Acts 2:14–41

PETER’S SERMON

¹⁴Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them, “Fellow Jews and all you residents of Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and pay attention to my words. ¹⁵For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it’s only nine in the morning.^{F 16}On the contrary, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷And it will be in the last days, says God,

that I will pour out my Spirit on all people;

then your sons and your daughters will prophesy,

your young men will see visions,

and your old men will dream dreams.^k

¹⁸I will even pour out my Spirit

on my servants in those days, both men and women

and they will prophesy.^l

¹⁹I will display wonders in the heaven above

and signs on the earth below:

blood and fire and a cloud of smoke.

²⁰The sun will be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood^m

before the great and glorious day of the Lordⁿ comes.

²¹Then everyone who calls

on the name of the Lord will be saved.^Ao

²²“Fellow Israelites, listen to these words: This Jesus of Nazareth was a man attested to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through him, just as you yourselves know.^{p 23}Though he was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used^B lawless people to nail him to a cross and kill him.^{q 24}God raised him up, ending the pains of death,^r because it was not possible for him to be held by death. ²⁵For David says of him:

I saw the Lord ever before me;

because he is at my right hand,

I will not be shaken.

²⁶Therefore my heart is glad

and my tongue rejoices.

Moreover, my flesh will rest in hope,

²⁷because you will not abandon me in Hades

or allow your holy one to see decay.^s

²⁸You have revealed the paths of life to me;

you will fill me with gladness

in your presence.^Ct

²⁹“Brothers and sisters, I can confidently speak to you about the patriarch David: He is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.^{u 30}Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn an oath to him to seat one of his descendants^D on his throne.^{v 31}Seeing what was to come, he spoke concerning the resurrection of the Messiah: He^E was not abandoned in Hades, and his flesh did not experience decay.^Fw

³²“God has raised^x this Jesus; we are all witnesses of this. ³³Therefore, since he has been exalted to the right hand of God^y and has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit,^a he has poured out^b what you both see and hear. ³⁴For it was not David who ascended into the heavens, but he himself says:

The Lord declared to my Lord,

‘Sit at my right hand

³⁵until I make your enemies your footstool.’^Ac

³⁶“Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”^d

CALL TO REPENTANCE

³⁷When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”^e

³⁸Peter replied, “Repent^f and be baptized,^g each of you, in the name^h of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off,ⁱ as many as the Lord our God will call.” ⁴⁰With many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt^B generation!”^j

A GENEROUS AND GROWING CHURCH

⁴¹So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them.