Book of Common Prayer

³² All the believers were one in heart and mind. Not one of them said, `This is mine.' But everything they had was for the use of all.

³³ With much power the apostles told how the Lord Jesus was raised from death. And God blessed them all very much.

^34-35 one of them was in need of anything. Those who owned fields and houses sold them. They brought the money to the apostles. Then the apostles gave each one what he needed.

³⁶ There was a man named Joseph, a Levite. He was born in the country of Cyprus. The apostles called him Barnabas. That means "one who helps."

³⁷ He had a field and sold it. He brought the money to the apostles and gave it to them.

^1-2 man named Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, sold a field. He brought some of the money to the apostles. But he kept the rest of it. His wife knew what he had done.

³ Peter said, `Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart? Why do you lie to the Holy Spirit? You have kept some of the money which you got for the field.

⁴ As long as you had the field, it belonged to you. When you had the money, you could do what you wanted to do with it. Why then did you plan to do a thing like this? You have not lied to men, but to God.'

⁵ As Ananias heard Peter's words, he fell down and died. All who heard these things were very much afraid.

⁶ The young men came and wrapped him up. They carried him out and buried him.

⁷ About three hours later, his wife came in. She did not know what had happened.

⁸ Peter asked her, `Tell me, did you sell the field for so much money?' and she answered, `Yes, that is how much it was.'

⁹ Then Peter said to her, `Why did you two agree together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen, I hear the footsteps of the men who buried your husband. They are at the door. They will carry you out too.'

¹⁰ And she fell down at Peter's 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 Then all the church people, and all the people who heard about this were very much afraid.

¹³ The time for the Passover Feast of the Jews was near. So Jesus went to Jerusalem.

¹⁴ In the temple he found people buying and selling things. They were selling cows, sheep, and doves. Others were sitting at tables changing money for the people.

¹⁵ Jesus tied some pieces of cord together to make a whip. Then he drove out all the people who were buying and selling in the temple. And he drove out the sheep and the cows. He threw down the tables of the money changers and their money.

¹⁶ He said to the people who sold doves, `Take these things out of here. Do not make my Father's house into a market place.'

¹⁷ His disciples remembered that God's word says, `My love for your house is like a fire burning in me.'

¹⁸ The leaders of the Jews said to Jesus, `Who gave you the right to do this? What big work will prove it to us?'

¹⁹ Jesus answered them, `Break down this temple and in three days I will raise it up.'

²⁰ The Jewish leaders said, `It took forty-six years to build this temple. Do you say you will raise it in three days?'

²¹ But Jesus was talking about the temple which was his body.

²² After Jesus died and had been raised from death, the disciples remembered that he had said this to them. Then they believed what the holy writings say. They also believed what Jesus had said to them.

²³ Many people believed in Jesus' name when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast. They believed in him because they saw the big works he did.

²⁴ But Jesus would not trust himself to them.

²⁵ He knew what all people are like. He did not need anyone to tell him about any person, because he knew what was in a person's heart.