Acts 5

Ananias and Sapphira

1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, [also] sold a piece of property. 2 [With] [his] wife’s full knowledge, he kept back [some] of the proceeds [for himself] , [but] brought a portion [and] laid [it] at the apostles’ feet. 3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and withhold [some] of the proceeds from the land? 4 Did it not belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, was it [not] at [your] disposal? How could you conceive such a deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God!” 5 On hearing these words, Ananias fell down [and] died. And great fear came over all who heard [what had happened] . 6 Then the young [men] stepped forward, wrapped up his [body] , and carried [him] out [and] buried [him] . 7 About three hours later his wife also came in, unaware of what had happened. 8 “Tell me,” said Peter, “ [is this] the price you [and your husband ] got for the land?” “Yes,” she answered, “that is the price.” 9 “How could you agree to test the Spirit of [the] Lord?” Peter [replied] . “Look, the feet of the [men who] buried your husband [are] at the door, and they will carry you out [also] .” 10 At that instant she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young [men] came in [and] found her dead. [So] they carried [her] out [and] buried [her] beside her husband. 11 And great fear came over the whole church and all who heard about these [events] .

The Apostles Heal Many

12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people, and with one accord [the believers gathered together] in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 Although the people regarded them highly, no one else dared to join them. 14 Yet more and more believers were brought to the Lord— large numbers of both men and women. 15 As a result, [people] brought the sick into the streets and laid [them] on cots and mats, so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing [the] sick and [those] tormented by unclean spirits, [and] all [of them] were healed.

The Apostles Arrested and Freed

17 Then the high priest and all his associates (who belonged to the party of the Sadducees) rose up with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in [the] public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of [the] Lord opened the doors of the jail [and] brought them out, saying, 20 “Go, stand in the temple courts [and] tell the people the full message of this [new] life.” 21 At daybreak, [the apostles] entered the temple courts as they had been told and began to teach [the people] . [When] the high priest and his associates arrived in the Council, they called together the full assembly of the elders of Israel, and sent to the jail [for] [the apostles] . 22 But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them [there] . [So] they returned with the report: 23 “We found the jail securely locked, [with] the guards posted at the doors; but when we opened [them] , we found no one inside.”

The Apostles Before the Council

24 [When] the captain of the temple [guard] and the chief priests heard this account, they were perplexed as to what was happening. 25 Then someone came in [and] announced, “Look, the men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts, teaching the people!” 26 At that point, the captain went with the officers [and] brought [the apostles] — [but] not by force, for fear the people would stone [them] . 27 They brought them in [and] made [them] stand before the Sanhedrin, [where] the high priest interrogated them. 28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us responsible for this man’s blood.” 29 But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging [Him] on a tree. 31 God exalted Him to His right hand [as] Prince and Savior, [ in order ] to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so [is] the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

Gamaliel's Advice

33 When [the Council members] heard this, they were enraged and wanted to put [the apostles] to death. 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin [and] ordered that the men be put outside for a short time. 35 “Men of Israel,” he said, “consider carefully what you are about to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, [and] about four hundred men joined [him] . [He] was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After [him] , Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and drew away people after him. He too perished, and all his followers were scattered. 38 So in the present [case] I advise you: Leave these men {alone} . Let them go! For if [their] purpose or endeavor is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God.” 40 At this, they yielded to [Gamaliel] . They called the apostles [in] and had them flogged. Then they ordered [them] not to speak in the name of Jesus, [and] released [them] . 41 [The apostles] left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Every day, in the temple [courts] and from house [to house] , they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus [is] the Christ.