Reject Idolatry

13 “^[a](A)If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, ² and the sign or the wonder comes true, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘^(B)Let’s follow other gods (whom you have not known) and let’s serve them,’ ³ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is ^(C)testing you to find out whether ^(D)you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. ^4 (E)You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and ^(F)cling to Him. ⁵ But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be ^(G)put to death, because he has spoken falsely against the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of ^[b]slavery, ^(H)to drive you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. ^(I)So you shall eliminate the evil from among you.

⁶ “^(J)If your brother, your mother’s son, or your son or daughter, or the wife ^[c]you cherish, or your friend who is like your own soul, entices you secretly, saying, ‘^(K)Let’s go and serve other gods’ (whom neither you nor your fathers have known, ⁷ of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near you, or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end), ^8 (L)you shall not consent to him or listen to him; ^(M)and your eye shall not pity him, nor shall you spare or conceal him. ^9 (N)Instead, you shall most certainly kill him; ^(O)your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. ¹⁰ So you shall stone him ^[d]to death, because he has attempted ^(P)to drive you away from the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of ^[e]slavery. ¹¹ Then ^(Q)all Israel will hear about it and be afraid, and will not do such a wicked thing among you again.

¹² “If you hear in one of your cities, which the Lord your God is giving you to live in, anyone saying that ¹³ some worthless men have gone out from among you and have seduced the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘^(R)Let’s go and serve other gods’ (whom you have not known), ¹⁴ then you shall investigate, search out, and inquire thoroughly. And if it is true and the matter is certain that this abomination has been committed among you, ^15 (S)you shall most certainly strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword. ^[f]Utterly destroy it and all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword. ^16 (T)Then you shall gather all its plunder into the middle of its public square, and burn the city and all its plunder with fire as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God; and it shall be a ^[g](U)ruin forever. It shall never be rebuilt. ¹⁷ Nothing at all from what is designated for destruction is to cling to your hand, in order that the Lord may turn from ^(V)His burning anger and ^(W)show mercy to you, and have compassion on you and ^(X)make you increase, just ^(Y)as He has sworn to your fathers, ^18 [h]if you will listen to the voice of the Lord your God, ^[i]keeping all His commandments which I am commanding you today, ^[j]and doing what is right in the sight of the Lord your God.

The Lord’s Covenant with David and Israel’s Afflictions.

A ^[a]Maskil of ^[b]Ethan ^[c]the Ezrahite.

Peter and John Arrested

4 As they were speaking to the people, the priests and ^(A)the captain of the temple guard and ^(B)the Sadducees ^(C)came up to them, ² being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming ^[a](D)in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. ³ And they laid hands on them and ^(E)put them in prison until the next day, for it was already evening. ⁴ But many of those who had heard the ^[b]message believed; and ^(F)the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

⁵ On the next day, their ^(G)rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; ⁶ and ^(H)Annas the high priest was there, and ^(I)Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent. ⁷ When they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” ⁸ Then Peter, ^[c](J)filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “^[d](K)Rulers and elders of the people, ⁹ if we are ^[e]on trial today for ^(L)a benefit done to a sick man, as to ^[f]how this man has been made well, ¹⁰ let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that ^[g](M)by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom ^(N)God raised from the dead—^[h]by ^[i]this name this man stands here before you in good health. ^11 [j](O)He is the ^(P)stone which was ^(Q)rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief cornerstone. ¹² And there is salvation in ^(R)no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among mankind by which we must be saved.”

Threat and Release

¹³ Now as they observed the ^(S)confidence of ^(T)Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and ^(U)began to recognize them ^[k]as having been with Jesus. ¹⁴ And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply. ¹⁵ But when they had ordered them to leave the ^[l](V)Council, they began to confer with one another, ¹⁶ saying, “^(W)What are we to do with these men? For the fact that a ^(X)noteworthy ^[m]miracle has taken place through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷ But so that it will not spread any further among the people, let’s warn them not to speak any longer to any person ^(Y)in this name.” ¹⁸ And when they had summoned them, they ^(Z)commanded them not to speak or teach at all ^[n]in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But ^(AA)Peter and John answered and said to them, “^(AB)Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, make your own judgment; ²⁰ for ^(AC)we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” ²¹ When they had threatened them further, they let them go (finding no basis on which to punish them) ^(AD)on account of the people, because they were all ^(AE)glorifying God for what had happened; ²² for the man on whom this ^[o]miracle of healing had been performed was more than forty years old.

²³ When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported everything that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. ²⁴ And when they heard this, they raised their voices to God with one mind and said, “^[p]Lord, it is You who ^(AF)made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything that is in them, ²⁵ who ^(AG)by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said,

²⁷ For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy ^[t](AK)servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both ^(AL)Herod and ^(AM)Pontius Pilate, along with ^(AN)the ^[u]Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, ²⁸ to do whatever Your hand and ^(AO)purpose predestined to occur. ²⁹ And ^[v]now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant it to Your bond-servants to ^(AP)speak Your word with all ^(AQ)confidence, ³⁰ while You extend Your hand to heal, and ^[w](AR)signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy ^[x](AS)servant Jesus.” ³¹ And when they had prayed, the ^(AT)place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all ^(AU)filled with the Holy Spirit and began to ^(AV)speak the word of God with ^(AW)boldness.

Sharing among Believers

³² And the ^[y]congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them ^[z]claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but ^(AX)all things were common property to them. ³³ And ^(AY)with great power the apostles were giving ^(AZ)testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. ³⁴ For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses ^(BA)would sell them and bring the ^[aa]proceeds of the sales ³⁵ and ^(BB)lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be ^(BC)distributed to each to the extent that any had need.

³⁶ Now Joseph, a Levite of ^(BD)Cyprian birth, who was also called ^(BE)Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of ^[ab](BF)Encouragement), ^37 [ac]owned a tract of land. So he sold it, and brought the money and ^(BG)laid it at the apostles’ feet.