Acts 4:18–33

¹⁸So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹But Peter and John answered them, ^k“Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, ²⁰for ^lwe cannot but speak of what ^mwe have seen and heard.” ²¹And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, ⁿbecause of the people, for all were praising God ^ofor what had happened. ²²For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.

The Believers Pray for Boldness

²³When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. ²⁴And when they heard it, they lifted their voices ^ptogether to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, ^qwho made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, ²⁵who through the mouth of our father David, your servant,⁴ said by the Holy Spirit,

^r“ ‘Why did the Gentiles rage,

and the peoples plot in vain?

²⁶The kings of the earth set themselves,

and ^sthe rulers were gathered together,

against the Lord and against his ^tAnointed’⁵—

²⁷for truly in this city there were gathered together against your ^uholy servant Jesus, ^vwhom you anointed, both ^wHerod and ^xPontius Pilate, along ^ywith the Gentiles and ^zthe peoples of Israel, ^28ato do whatever your hand and ^byour plan had predestined to take place. ²⁹And now, Lord, ^clook upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all ^dboldness, ³⁰while ^eyou stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed ^fthrough the name of your ^gholy servant Jesus.” ³¹And when they had prayed, ^hthe place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and ⁱthey were all filled with the Holy Spirit and ^jcontinued to speak the word of God with boldness.

They Had Everything in Common

³²Now the full number of those who believed were of ^kone heart and ^lsoul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but ^mthey had everything in common. ³³And with great ⁿpower the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and ^ogreat grace was upon them all.