Acts 5
Living Bible
5 But there was a man named Ananias (with his wife Sapphira) who sold some property 2 and brought only part of the money, claiming it was the full price. (His wife had agreed to this deception.)
3 But Peter said, “Ananias, Satan has filled your heart. When you claimed this was the full price, you were lying to the Holy Spirit. 4 The property was yours to sell or not, as you wished. And after selling it, it was yours to decide how much to give. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us, but to God.”
5 As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor, dead! Everyone was terrified, 6 and the younger men covered him with a sheet and took him out and buried him.
7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Did you people sell your land for such and such a price?”
“Yes,” she replied, “we did.”
9 And Peter said, “How could you and your husband even think of doing a thing like this—conspiring together to test the Spirit of God’s ability to know what is going on?[a] Just outside that door are the young men who buried your husband, and they will carry you out too.”
10 Instantly she fell to the floor, dead, and the young men came in and, seeing that she was dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Terror gripped the entire church and all others who heard what had happened.
12 Meanwhile, the apostles were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Hall, and they did many remarkable miracles among the people. 13 The other believers didn’t dare join them, though, but all had the highest regard for them. 14 And more and more believers were added to the Lord, crowds both of men and women. 15 Sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow would fall across some of them as he went by! 16 And crowds came in from the Jerusalem suburbs, bringing their sick folk and those possessed by demons; and every one of them was healed.
17 The High Priest and his relatives and friends among the Sadducees reacted with violent jealousy 18 and arrested the apostles, and put them in the public jail.
19 But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail and brought them out. Then he told them, 20 “Go over to the Temple and preach about this Life!”
21 They arrived at the Temple about daybreak and immediately began preaching! Later that morning[b] the High Priest and his courtiers arrived at the Temple, and, convening the Jewish Council and the entire Senate, they sent for the apostles to be brought for trial. 22 But when the police arrived at the jail, the men weren’t there, so they returned to the Council and reported, 23 “The jail doors were locked, and the guards were standing outside, but when we opened the gates, no one was there!”
24 When the police captain[c] and the chief priests heard this, they were frantic, wondering what would happen next and where all this would end! 25 Then someone arrived with the news that the men they had jailed were out in the Temple, preaching to the people!
26-27 The police captain went with his officers and arrested them (without violence, for they were afraid the people would kill them if they roughed up the disciples) and brought them in before the Council.
28 “Didn’t we tell you never again to preach about this Jesus?” the High Priest demanded. “And instead you have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring the blame for this man’s death on us!”
29 But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our ancestors brought Jesus back to life again after you had killed him by hanging him on a cross. 31 Then, with mighty power, God exalted him to be a Prince and Savior, so that the people of Israel would have an opportunity for repentance, and for their sins to be forgiven. 32 And we are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to all who obey him.”
33 At this, the Council was furious and decided to kill them. 34 But one of their members, a Pharisee named Gamaliel (an expert on religious law and very popular with the people), stood up and requested that the apostles be sent outside the Council chamber while he talked.
35 Then he addressed his colleagues as follows:
“Men of Israel, take care what you are planning to do to these men! 36 Some time ago there was that fellow Theudas, who pretended to be someone great. About four hundred others joined him, but he was killed, and his followers were harmlessly dispersed.
37 “After him, at the time of the taxation, there was Judas of Galilee. He drew away some people as disciples, but he also died, and his followers scattered.
38 “And so my advice is, leave these men alone. If what they teach and do is merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. 39 But if it is of God, you will not be able to stop them, lest you find yourselves fighting even against God.”
40 The Council accepted his advice, called in the apostles, had them beaten, and then told them never again to speak in the name of Jesus, and finally let them go. 41 They left the Council chamber rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer dishonor for his name. 42 And every day, in the Temple and in their home Bible classes, they continued to teach and preach that Jesus is the Messiah.
Acts 5
Easy-to-Read Version
Ananias and Sapphira
5 There was a man named Ananias. His wife’s name was Sapphira. Ananias sold some land he had, 2 but he gave only part of the money to the apostles. He secretly kept some of the money for himself. His wife knew this, and she agreed with it.
