not possess,[g] but what I have, this I give to you—in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!”[h] And taking hold of him by the right hand, he raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up, he stood and began walking around[i] and entered into the temple courts[j] with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 And they recognized him, that this one[k] was the one who used to sit asking for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with awe and astonishment at what had happened to him.

Peter’s Sermon in Solomon’s Portico

11 And while[l] he was holding fast to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s, utterly astonished. 12 And when he[m] saw it,[n] Peter replied to the people, “Men and Israelites, why are you astonished at this? Or why are you staring at us, as if by our own power or godliness we have made him walk? 13 The God of Abraham and of Isaac[o] and of Jacob,[p] the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and denied in the presence of Pilate, after[q] he had decided to release him.[r] 14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One and demanded that a man—a murderer—be granted to you. 15 And you killed the originator of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses! 16 And on the basis of faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know, and the faith that is through him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all. 17 And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. 18 But the things which God foretold through the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ[s] would suffer, he has fulfilled in this way. 19 Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be blotted out, 20 so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and he may send the Christ[t] appointed for you—Jesus, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of the restoration of all things, about which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from earliest times. 22 Moses said, ‘The Lord God[u] will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You will listen to him in everything that he says to you.[v] 23 And it will be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet will be destroyed utterly from the people.’[w] 24 And indeed, all the prophets from Samuel and all those who followed him[x] have spoken about and proclaimed these days. 25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God ordained with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed.’[y] 26 God, after he[z] had raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning each of you back from your wickedness!”

Footnotes

  1. Acts 3:2 Literally “from his mother’s womb”
  2. Acts 3:2 Literally “who,” but a new sentence was begun here in the translation in keeping with English style
  3. Acts 3:2 *Here “courts” is supplied to distinguish this area from the interior of the temple building itself
  4. Acts 3:3 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
  5. Acts 3:3 *Here “courts” is supplied to distinguish this area from the interior of the temple building itself
  6. Acts 3:4 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“looked intently”) has been translated as a finite verb
  7. Acts 3:6 Literally “is not to me”
  8. Acts 3:6 Some manuscripts have “get up and walk”
  9. Acts 3:8 The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began walking around”)
  10. Acts 3:8 Here “courts” is supplied to distinguish this area from the interior of the temple building itself
  11. Acts 3:10 Some manuscripts have “that he himself”
  12. Acts 3:11 Here “while” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“was holding fast to”)
  13. Acts 3:12 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
  14. Acts 3:12 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  15. Acts 3:13 Some manuscripts have “the God of Isaac”
  16. Acts 3:13 Some manuscripts have “the God of Jacob”
  17. Acts 3:13 Or “although”; this genitive absolute construction can be understood as either temporal “after” or concessive “although
  18. Acts 3:13 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  19. Acts 3:18 Or “Messiah”
  20. Acts 3:20 Or “Messiah”
  21. Acts 3:22 Some manuscripts have “The Lord your God”
  22. Acts 3:22 A quotation from Deut 18:15
  23. Acts 3:23 A quotation from Deut 18:19 and Lev 23:29
  24. Acts 3:24 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  25. Acts 3:25 A quotation from Gen 22:18
  26. Acts 3:26 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had raised up”) which is understood as temporal

And Peter and John were going up at the same time to the temple, at the hour of the prayer, the ninth [hour],

and a certain man, being lame from the womb of his mother, was being carried, whom they were laying every day at the gate of the temple, called Beautiful, to ask a kindness from those entering into the temple,

who, having seen Peter and John about to go into the temple, was begging to receive a kindness.

And Peter, having looked stedfastly toward him with John, said, `Look toward us;'

and he was giving heed to them, looking to receive something from them;

and Peter said, `Silver and gold I have none, but what I have, that I give to thee; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and be walking.'

And having seized him by the right hand, he raised [him] up, and presently his feet and ankles were strengthened,

and springing up, he stood, and was walking, and did enter with them into the temple, walking and springing, and praising God;

and all the people saw him walking and praising God,

10 they were knowing him also that this it was who for a kindness was sitting at the Beautiful gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what hath happened to him.

11 And at the lame man who was healed holding Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch called Solomon's -- greatly amazed,

12 and Peter having seen, answered unto the people, `Men, Israelites! why wonder ye at this? or on us why look ye so earnestly, as if by our own power or piety we have made him to walk?

13 `The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, did glorify His child Jesus, whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, he having given judgment to release [him],

14 and ye the Holy and Righteous One did deny, and desired a man -- a murderer -- to be granted to you,

15 and the Prince of the life ye did kill, whom God did raise out of the dead, of which we are witnesses;

16 and on the faith of his name, this one whom ye see and have known, his name made strong, even the faith that [is] through him did give to him this perfect soundness before you all.

17 `And now, brethren, I have known that through ignorance ye did [it], as also your rulers;

18 and God, what things before He had declared through the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ should suffer, He did thus fulfil;

19 reform ye, therefore, and turn back, for your sins being blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,

20 and He may send Jesus Christ who before hath been preached to you,

21 whom it behoveth heaven, indeed, to receive till times of a restitution of all things, of which God spake through the mouth of all His holy prophets from the age.

22 `For Moses, indeed, unto the fathers said -- A prophet to you shall the Lord your God raise up out of your brethren, like to me; him shall ye hear in all things, as many as he may speak unto you;

23 and it shall be, every soul that may not hear that prophet shall be utterly destroyed out of the people;

24 and also all the prophets from Samuel and those following in order, as many as spake, did also foretell of these days.

25 `Ye are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant that God made unto our fathers, saying unto Abraham: And in thy seed shall be blessed all the families of the earth;

26 to you first, God, having raised up His child Jesus, did send him, blessing you, in the turning away of each one from your evil ways.'