Acts 4:1–20

Peter and John’s Trial in Front of the Jewish Council

¹Some priests, the officer in charge of the temple guards, and some Sadducees approached Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. ²These religious authorities were greatly annoyed. Peter and John were teaching the people and spreading the message that the dead will come back to life through Jesus. ³So the temple guards arrested them. Since it was already evening, they put Peter and John in jail until the next day. 

⁴But many of those who had heard the message became believers, so the number of men who believed grew to about 5,000. 

⁵The next day the Jewish rulers, the leaders, and the experts in Moses’ Teachings met in Jerusalem. ⁶The chief priest Annas, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and the rest of the chief priest’s family were present. ⁷They made Peter and John stand in front of them and then asked, “By what power or in whose name did you do this?” 

⁸Then Peter, because he was filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and leaders of the people, ⁹today you are cross-examining us about the good we did for a crippled man. You want to know how he was made well. ¹⁰You and all the people of Israel must understand that this man stands in your presence with a healthy body because of the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth. You crucified Jesus Christ, but God has brought him back to life. ¹¹He is the stone that the builders rejected, the stone that has become the cornerstone. ¹²No one else can save us. Indeed, we can be saved only by the power of the one named Jesus and not by any other person.” 

¹³After they found out that Peter and John had no education or special training, they were surprised to see how boldly they spoke. They realized that these men had been with Jesus. ¹⁴When they saw the man who was healed standing with Peter and John, they couldn’t say anything against the two apostles. ¹⁵So they ordered Peter and John to leave the council room and began to discuss the matter among themselves. ¹⁶They said, “What should we do to these men? Clearly, they’ve performed a miracle that everyone in Jerusalem knows about. We can’t deny that. ¹⁷So let’s threaten them. Let’s tell them that they must never speak to anyone about the one named Jesus. Then the news about the miracle that they have performed will not spread any further among the people.” 

¹⁸They called Peter and John and ordered them never to teach about Jesus or even mention his name. 

¹⁹Peter and John answered them, “Decide for yourselves whether God wants people to listen to you rather than to him. ²⁰We cannot stop talking about what we’ve seen and heard.”