Acts 2:14–41

Peter Talks to the Crowd

¹⁴Then Peter stood up with the eleven apostles. In a loud voice he said to them, “Men of Judea and everyone living in Jerusalem! You must understand this, so pay attention to what I say. ¹⁵These men are not drunk as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning. ¹⁶Rather, this is what the prophet Joel spoke about: 

¹⁷‘In the last days, God says, 

I will pour my Spirit on everyone. 

Your sons and daughters will speak what God has revealed. 

Your young men will see visions. 

Your old men will dream dreams. 

¹⁸In those days 

I will pour my Spirit on my servants, on both men and women. 

They will speak what God has revealed. 

¹⁹I will work miracles in the sky and give signs on the earth: 

blood, fire, and clouds of smoke. 

²⁰The sun will become dark, 

and the moon will become as red as blood 

before the terrifying day of the Lord comes. 

²¹Then whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ 

²²“Men of Israel, listen to what I say: Jesus from Nazareth was a man whom God brought to your attention. You know that through this man God worked miracles, did amazing things, and gave signs. ²³By using men who don’t acknowledge Moses’ Teachings, you crucified Jesus, who was given over ⸤to death⸥ by a plan that God had determined in advance. ²⁴But God brought him from death back to life and destroyed the pains of death, because death had no power to hold him. ²⁵This is what David meant when he said about Jesus: 

‘I always see the Lord in front of me. 

I cannot be moved because he is by my side. 

²⁶That is why my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices. 

My body also rests securely 

²⁷because you do not abandon my soul to the grave 

or allow your holy one to decay. 

²⁸You make the path of life known to me. 

In your presence there is complete joy.’ 

²⁹“Brothers, I can tell you confidently that our ancestor David died and was buried and that his tomb is here to this day. ³⁰David was a prophet and knew that God had promised with an oath that he would place one of David’s descendants on his throne. ³¹David knew that the Messiah would come back to life, and he spoke about that before it ever happened. He said that the Messiah wouldn’t be left in the grave and that his body wouldn’t decay. 

³²“God brought this man Jesus back to life. We are all witnesses to that. ³³God used his power to give Jesus the honored position—the one next to him on the heavenly throne. Jesus has also received and has poured out the Holy Spirit as the Father had promised, and this is what you’re seeing and hearing. ³⁴David didn’t go up to heaven, but he said, 

‘The Lord said to my Lord, 

the honored position—the one next to me [God the Father] on the heavenly throne— 

³⁵until I put your enemies under your control.” ’ 

³⁶“All the people of Israel should know beyond a doubt that God made Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 

³⁷When the people heard this, they were deeply upset. They asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” 

³⁸Peter answered them, “All of you must turn to God and change the way you think and act, and each of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins will be forgiven. Then you will receive the Holy Spirit as a gift. ³⁹This promise belongs to you and to your children and to everyone who is far away. It belongs to everyone who worships the Lord our God.” 

⁴⁰Peter said much more to warn them. He urged, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” ⁴¹Those who accepted what Peter said were baptized. That day about 3,000 people were added ⸤to the group⸥.