Act 2-5 | ESV | STEP | When the day of Pentecost arrived , they were all together in one place.

1 When ^athe day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like ^ba mighty rushing wind, and ^cit filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues ^das of fire appeared to them and rested ^{▼▼Or And tongues as of fire appeared to them, distributed among them, and rested} on each one of them. 4 And they were all ^ffilled with the Holy Spirit and began ^gto speak in other tongues ^has the Spirit gave them utterance.

5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And ⁱat this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And ^jthey were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking ^kGalileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and ^lMedes and ^mElamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and ⁿproselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And ^oall were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others ^pmocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

Peter’s Sermon at Pentecost

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, ^qsince it is only the third hour of the day. ^{▼▼That is, 9 a.m.} 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

17 ^s“‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
^tthat I will pour out my Spirit ^uon all flesh,
and your sons and ^vyour daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
18 even on my male servants ^{▼▼Greek bondservants; twice in this verse} and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and ^xthey shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
20 ^ythe sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before ^zthe day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
21 And it shall come to pass that ^aaeveryone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, ^aba man attested to you by God ^acwith ^admighty works and wonders and signs that ^aeGod did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, ^{▼▼Greek this one} ^agdelivered up according to ^ahthe definite plan and ^aiforeknowledge of God, ^ajyou crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 ^akGod raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because ^alit was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him,

^am“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell ^anin hope.
27 For you will not abandon my soul to ^aoHades,
^apor let your ^aqHoly One ^arsee corruption.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about ^asthe patriarch David ^atthat he both died and ^auwas buried, and ^avhis tomb is with us to this day. 30 ^awBeing therefore a prophet, and knowing that ^axGod had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that ^ayhe was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus ^azGod raised up, ^baand of that we all are witnesses. 33 ^bbBeing therefore ^bcexalted at the right hand of God, and having received from ^bdthe Father ^bethe promise of the Holy Spirit, ^bfhe has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For ^bgDavid did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

^bh“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
35 until I make your enemies your footstool.”’
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that ^biGod has made him ^bjboth Lord and Christ, this Jesus ^bkwhom you crucified.”

37 Now when ^blthey heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, ^bmwhat shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, ^bn“Repent and ^bobe baptized every one of you ^bpin the name of Jesus Christ ^bqfor the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive ^brthe gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For ^bsthe promise is for you and ^btfor your children and for all ^buwho are far off, everyone ^bvwhom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, ^bw“Save yourselves from this ^bxcrooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and ^bythere were added that day about three thousand souls.

The Fellowship of the Believers

42 And ^bzthey devoted themselves to the apostles’ ^cateaching and the ^cbfellowship, to ^ccthe breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe ^{▼▼Or fear} came upon every soul, and ^cemany wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and ^cfhad all things in common. 45 And ^cgthey were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, ^chattending the temple ^citogether and ^cjbreaking bread in their homes, they received their food ^ckwith glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and ^clhaving favor with all the people. And the Lord ^cmadded to their number ^cnday by day those who ^cowere being saved.

Acts 3

The Lame Beggar Healed

1 Now Peter and John were ^cpgoing up to the temple at ^cqthe hour of prayer, ^crthe ninth hour. ^{▼▼That is, 3 p.m.} 2 And a man ^ctlame from birth was being carried, ^cuwhom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate ^cvto ask alms of those entering the temple. 3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. 4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, ^cw“I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. ^cxIn the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 And ^cyleaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And ^czall the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Peter Speaks in Solomon’s Portico

11 ^daWhile he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in ^dbthe portico called Solomon’s. 12 And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? 13 ^dcThe God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, ^ddthe God of our fathers, ^deglorified his servant ^{▼▼Or child; also verse 26} Jesus, whom ^dgyou delivered over and ^dhdenied in the presence of Pilate, ^diwhen he had decided to release him. 14 But you denied ^djthe Holy and ^dkRighteous One, and ^dlasked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and you killed ^dmthe Author of life, ^dnwhom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 And ^dohis name—by ^dpfaith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is ^dqthrough Jesus ^{▼▼Greek him} has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

17 “And now, brothers, I know that ^dsyou acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But what God ^dtforetold ^duby the mouth of all the prophets, that ^dvhis Christ would ^dwsuffer, he thus fulfilled. 19 ^dxRepent therefore, and ^dyturn back, that ^dzyour sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ ^eaappointed for you, Jesus, 21 ^ebwhom heaven must receive until the time for ^ecrestoring all the things about which ^edGod spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. 22 Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you ^eea prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen ^efto him in whatever he tells you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet ^egshall be destroyed from the people.’ 24 And ^ehall the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. 25 ^eiYou are the sons of the prophets and of ^ejthe covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ^ek‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ 26 ^elGod, ^emhaving raised up his servant, sent him to you first, ^ento bless you ^eoby turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

Acts 4

Peter and John Before the Council

1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and ^epthe captain of the temple and ^eqthe Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming ^erin Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and ^esput them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and ^etthe number of the men came to about five thousand.