3 Peter said, “Ananias, why did you let Satan fill your mind with such an idea? You kept part of the money for yourself and lied about it to the Holy Spirit! 4 Before you sold the field, it belonged to you, right? And even after you sold it, you could have used the money any way you wanted. How could you even think of doing such a thing? You lied to God, not to us!”
5-6 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. Some young men came and wrapped his body. They carried it out and buried it. And everyone who heard about this was filled with fear.
7 About three hours later his wife came in. Sapphira did not know about what had happened to her husband. 8 Peter said to her, “Tell me how much money you got for your field. Was it this much?”
Sapphira answered, “Yes, that was all we got for the field.”
9 Peter said to her, “Why did you and your husband agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! Do you hear those footsteps? The men who buried your husband are at the door. They will carry you out in the same way.” 10 At that moment Sapphira fell down by his feet and died. The young men came in and saw that she was dead. They carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 The whole church and all the other people who heard about this were filled with fear.
Proofs From God
12 The apostles were given the power to do many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. They were together in Solomon’s Porch, and they all had the same purpose. 13 None of the other people dared to stand with the apostles, but everyone was saying wonderful things about them. 14 More and more people believed in the Lord, and many men and women were added to the group of believers. 15 So the people brought those who were sick into the streets and put them on little beds and mats. They were hoping that Peter’s shadow might fall on them as he walked by. 16 People came from all the towns around Jerusalem. They brought those who were sick or troubled by evil spirits. All of them were healed.
The Apostles Are Arrested
17 The high priest and all his friends, a group called the Sadducees, became very jealous. 18 They grabbed the apostles and put them in jail. 19 But during the night, an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail. The angel led the apostles outside and said, 20 “Go and stand in the Temple area. Tell the people everything about this new life.” 21 When the apostles heard this, they did what they were told. They went into the Temple area about sunrise and began to teach the people.
The high priest and his friends came together and called a meeting of the high council and all the older Jewish leaders. They sent some men to the jail to bring the apostles to them. 22 When the men went to the jail, they could not find the apostles there. So they went back and told the Jewish leaders about this. 23 They said, “The jail was closed and locked. The guards were standing at the doors. But when we opened the doors, the jail was empty!” 24 The captain of the Temple guards and the leading priests heard this. They were confused and wondered what it all meant.
25 Then another man came and told them, “Listen! The men you put in jail are standing in the Temple area teaching the people.” 26 The captain and his men went out and brought the apostles back. But the soldiers did not use force, because they were afraid of the people. They were afraid the people would stone them to death.
27 The soldiers brought the apostles in and made them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them. 28 He said, “We told you never again to teach using that name.[a] But look at what you have done! You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching. And you are trying to blame us for his death.”
29 Peter and the other apostles answered, “We must obey God, not you! 30 You killed Jesus by nailing him to a cross. But God, the same God our fathers had, raised Jesus up from death. 31 Jesus is the one God honored by giving him a place at his right side. He made him our Leader and Savior. God did this to give all the people of Israel the opportunity to change and turn to God to have their sins forgiven. 32 We saw all these things happen, and we can say that they are true. The Holy Spirit also shows that these things are true. God has given this Spirit to all those who obey him.”
33 When the council members heard this, they became very angry. They began to plan a way to kill the apostles. 34 But one member of the council, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, stood up. He was a teacher of the law, and all the people respected him. He told the men to make the apostles leave the meeting for a few minutes. 35 Then he said to them, “Men of Israel, be careful of what you are planning to do to these men. 36 Remember when Theudas appeared? He said he was an important man, and about 400 men joined him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were scattered and ran away. They were not able to do anything. 37 Later, during the time of the census, a man named Judas came from Galilee. Many people joined his group, but he was also killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 And so now I tell you, stay away from these men. Leave them alone. If their plan is something they thought up, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You might even be fighting against God himself!”
The Jewish leaders agreed with what Gamaliel said. 40 They called the apostles in again. They beat them and told them not to speak anymore using the name of Jesus. Then they let them go free. 41 The apostles left the council meeting. They were happy because they were given the honor of suffering dishonor for Jesus. 42 The apostles did not stop teaching the people. They continued to tell the Good News—that Jesus is the Messiah. They did this every day in the Temple area and in people’s homes.
