Acts 2

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

1 t On the day of Pentecostt all the Lord’s followers were together in one place.2 Suddenly there was a noise from heaven like the sound of a mighty wind! It filled the house where they were meeting.3 Then they saw what looked like fiery tongues moving in all directions, and a tongue came and settled on each person there.

4 The Holy Spirit took control of everyone, and they began speaking whatever languages the Spirit let them speak.
5 Many religious Jews from every country in the world were living in Jerusalem.6 And when they heard this noise, a crowd gathered. But they were surprised, because they were hearing everything in their own languages.7 They were excited and amazed, and said: Don’t all these who are speaking come from Galilee?8 Then why do we hear them speaking our very own languages?9 Some of us are from Parthia, Media, and Elam. Others are from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia,10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, parts of Libya near Cyrene, Rome,

11 Crete, and Arabia. Some of us were born Jews, and others of us have chosen to be Jews. Yet we all hear them using our own languages to tell the wonderful things God has done.

12 Everyone was excited and confused. Some of them even kept asking each other, “What does all this mean?”
13 Others made fun of the Lord’s followers and said, “They are drunk.”

Peter Speaks to the Crowd

14 Peter stood with the eleven apostles and spoke in a loud and clear voice to the crowd:
Friends and everyone else living in Jerusalem, listen carefully to what I have to say!15 You are wrong to think that these people are drunk. After all, it is only nine o’clock in the morning.

16 But this is what God had the prophet Joel say,

17 t17 “When the last days come, I will give my Spirit
to everyone.
Your sons and daughters
will prophesy.
Your young men
will see visions,
and your old men
will have dreams.

18 In those days I will give my Spirit to my servants,
both men and women,
and they will prophesy.

19 I will work miracles in the sky above
and wonders
on the earth below.
There will be blood and fire
and clouds of smoke.

20 The sun will turn dark, and the moon
will be as red as blood
before the great
and wonderful day
of the Lord appears.

21 Then the Lord will save everyone
who asks for his help.”

22 Now, listen to what I have to say about Jesus from Nazareth. God proved that he sent Jesus to you by having him work miracles, wonders, and signs. All of you know this.23 t23 God had already planned and decided that Jesus would be handed over to you. So you took him and had evil men put him to death on a cross.24 t24 But God set him free from death and raised him to life. Death could not hold him in its power.

25 t25 What David said are really the words of Jesus, “I always see the Lord
near me,
and I will not be afraid
with him at my right side.

26 Because of this, my heart will be glad,
my words will be joyful,
and I will live in hope.

27 The Lord won’t leave me in the grave.
I am his holy one,
and he won’t let
my body decay.

28 He has shown me the path to life,
and he makes me glad
by being near me.”

29 My friends, it is right for me to speak to you about our ancestor David. He died and was buried, and his tomb is still here.

30 t30 But David was a prophet, and he knew that God had made a promise he would not break. He had told David that someone from his own family would someday be king.
31 David knew this would happen, and so he told us that Christ would be raised to life. He said that God would not leave him in the grave or let his body decay.

32 All of us can tell you that God has raised Jesus to life!

33 Jesus was taken up to sit at the right sidet of God, and he was given the Holy Spirit, just as the Father had promised. Jesus is also the one who has given the Spirit to us, and that is what you are now seeing and hearing.
34 t David didn’t go up to heaven. So he wasn’t talking about himself when he said, “The Lord told my Lord to sit at his right side,35 until he made my Lord’s enemies into a footstool for him.”

36 Everyone in Israel should then know for certain that God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ, even though you put him to death on a cross.

37 When the people heard this, they were very upset. They asked Peter and the other apostles, “Friends, what shall we do?”
38 Peter said, “Turn back to God! Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven. Then you will be given the Holy Spirit.

39 This promise is for you and your children. It is for everyone our Lord God will choose, no matter where they live.”
40 Peter told them many other things as well. Then he said, “I beg you to save yourselves from what will happen to all these evil people.”41 On that day about three thousand believed his message and were baptized.42 They spent their time learning from the apostles, and they were like family to each other. They also broke breadt and prayed together.

Life Among the Lord’s Followers

43 Everyone was amazed by the many miracles and wonders that the apostles worked.44 t44 All the Lord’s followers often met together, and they shared everything they had.45 They would sell their property and possessions and give the money to whoever needed it.46 Day after day they met together in the temple. They broke breadt together in different homes and shared their food happily and freely,

47 while praising God. Everyone liked them, and each day the Lord added to their group others who were being saved.

Acts 3

Peter and John Heal a Lame Man

1 The time of prayert was about three o’clock in the afternoon, and Peter and John were going into the temple.

2 A man who had been born lame was being carried to the temple door. Each day he was placed beside this door, known as the Beautiful Gate. He sat there and begged from the people who were going in.
3 The man saw Peter and John entering the temple, and he asked them for money.

4 But they looked straight at him and said, “Look up at us!”
5 The man stared at them and thought he was going to get something.6 But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold! But I will give you what I do have. In the name of Jesus Christ from Nazareth, get up and start walking.”7 Peter then took him by the right hand and helped him up. At once the man’s feet and ankles became strong,8 and he jumped up and started walking. He went with Peter and John into the temple, walking and jumping and praising God.9 Everyone saw him walking around and praising God.10 They knew that he was the beggar who had been lying beside the Beautiful Gate, and they were completely surprised. They could not imagine what had happened to the man.

