Beginning
Peter and John at the Council
4 While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were approached by priests, the captain of the soldiers that guarded the Temple, and Sadducees [C Jewish religious party with most influence in the Jewish high court (Sanhedrin) and among the Temple leadership]. 2 They were ·upset [annoyed; disturbed] because the two apostles were teaching the people and were ·preaching [proclaiming] ·that people will rise from the dead through the power of Jesus [L the resurrection of the dead in Jesus; C Sadducees did not believe in the afterlife]. 3 They ·grabbed [seized; arrested] Peter and John and put them in ·jail [custody]. Since it was already ·night [evening], they kept them in jail until the next day. 4 But many of those who had heard Peter and John preach believed the ·things they said [message; L word]. ·There were now about five thousand in the group of believers [or The number of men grew to about five thousand; C probably referring to adult males and so household units].
5 The next day the rulers, the elders, and the ·teachers of the law [scribes] ·met [assembled] in Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest, Caiaphas [C Annas was the former high priest and father-in-law of Caiaphas, the official high priest; Luke 3:2], John, and Alexander [C perhaps sons of Annas] were there, as well as ·everyone [or others] from the high priest’s family. 7 They made Peter and John stand before them and then ·asked [questioned; interrogated] them, “By what power or ·authority [L in/by what name] did you do this?”
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and you elders, 9 are you ·questioning [examining] us [L today] about a ·good thing [good deed; act of kindness] that was done to a ·crippled [lame; sick] man? Are you asking us ·who made him well [or how he was made well/healed]? 10 We want all of you and all the people [of Israel] to know that this man was made well ·by the power [L in/by the name] of Jesus Christ ·from Nazareth [or the Nazarene]. You crucified him, but God raised him from the dead. This man was ·crippled [lame; sick], but he is now ·well [healthy] and able to stand here before you because of the ·power [L name] of Jesus. 11 Jesus is
‘the stone that you builders ·rejected [despised],
which has become the cornerstone [Ps. 118:22; C Jesus is the central stone that holds up the building].’
12 ·Jesus is the only One who can save people [L Salvation is found/present in no one else]. ·No one else [L No other name given to people] ·in the world [L under heaven] is able to save us.”
13 The leaders saw that Peter and John were ·not afraid to speak [bold; confident], and they ·understood [discovered; found out] that these men ·had no special training or education [or were common/ordinary and uneducated; C no formal training from a rabbi in teaching Scripture]. So they were amazed. Then they realized that Peter and John had been with Jesus. 14 Because they saw the healed man standing there beside the two apostles, they could say nothing against them. 15 After the leaders ordered them to leave the ·meeting [or Sanhedrin; C a council of the chief leaders of the Jewish people], they began to ·talk to [confer with] each other. 16 They said, “What shall we do with these men? Everyone [L who lives] in Jerusalem knows they have done a great ·miracle [L sign], and we cannot say it is not true. 17 But to keep it from spreading among the people, we must warn them not to talk to people anymore ·using that name [or about that name/person].”
18 So they called Peter and John in again and ·told [commanded; ordered] them not to ·speak [preach] or to teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “You ·decide [judge] what ·God would want [L is right before God]. Should we ·obey [listen to] you or God? 20 [L For] We cannot ·keep quiet [stop speaking] about what we have seen and heard.” 21 The leaders ·warned [threatened] the apostles again and let them go free. They could not find a way to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had ·been done [happened]. 22 The man who received the ·miracle [L sign] of healing was more than forty years old.
The Believers Pray
23 After Peter and John ·left the meeting of leaders [L were released], they went to their own group and ·told them [reported] everything the ·leading [T chief] priests and the elders had said to them. 24 When the believers heard this, they ·prayed [L raised their voices] to God together, “·Lord [or Sovereign; Master], you are the One who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in them [Gen. 1; Ps. 8; 19; 104]. 25 By the Holy Spirit, through our father David your ·servant [or child], you said:
‘Why are the ·nations [Gentiles] ·so angry [furious; raging]?
Why are the people ·making useless plans [plotting in vain]?