Footnotes
- Acts 5:28 that name That is, Jesus’ name. The Jewish leaders avoided saying his name. See Acts 4:17, 18.
使 徒 行 傳 5
Chinese Union Version (Traditional)
5 有 一 個 人 ， 名 叫 亞 拿 尼 亞 ， 同 他 的 妻 子 撒 非 喇 賣 了 田 產 ，
2 把 價 銀 私 自 留 下 幾 分 ， 他 的 妻 子 也 知 道 ， 其 餘 的 幾 分 拿 來 放 在 使 徒 腳 前 。
3 彼 得 說 ： 亞 拿 尼 亞 ！ 為 甚 麼 撒 但 充 滿 了 你 的 心 ， 叫 你 欺 哄 聖 靈 ， 把 田 地 的 價 銀 私 自 留 下 幾 分 呢 ？
4 田 地 還 沒 有 賣 ， 不 是 你 自 己 的 麼 ？ 既 賣 了 ， 價 銀 不 是 你 作 主 麼 ？ 你 怎 麼 心 裡 起 這 意 念 呢 ？ 你 不 是 欺 哄 人 ， 是 欺 哄 神 了 。
5 亞 拿 尼 亞 聽 見 這 話 ， 就 仆 倒 ， 斷 了 氣 ； 聽 見 的 人 都 甚 懼 怕r 。
6 有 些 少 年 人 起 來 ， 把 他 包 裹 ， 抬 出 去 埋 葬 了 。
7 約 過 了 三 小 時 ， 他 的 妻 子 進 來 ， 還 不 知 道 這 事 。
8 彼 得 對 他 說 ： 你 告 訴 我 ， 你 們 賣 田 地 的 價 銀 就 是 這 些 麼 ？ 他 說 ： 就 是 這 些 。
9 彼 得 說 ： 你 們 為 甚 麼 同 心 試 探 主 的 靈 呢 ？ 埋 葬 你 丈 夫 之 人 的 腳 已 到 門 口 ， 他 們 也 要 把 你 抬 出 去 。
10 婦 人 立 刻 仆 倒 在 彼 得 腳 前 ， 斷 了 氣 。 那 些 少 年 人 進 來 ， 見 他 已 經 死 了 ， 就 抬 出 去 ， 埋 在 他 丈 夫 旁 邊 。
11 全 教 會 和 聽 見 這 事 的 人 都 甚 懼 怕 。
12 主 藉 使 徒 的 手 在 民 間 行 了 許 多 神 蹟s 奇 事 ； 他 們 （ 或 作 ： 信 的 人 ） 都 同 心 合 意 的 在 所 羅 門 的 廊 下 . 。
13 其 餘 的 人 沒 有 一 個 敢 貼 近 他 們 百 姓 卻 尊 重 他 們 。
14 信 而 歸 主 的 人 越 發 增 添 ， 連 男 帶 女 很 多 。
15 甚 至 有 人 將 病 人 抬 到 街 上 ， 放 在 床 上 或 褥 子 上 ， 指 望 彼 得 過 來 的 時 候 ， 或 者 得 他 的 影 兒 照 在 甚 麼 人 身 上 。
16 還 有 許 多 人 帶 著 病 人 和 被 污 鬼 纏 磨 的 ， 從 耶 路 撒 冷 四 圍 的 城 邑 來 ， 全 都 得 了 醫 治 。
17 大 祭 司 和 他 的 一 切 同 人 ， 就 是 撒 都 該 教 門 的 人 ， 都 起 來 ， 滿 心 忌 恨 ，
18 就 下 手 拿 住 使 徒 ， 收 在 外 監 。
19 但 主 的 使 者 夜 間 開 了 監 門 ， 領 他 們 出 來 ，
20 說 ： 你 們 去 站 在 殿 裡 ， 把 這 生 命 的 道 都 講 給 百 姓 聽 。
21 使 徒 聽 了 這 話 ， 天 將 亮 的 時 候 就 進 殿 裡 去 教 訓 人 。 大 祭 司 和 他 的 同 人 來 了 ， 叫 齊 公 會 的 人 ， 和 以 色 列 族 的 眾 長 老 ， 就 差 人 到 監 裡 去 ， 要 把 使 徒 提 出 來 。