5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with ^euAnnas the high priest and ^evCaiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, ^ew“By what power or ^exby what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, ^eyfilled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today ^ezconcerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that ^faby the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, ^fbwhom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 ^fcThis Jesus ^{▼▼Greek This one} is the stone that was ^ferejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. ^{▼▼Greek the head of the corner} 12 And there is ^fgsalvation ^fhin no one else, for ^fithere is no other ^fjname under heaven given among men ^{▼▼The Greek word anthropoi refers here to both men and women} by which we must be saved.”

13 ^flNow when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 But seeing the man who was healed ^fmstanding beside them, ^fnthey had nothing to say in opposition. 15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16 saying, ^fo“What shall we do with these men? For that ^fpa notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them ^fqto speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, ^fr“Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for ^fswe cannot but speak of what ^ftwe have seen and heard.” 21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, ^fubecause of the people, for all were praising God ^fvfor what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.

The Believers Pray for Boldness

23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices ^fwtogether to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, ^fxwho made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, ^{▼▼Or child; also verses 27, 30} said by the Holy Spirit,

^fz“‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and ^gathe rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against his ^gbAnointed’ ^{▼▼Or Christ}—
27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your ^gdholy servant Jesus, ^gewhom you anointed, both ^gfHerod and ^ggPontius Pilate, along ^ghwith the Gentiles and ^githe peoples of Israel, 28 ^gjto do whatever your hand and ^gkyour plan had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, ^gllook upon their threats and grant to your servants ^{▼▼Greek bondservants} to continue to speak your word with all ^gnboldness, 30 while ^goyou stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed ^gpthrough the name of your ^gqholy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, ^grthe place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and ^gsthey were all filled with the Holy Spirit and ^gtcontinued to speak the word of God with boldness.

They Had Everything in Common

32 Now the full number of those who believed were of ^guone heart and ^gvsoul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but ^gwthey had everything in common. 33 And with great ^gxpower the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and ^gygreat grace was upon them all. 34 ^gzThere was not a needy person among them, for ^haas many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and ^hblaid it at the apostles’ feet, and ^hcit was distributed to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means ^hdson of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and ^helaid it at the apostles’ feet.

Acts 5

Ananias and Sapphira

1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife’s knowledge ^hfhe kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and ^hglaid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has ^hhSatan filled your heart to lie ^hito the Holy Spirit and ^hjto keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but ^hkto God.” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he ^hlfell down and breathed his last. And ^hmgreat fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and ^hnwrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.

7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you ^{▼▼The Greek for you is plural here} sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together ^hpto test ^hqthe Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And ^hrgreat fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

Many Signs and Wonders Done

12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people ^hsby the hands of the apostles. And they were all ^httogether in ^huSolomon’s Portico. 13 None of the rest dared join them, but ^hvthe people held them in high esteem. 14 And ^hwmore than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 ^hxso that they even ^hycarried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by ^hzat least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, ^iabringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

The Apostles Arrested and Freed

17 But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of ^ibthe Sadducees), and filled with ^icjealousy 18 they arrested the apostles and ^idput them in the public prison. 19 But during the night ^iean angel of the Lord ^ifopened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all ^igthe words of ^ihthis ⁱⁱLife.” 21 And when they heard this, ^ijthey entered the temple ^ikat daybreak and began to teach.

Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22 But when the officers came, 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 ^ilthe captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. 25 And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison ^imare standing in the temple and teaching the people.” 26 Then ⁱⁿthe captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for ^iothey were afraid of being stoned by the people.

27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, 28 saying, ^ip“We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you ^iqintend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, ^ir“We must obey God rather than men. 30 ^isThe God of our fathers ^itraised Jesus, ^iuwhom you killed by hanging him on ^iva tree. 31 God exalted ^iwhim at his right hand as ^ixLeader and ^iySavior, ^izto give ^jarepentance to Israel and ^jbforgiveness of sins. 32 And ^jcwe are witnesses to these things, and ^jdso is the Holy Spirit, ^jewhom God has given to those who obey him.”

33 When they heard this, they ^jfwere enraged and wanted to kill them. 34 But a Pharisee in the council named ^jgGamaliel, ^jha teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. 35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. 36 For ^jibefore these days Theudas rose up, ^jjclaiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of ^jkthe census and drew away some of the people after him. He too 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, for ^jlif this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; 39 but ^jmif it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You ^jnmight even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice, 40 and ^jowhen they had called in the apostles, ^jpthey beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 Then they left the presence of the council, ^jqrejoicing that they were counted worthy ^jrto suffer dishonor for ^jsthe name. 42 And every day, ^jtin the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and ^jupreaching ^jvthat the Christ is Jesus.