26 The kings of the earth ·prepare to fight [take their stand],
and their ·leaders [rulers] ·make plans [or gather; assemble] together
against the Lord
and his ·Christ [Messiah; Anointed One; Ps. 2:1–2; C the psalm describes the unrest of subject nations at the coronation of Israel’s anointed king].’
27 ·These things really happened when [For truly; Indeed] Herod, Pontius Pilate, and ·some Jews [the people of Israel] and Gentiles all came together here in ·Jerusalem [L this city] against your holy ·servant [child] Jesus, the One you ·made to be the Christ [L anointed; Luke 4:18; C Christ in Greek and Messiah in Hebrew mean “anointed one”]. 28 These people made your plan happen because of your ·power [L hand] and your ·will [purpose]. [or L They did whatever your hand and your purpose predestined/determined beforehand to be done.] 29 And now, Lord, ·listen to [consider] their threats. Lord, help us, your ·servants [slaves], to speak your ·word [message] ·without fear [L with all boldness/confidence]. 30 ·Show us your power [L Stretch out your hand] to heal. Give ·proofs [signs] and ·make miracles happen [wonders] by the ·power [L name] of Jesus, your holy ·servant [or child].”
31 After they had prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke God’s ·word [message] ·without fear [L with boldness/confidence/courage].
The Believers Share
32 The group of believers were ·united in their hearts and spirit [L one heart and mind/soul; Jer. 32:39]. ·All those in the group acted as though their private property belonged to everyone in the group [L No one said any of their possessions was their own]. In fact, ·they shared everything [or everything was held in common]. 33 With great power the apostles ·were telling people [gave testimony; witnessed] that the Lord Jesus was truly raised from the dead. And ·God blessed all the believers very much [L great grace was on all of them]. 34 [L For] There were no needy people among them [Deut. 15:4]. [L Because] From time to time those who owned fields or houses sold them, brought the money from the sale, 35 and ·gave it to [L laid it at the feet of] the apostles. Then the money was ·given [distributed] to anyone who needed it.
36 One of the believers was named Joseph, a Levite [C the Israelite tribe set apart for priestly service] born in Cyprus [C an island to the west of the coast of Syria]. The apostles called him Barnabas (which means ·“one who encourages” [L “son of encouragement”]). 37 Joseph owned a field, sold it, brought the money, and ·gave it to [L laid it at the feet of] the apostles.
Ananias and Sapphira Die
5 But a man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold ·some land [a piece of property]. 2 He ·kept back [pilfered; skimmed off] part of the ·money [proceeds; price] for himself; his wife knew about this and agreed to it. But he brought the rest of the money and ·gave it to [L laid it at the feet of] the apostles. 3 Peter said, “Ananias, why did you let Satan ·rule your thoughts [L fill your heart] to lie to the Holy Spirit and to ·keep [pilfer; skim off] for yourself part of the ·money [proceeds] you received for the land? 4 Before you sold the land, it belonged to you. And even after you sold it, you could have used the ·money [proceeds] any way you wanted. Why did you think of doing this? You lied to God, not to us!”
7 About three hours later his wife came in, but she did not know what had happened. 8 Peter said to her, “Tell me, was the ·money [payment] you got for your field this much?”
Sapphira answered, “Yes, that was the price.”
9 Peter said to her, “Why did you and your husband ·agree [conspire] to test the Spirit of the Lord [Gal. 6:7–8]? Look! The ·men [L feet of those] who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 ·At that moment [Instantly] Sapphira fell down by his feet and died. When the young men came in and ·saw [discovered; found] that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 The whole church and all the others who heard about these things were filled with ·fear [terror; awe].
The Apostles Heal Many
12 The apostles did many ·signs [miracles] and ·miracles [wonders] among the people. And they would all meet together on Solomon’s Porch [see 3:11]. 13 None of the others dared to join them, ·but [or even though] all the people ·respected [praised; highly regarded] them. 14 More and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to the ·group [crowd; multitude] of believers. 15 [As a result] The people placed their sick on ·beds [cots] and mats in the streets, hoping that when Peter passed by at least his shadow might fall on [L some of] them. 16 Crowds came from all the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those who were ·bothered [tormented] by ·evil [L unclean; C demons were viewed as “unclean” or defiling spirit-beings] spirits, and all of them were healed.
