Acts 4:32-8:24

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

The Believers Share Their Possessions

³² Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.^{(A) 33} With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.^{(B) 34} There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold.^{(C) 35} They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.^{(D) 36} There was a Levite from Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”). ³⁷ He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.^(E)

Ananias and Sapphira

5 But a man named Ananias, with the consent of his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property; ² with his wife’s knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds and brought only a part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.^{(F) 3} “Ananias,” Peter asked, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land?^{(G) 4} While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, were not the proceeds at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You did not lie to us^[a] but to God!” ⁵ Now when Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard of it. ⁶ The young men came and wrapped up his body, then carried him out and buried him.^(H)

⁷ After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. ⁸ Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you and your husband sold the land for such and such a price.” And she said, “Yes, that was the price.” ⁹ Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”^{(I) 10} Immediately she fell down at his feet and died. When the young men came in they found her dead, so they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. ¹¹ And great fear seized the whole church and all who heard of these things.^(J)

The Apostles Heal Many

¹² Now many signs and wonders were done among the people through the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico.^{(K) 13} None of the rest dared to join them, but the people held them in high esteem.^{(L) 14} Yet more than ever believers were added to the Lord, great numbers of both men and women, ¹⁵ so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, in order that Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he came by.^{(M) 16} A great number of people would also gather from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all cured.

The Apostles Are Persecuted

¹⁷ Then the high priest took action; he and all who were with him (that is, the sect of the Sadducees), being filled with jealousy, ¹⁸ arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison.^{(N) 19} But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors, brought them out, and said,^{(O) 20} “Go, stand in the temple and tell the people the whole message about this life.”^{(P) 21} When they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and went on with their teaching.

When the high priest and those with him arrived, they called together the council and the whole body of the elders of Israel and sent to the prison to have them brought.^{(Q) 22} But when the temple police went there, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, ²³ “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” ²⁴ Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were perplexed about them, wondering what might be going on.^{(R) 25} Then someone arrived and announced, “Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!” ²⁶ Then the captain went with the temple police and brought them, but without violence, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.^(S)

²⁷ When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, ²⁸ saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,^[b] yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.”^{(T) 29} But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.^{[c](U) 30} The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree.^{(V) 31} God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.^{(W) 32} And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”^(X)

³³ When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.^{(Y) 34} But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time. ³⁵ Then he said to them, “Fellow Israelites,^[d] consider carefully what you propose to do to these men. ³⁶ For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him, but he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and disappeared. ³⁷ After him Judas the Galilean rose up at the time of the census and got people to follow him; he also perished, and all who followed him were scattered. ³⁸ So in the present case, I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail;^{(Z) 39} but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them—in that case you may even be found fighting against God!”

They were convinced by him,^{(AA) 40} and when they had called in the apostles, they had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and let them go.^{(AB) 41} As they left the council, they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.^{(AC) 42} And every day in the temple and at home^[e] they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah.^[f](AD)

Seven Chosen to Serve

6 Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food.^{(AE) 2} And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables.^{[g] 3} Therefore, brothers and sisters, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task,^{(AF) 4} while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.” ⁵ What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch.^{(AG) 6} They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.^(AH)

⁷ The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.^(AI)

The Arrest of Stephen

⁸ Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. ⁹ Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others of those from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen. ¹⁰ But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit^[h] with which he spoke.^{(AJ) 11} Then they secretly instigated some men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”^{(AK) 12} They stirred up the people as well as the elders and the scribes; then they suddenly confronted him, seized him, and brought him before the council. ¹³ They set up false witnesses who said, “This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law,^{(AL) 14} for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth^[i] will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed on to us.”^{(AM) 15} And all who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Stephen’s Speech to the Council

7 Then the high priest asked him, “Are these things so?” ² And Stephen replied:

“Brothers^[j] and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,^{(AN) 3} and said to him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you.’^{(AO) 4} Then he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God had him move from there to this country in which you are now living.^{(AP) 5} He did not give him any of it as a heritage, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as his possession and to his descendants after him, even though he had no child.^{(AQ) 6} And God spoke in these terms, that his descendants would be resident aliens in a country belonging to others, who would enslave them and mistreat them during four hundred years.^{(AR) 7} ‘But I will judge the people whom they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’^{(AS) 8} Then he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham^[k] became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac did likewise to Jacob and Jacob to the twelve patriarchs.^(AT)