Peter Speaks in the Temple

11 While the man kept holding on to Peter and John, the whole crowd ran to them in amazement at the place known as Solomon’s Porch.t12 Peter saw that a crowd had gathered, and he said: Friends, why are you surprised at what has happened? Why are you staring at us? Do you think we have some power of our own? Do you think we were able to make this man walk because we are so religious?

13 t13 The God that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and our other ancestors worshiped has brought honor to his Servantt Jesus. He is the one you betrayed. You turned against him when he was being tried by Pilate, even though Pilate wanted to set him free.
14 t You rejected Jesus, who was holy and good. You asked for a murderer to be set free,15 and you killed the one who leads people to life. But God raised him from death, and all of us can tell you what he has done.

16 You see this man, and you know him. He put his faith in the name of Jesus and was made strong. Faith in Jesus made this man completely well while everyone was watching.
17 My friends, I am sure that you and your leaders didn’t know what you were doing.18 But God had his prophets tell that his Messiah would suffer, and now he has kept that promise.19 So turn to God! Give up your sins, and you will be forgiven.20 Then that time will come when the Lord will give you fresh strength. He will send you Jesus, his chosen Messiah.

21 But Jesus must stay in heaven until God makes all things new, just as his holy prophets promised long ago.
22 t Moses said, “The Lord your God will choose one of your own people to be a prophet, just as he chose me. Listen to everything he tells you.

23 t23 No one who disobeys that prophet will be one of God’s people any longer.”
24 Samuel and all the other prophets who came later also spoke about what is now happening.25 t25 You are really the ones God told his prophets to speak to. And you were given the promise that God made to your ancestors. He said to Abraham, “All nations on earth will be blessed because of someone from your family.”

26 God sent his chosen Sont to you first, because God wanted to bless you and make each one of you turn away from your sins.

Acts 4

Peter and John are Brought in Front of the Council

1 The apostles were still talking to the people, when some priests, the captain of the temple guard, and some Sadducees arrived.2 These men were angry because the apostles were teaching the people that the dead would be raised from death, just as Jesus had been raised from death.3 It was already late in the afternoon, and they arrested Peter and John and put them in jail for the night.

4 But a lot of people who had heard the message believed it. So by now there were about five thousand followers of the Lord.
5 The next morning the leaders, the elders, and the teachers of the Law of Moses met in Jerusalem.6 The high priest Annas was there, as well as Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other members of the high priest’s family.

7 They brought in Peter and John and made them stand in the middle while they questioned them. They asked, “By what power and in whose name have you done this?”

8 Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and told the nation’s leaders and the elders:
9 You are questioning us today about a kind deed in which a crippled man was healed.10 But there is something we must tell you and everyone else in Israel. This man is standing here completely well because of the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth. You put Jesus to death on a cross, but God raised him to life.11 t11 He is the stone that you builders thought was worthless, and now he is the most important stone of all.

12 Only Jesus has the power to save! His name is the only one in all the world that can save anyone.
13 The officials were amazed to see how brave Peter and John were, and they knew that these two apostles were only ordinary men and not well educated. The officials were certain that these men had been with Jesus.

14 But they could not deny what had happened. The man who had been healed was standing there with the apostles.
15 The officials commanded them to leave the council room. Then the officials said to each other,16 “What can we do with these men? Everyone in Jerusalem knows about this miracle, and we cannot say it didn’t happen.17 But to keep this thing from spreading, we will warn them never again to speak to anyone about the name of Jesus.”

18 So they called the two apostles back in and told them that they must never, for any reason, teach anything about the name of Jesus.
19 Peter and John answered, “Do you think God wants us to obey you or to obey him?

20 We cannot keep quiet about what we have seen and heard.”
21-22 The officials could not find any reason to punish Peter and John. So they threatened them and let them go. The man who was healed by this miracle was more than forty years old, and everyone was praising God for what had happened.

Peter and Others Pray for Courage

23 As soon as Peter and John had been set free, they went back and told the others everything that the chief priests and the leaders had said to them.24 t24 When the rest of the Lord’s followers heard this, they prayed together and said: Master, you created heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.

25 t25 And by the Holy Spirit you spoke to our ancestor David. He was your servant, and you told him to say: “Why are all the Gentiles
so furious?
Why do people
make foolish plans?

26 The kings of earth prepare for war,
and the rulers
join together
against the Lord
and his Messiah.”

27 t Here in Jerusalem, Herodt and Pontius Pilate got together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel. Then they turned against your holy Servantt Jesus, your chosen Messiah.

28 They did what you in your power and wisdom had already decided would happen.
29 Lord, listen to their threats! We are your servants. So make us brave enough to speak your message.

30 Show your mighty power, as we heal people and work miracles and wonders in the name of your holy Servantt Jesus.
31 After they had prayed, the meeting place shook. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and bravely spoke God’s message.

Sharing Possessions

32 t The group of followers all felt the same way about everything. None of them claimed that their possessions were their own, and they shared everything they had with each other.33 In a powerful way the apostles told everyone that the Lord Jesus was now alive. God greatly blessed his followers,t34 and no one went in need of anything. Everyone who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money

35 to the apostles. Then they would give the money to anyone who needed it.

36-37 Joseph was one of the followers who had sold a piece of property and brought the money to the apostles. He was a Levite from Cyprus, and the apostles called him Barnabas, which means “one who encourages others.”