Leaders Try to Stop the Apostles
17 The high priest and all his friends (a ·group [sect; religious party] called the Sadducees [4:1]) became very ·jealous [indignant; or zealous; C perhaps referring to their religious zeal]. 18 They ·took [seized; arrested; L put hands on] the apostles and put them in [public] ·jail [custody]. 19 But during the night, an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the ·jail [prison] and led the apostles outside. The angel said, 20 “Go stand in the Temple [C courts; 2:46] and tell the people ·everything [or the full message; L all the words] about this new life.” 21 When the apostles heard this, they obeyed and went into the Temple [C courts; 2:46] early in the morning and ·continued [or began] teaching.
When the high priest and his friends arrived, they called a meeting of the ·leaders [L Sanhedrin; 4:15] ·and [or that is,] ·all the important elders [L the whole senate/council of the sons of Israel]. They sent some men to the ·jail [prison] to bring the apostles to them. 22 But, upon arriving, the ·officers [temple police] could not find the apostles. So they went back and reported to the leaders. 23 They said, “·The jail was [L We found the jail] closed and locked, and the guards were standing at the doors. But when we opened the doors, ·the jail was empty [L we found no one inside]!” 24 Hearing this, the captain of the Temple guards and the ·leading [T chief] priests were ·confused [puzzled; confounded] and wondered what ·was happening [or this might lead to].
25 Then someone came and told them, “Listen [L Look]! The men you put in ·jail [prison] are standing in the Temple [courts] teaching the people.” 26 Then the captain and ·his men [the officers/attendants; C the temple police] went out and brought the apostles back. But they did not use force, because they were afraid the people would stone them to death.
27 They brought the apostles to the ·meeting [L Sanhedrin; 4:15] and made them stand before the leaders. The high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in that name [C of Jesus]. But look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are ·trying [wishing; intending] to make us responsible for this man’s ·death [L blood].”
29 Peter and the other apostles answered, “We must obey God, not ·human authority [L people]! 30 You ·killed [murdered] Jesus by hanging him on a ·cross [L tree]. But God, the God of our ancestors, raised Jesus up from the dead! 31 Jesus is the One whom God ·raised [exalted] to be on his right ·side [L hand], as ·Leader [Prince; Ruler] and Savior. Through him, ·the people of Israel [L Israel] could ·change their hearts and lives [repent] and have their sins forgiven. 32 We ·saw all these things happen [L testify to/are witnesses of these things]. The Holy Spirit, whom God has given to all who obey him, also ·proves [or testifies that] these things are true.”
33 When the leaders heard this, they became ·angry [furious] and wanted to kill them. 34 But a Pharisee [C a member of a religious party that strictly observed OT laws, added traditions, and represented a minority on the Sanhedrin] named Gamaliel [C Paul’s teacher; 22:3] stood up in the ·meeting [L Sanhedrin; 4:15]. He was a teacher of the law, and all the people respected him. He ordered the ·apostles [L men] to leave the meeting for a little while. 35 Then he said, “·People of Israel [L Men, Israelites], be careful what you are planning to do to these men. 36 ·Remember when [or Some time ago] Theudas ·appeared [L rose up]? He ·said [claimed] he was ·a great man [L somebody], and about four hundred men joined him. But he was killed, and all his followers were scattered; they ·were able to do nothing [failed; came to nothing]. 37 Later, a man named ·Judas came from Galilee [or Judas the Galilean appeared/arose] at the time of the ·registration [census; C of people and possessions, for tax purposes; Judas led a tax revolt]. He also led a group of followers and ·was killed [perished], and all his followers were scattered. 38 And so now I tell you: Stay away from these men, and leave them alone. If their ·plan [or activity; endeavor] comes from human ·authority [or origin], it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You might even ·be [find yourselves] fighting against God himself!”