⁹ “The patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him^{(AU) 10} and rescued him from all his afflictions and enabled him to win favor and to show wisdom when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and over all his household.^{(AV) 11} Now there came a famine throughout Egypt and Canaan and great suffering, and our ancestors could find no food.^{(AW) 12} But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there on their first visit.^{(AX) 13} On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh.^{(AY) 14} Then Joseph sent and invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five in all;^{(AZ) 15} so Jacob went down to Egypt. He himself died there as well as our ancestors,^{(BA) 16} and their bodies^[l] were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.^(BB)

¹⁷ “But as the time drew near for the fulfillment of the promise that God had made to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased and multiplied^{(BC) 18} until another king who had not known Joseph ruled over Egypt. ¹⁹ He dealt craftily with our people and forced our ancestors to abandon their infants so that they would die.^{(BD) 20} At this time Moses was born, and he was beautiful before God. For three months he was brought up in his father’s house, ²¹ and when he was abandoned, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. ²² So Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in his words and deeds.^(BE)

²³ “When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his kinfolk, the Israelites.^{(BF) 24} When he saw one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian. ²⁵ He supposed that his kinsfolk would understand that God through him was rescuing them, but they did not understand. ²⁶ The next day he came to some of them as they were quarreling and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you wrong each other?’ ²⁷ But the man who was wronging his neighbor pushed Moses^[m] aside, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? ²⁸ Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ ²⁹ When he heard this, Moses fled and became a resident alien in the land of Midian. There he became the father of two sons.

³⁰ “Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. ³¹ When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and as he approached to look, there came the voice of the Lord: ³² ‘I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look.^{(BG) 33} Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.^{(BH) 34} I have surely seen the mistreatment of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. Come now, I will send you to Egypt.’^(BI)

³⁵ “It was this Moses whom they rejected when they said, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ and whom God now sent as both ruler and liberator through the angel who appeared to him in the bush.^{(BJ) 36} He led them out, having performed wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years.^{(BK) 37} This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up a prophet for you from your own people as he raised me up.’^{(BL) 38} He is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai and with our ancestors, and he received living oracles to give to us.^{(BM) 39} Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him; instead, they pushed him aside, and in their hearts they turned back to Egypt, ⁴⁰ saying to Aaron, ‘Make gods for us who will lead the way for us; as for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’^{(BN) 41} At that time they made a calf, offered a sacrifice to the idol, and reveled in the works of their hands.^{(BO) 42} But God turned away from them and handed them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:

⁴⁴ “Our ancestors had the tent of testimony in the wilderness, as God^[n] directed when he spoke to Moses, ordering him to make it according to the pattern he had seen.^{(BQ) 45} Our ancestors in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the peoples whom God drove out before our ancestors. And it was there until the time of David,^{(BR) 46} who found favor with God and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the house of Jacob.^{[o](BS) 47} But it was Solomon who built a house for him. ⁴⁸ Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made with human hands;^[p] as the prophet says,^(BT)

⁵¹ “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do.^{(BV) 52} Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers.^{(BW) 53} You are the ones who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet you have not kept it.”^(BX)

The Stoning of Stephen

⁵⁴ When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen.^{[q] 55} But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.^{(BY) 56} “Look,” he said, “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”^{(BZ) 57} But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. ⁵⁸ Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him, and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.^{(CA) 59} While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”^{(CB) 60} Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he died.^[r](CC) 8 ¹ And Saul approved of their killing him.

Saul Persecutes the Church

That day a severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria.^{(CD) 2} Devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him.^{(CE) 3} But Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women, he committed them to prison.^(CF)

Philip Preaches in Samaria

⁴ Now those who were scattered went from place to place proclaiming the word.^{(CG) 5} Philip went down to the city^[s] of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah^[t] to them.^{(CH) 6} The crowds with one accord listened eagerly to what was said by Philip, hearing and seeing the signs that he did, ⁷ for unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, came out of many who were possessed, and many others who were paralyzed or lame were cured.^{(CI) 8} So there was great joy in that city.

⁹ Now a certain man named Simon had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he was someone great.^{(CJ) 10} All of them, from the least to the greatest, listened to him eagerly, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.”^{(CK) 11} And they listened eagerly to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. ¹² But when they believed Philip, who was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.^{(CL) 13} Even Simon himself believed. After being baptized, he stayed constantly with Philip and was amazed when he saw the signs and great miracles that took place.^(CM)

¹⁴ Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.^{(CN) 15} The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit^{(CO) 16} (for as yet the Spirit had not come^[u] upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus).^{(CP) 17} Then Peter and John^[v] laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.^{(CQ) 18} Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, ¹⁹ saying, “Give me also this power so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” ²⁰ But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God’s gift with money!^{(CR) 21} You have no part or share in this, for your heart is not right before God.^{(CS) 22} Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. ²³ For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and the chains of wickedness.”^{(CT) 24} Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you^[w] have said may happen to me.”