Acts 4

CHAPTER 4

Peter and John Arrested

¹Now as they were speaking to the people, the priests and ^athe captain of the temple guard and ^bthe Sadducees ^ccame up to them,

²being greatly agitated because they were teaching the people and proclaiming ^1ain Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

³And they laid hands on them and ^aput them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening.

⁴But many of those who had heard the ¹message believed, and ^athe number of the men came to be about five thousand.

⁵Now it happened that on the next day, their ^arulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem;

⁶and ^aAnnas the high priest was there, and ^bCaiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent.

⁷And when they had placed them in their midst, they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?”

⁸Then Peter, ^1afilled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “^2bRulers and elders of the people,

⁹if we are ¹being examined today for ^aa good deed done to a sick man, ²as to how this man has been ³saved from his sickness,

¹⁰let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that ^1aby the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom ^bGod raised from the dead—²by ³this name this man stands here before you in good health.

¹¹“^1aHe is the ^bstone which was ^crejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone.

¹²“And there is salvation in ^ano one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

Peter and John Threatened and Released

¹³Now as they observed the ^aconfidence of ^bPeter and John and comprehended that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were marveling, and ^cbegan to recognize them ¹as having been with Jesus.

¹⁴And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply.

¹⁵But when they had ordered them to leave the ^1aSanhedrin, they began to confer with one another,

¹⁶saying, “^aWhat should we do with these men? For the fact that a ^bnoteworthy ¹sign has happened through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.

¹⁷“But lest it spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man ^ain this name.”

¹⁸And when they had summoned them, they ^acommanded them not to speak or teach at all ¹in the name of Jesus.

¹⁹But ^aPeter and John answered and said to them, “^bWhether it is right in the sight of God to hear you rather than God, you be the judge;

²⁰for ^awe cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

²¹And when they had threatened them further, they let them go (finding no basis on which to punish them) ^aon account of the people, because they were all ^bglorifying God for what had happened;

²²for the man was more than forty years old on whom this sign of healing had occurred.

²³So when they were released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.

²⁴And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, “O Master, it is You who ^amade the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them,

²⁵who ^aby the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said,

‘^bWhy did the ¹Gentiles rage,

And the peoples devise vain things?

²⁶‘^aThe kings of the earth ¹took their stand,

And the rulers were gathered together

Against the lord and against His ^2bChrist.’

²⁷“For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy ^1aServant Jesus, whom You anointed, both ^bHerod and ^cPontius Pilate, along with ^dthe ²Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,

²⁸to do whatever Your hand and ^aYour purpose predestined to occur.

²⁹“And ¹now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your slaves may ^aspeak Your word with all ^bconfidence,

³⁰while You extend Your hand to heal, and ^1asigns and wonders happen through the name of Your holy ^2bServant Jesus.”

³¹And when they had prayed earnestly, the ^aplace where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all ^bfilled with the Holy Spirit and began to ^cspeak the word of God with ^dconfidence.

Distribution Among Needy Believers

³²And the ¹congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and not one was saying that any of his possessions was his own, but, for them, ^aeverything was common.

³³And ^awith great power the apostles were bearing ^bwitness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.

³⁴For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses ^awould sell them and bring the ¹proceeds of the sales

³⁵and ^alay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be ^bdistributed to each as any had need.

³⁶Now Joseph, a Levite of ^aCyprian birth, who was also called ^bBarnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of ^1cEncouragement),

³⁷and who owned a field, sold it and brought the money and ^alaid it at the apostles’ feet.