The leaders ·agreed with [were convinced by] what Gamaliel said. 40 They called the apostles in, ·beat [flogged; whipped] them, and ·told [commanded] them not to speak in the name of Jesus again. Then they let them go free. 41 The apostles left the ·meeting [L presence of the Sanhedrin/council; 4:15] ·full of joy [rejoicing] because they were ·given the honor [or considered worthy by God] of suffering disgrace for ·Jesus [L the name]. 42 Every day in the Temple [courts] and in people’s homes they continued teaching the people and ·telling [proclaiming] the ·Good News [Gospel] —that Jesus is the ·Christ [Messiah].
Seven Leaders Are Chosen
6 The number of ·followers [disciples] was ·growing [multiplying]. But during ·this same time [those days], the ·Greek-speaking followers [L Hellenists; C Jewish Christians who spoke primarily Greek and had returned to Israel after living abroad] ·had an argument with [began grumbling/complaining against] the ·other followers [L Hebrews; C Aramaic speaking Jewish Christians born in Israel]. The Greek-speaking widows were ·not getting their share [being neglected/overlooked in the distribution] of the food that was given out every day. 2 The ·twelve apostles [Twelve] called the whole group of ·followers [L disciples] together and said, “It is not right for us to ·stop our work of teaching God’s word [L leave/abandon the word of God] in order to serve tables. 3 So, ·brothers and sisters [or brothers; C uncertain whether women would have been included in that culture], choose seven of your own men who ·are good [have a good reputation], full of the Spirit and full of wisdom. We will ·put [appoint] them in charge of this ·work [responsibility; L need]. 4 Then we [apostles] can ·continue [devote ourselves] to pray and to ·teach [L the ministry/service of] the word of God.”
5 The whole group ·liked [was pleased with] the idea, so they chose these seven men: Stephen (a man ·with great [L full of] faith and full of the Holy Spirit), Philip [C not the apostle of the same name], Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas (a man from Antioch [C a major city in Syria] who ·had become a follower of the Jewish religion [L was a prosylete; C a Gentile convert to Judaism]. 6 Then they ·put [presented] these men before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands [C a ritual of blessing and/or conferring of authority] on them.
7 The word of God was continuing to spread. The ·group [number] of ·followers [disciples] in Jerusalem [quickly; or greatly] ·increased [multiplied], and a great number of the Jewish priests ·believed and obeyed [L become obedient to the faith].
Stephen Is Accused
8 Stephen was ·richly blessed by God who gave him the power [L full of grace and power] to do great ·miracles [wonders] and signs among the people. 9 But some people ·were [rose up] against him. They belonged to the synagogue of Free Men [C Jews who were freed slaves] (as it was called), which included people from Cyrene, Alexandria [C both in North Africa], Cilicia, and Asia [C both in Asia Minor, present-day Turkey]. They all ·came [rose up; came forward] and ·argued [debated; disputed] with Stephen.
10 But ·the Spirit was helping him to speak with wisdom, and his words were so strong that they could not argue with him [L they could not resist the wisdom and Spirit/spirit by which he spoke]. 11 So they ·secretly urged [or bribed] some men to say, “We heard Stephen ·speak [L speaking blasphemous words] against Moses and against God.”
12 They ·stirred up [roused; incited] the people, the elders, and the teachers of the law. They ·came [or confronted] and grabbed Stephen and brought him to ·a meeting of the leaders [L the Sanhedrin; 4:15]. 13 They brought in some ·people to tell lies about Stephen [L false witnesses], saying, “This man is always speaking against this holy place [C the Temple] and the law of Moses. 14 We heard him say that Jesus ·from Nazareth [or the Nazarene] will destroy this place and that Jesus will change the customs Moses gave us [C for a similar charge leveled against Jesus see Matt. 26:61; Mark 14:58].” 15 All the people [who sat] in the ·meeting [L Sanhedrin; 4:15] ·were watching Stephen closely [or stared intently at Stephen] ·and [or because they] saw that his face looked like the face of an angel.
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