22 但 差 役 到 了 ， 不 見 他 們 在 監 裡 ， 就 回 來 稟 報 說 ：
23 我 們 看 見 監 牢 關 得 極 妥 當 ， 看 守 的 人 也 站 在 門 外 ； 及 至 開 了 門 ， 裡 面 一 個 人 都 不 見 。
24 守 殿 官 和 祭 司 長 聽 見 這 話 ， 心 裡 犯 難 ， 不 知 這 事 將 來 如 何 。
25 有 一 個 人 來 稟 報 說 ： 你 們 收 在 監 裡 的 人 ， 現 在 站 在 殿 裡 教 訓 百 姓 。
26 於 是 守 殿 官 和 差 役 去 帶 使 徒 來 ， 並 沒 有 用 強 暴 ， 因 為 怕 百 姓 用 石 頭 打 他 們 。
27 帶 到 了 ， 便 叫 使 徒 站 在 公 會 前 ； 大 祭 司 問 他 們 說 ：
28 我 們 不 是 嚴 嚴 的 禁 止 你 們 ， 不 可 奉 這 名 教 訓 人 麼 ？ 你 們 倒 把 你 們 的 道 理 充 滿 了 耶 路 撒 冷 ， 想 要 叫 這 人 的 血 歸 到 我 們 身 上 ！
29 彼 得 和 眾 使 徒 回 答 說 ： 順 從 神 ， 不 順 從 人 ， 是 應 當 的 。
30 你 們 掛 在 木 頭 上 殺 害 的 耶 穌 ， 我 們 祖 宗 的 神 已 經 叫 他 復 活 。
31 神 且 用 右 手 將 他 高 舉 （ 或 作 ： 他 就 是 神 高 舉 在 自 己 的 右 邊 ） ， 叫 他 作 君 王 ， 作 救 主 ， 將 悔 改 的 心 和 赦 罪 的 恩 賜 給 以 色 列 人 。
32 我 們 為 這 事 作 見 證 ； 神 賜 給 順 從 之 人 的 聖 靈 也 為 這 事 作 見 證 。
33 公 會 的 人 聽 見 就 極 其 惱 怒 ， 想 要 殺 他 們 。
34 但 有 一 個 法 利 賽 人 ， 名 叫 迦 瑪 列 ， 是 眾 百 姓 所 敬 重 的 教 法 師 ， 在 公 會 中 站 起 來 ， 吩 咐 人 把 使 徒 暫 且 帶 到 外 面 去 ，
35 就 對 眾 人 說 ： 以 色 列 人 哪 ， 論 到 這 些 人 ， 你 們 應 當 小 心 怎 樣 辦 理 。
36 從 前 丟 大 起 來 ， 自 誇 為 大 ； 附 從 他 的 人 約 有 四 百 ， 他 被 殺 後 ， 附 從 他 的 全 都 散 了 ， 歸 於 無 有 。
37 此 後 ， 報 名 上 冊 的 時 候 ， 又 有 加 利 利 的 猶 大 起 來 ， 引 誘 些 百 姓 跟 從 他 ； 他 也 滅 亡 ， 附 從 他 的 人 也 都 四 散 了 。
38 現 在 ， 我 勸 你 們 不 要 管 這 些 人 ， 任 憑 他 們 罷 ！ 他 們 所 謀 的 、 所 行 的 ， 若 是 出 於 人 ， 必 要 敗 壞 ；
39 若 是 出 於 神 ， 你 們 就 不 能 敗 壞 他 們 ， 恐 怕 你 們 倒 是 攻 擊 神 了 。
40 公 會 的 人 聽 從 了 他 ， 便 叫 使 徒 來 ， 把 他 們 打 了 ， 又 吩 咐 他 們 不 可 奉 耶 穌 的 名 講 道 ， 就 把 他 們 釋 放 了 。
41 他 們 離 開 公 會 ， 心 裡 歡 喜 ， 因 被 算 是 配 為 這 名 受 辱 。
42 他 們 就 每 日 在 殿 裡 、 在 家 裡 、 不 住 的 教 訓 人 ， 傳 耶 穌 是 基 督 。
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Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International