Acts 4:1–37

Peter and John Arrested

4Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the ^aSadducees came upon them, ²being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. ³And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. ⁴However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

Addressing the Sanhedrin

⁵And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes, ⁶as well as ^bAnnas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. ⁷And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, ^c“By what power or by what name have you done this?”

^8dThen Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: ⁹If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, ¹⁰let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, ^ethat by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, ^fwhom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. ¹¹This is the ^g‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ ^12hNor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

The Name of Jesus Forbidden

¹³Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, ⁱand perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. ¹⁴And seeing the man who had been healed ^jstanding with them, they could say nothing against it. ¹⁵But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, ¹⁶saying, ^k“What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a ¹notable miracle has been done through them is ^levident ²to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.”

^18mSo they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹But Peter and John answered and said to them, ⁿ“Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. ^20oFor we cannot but speak the things which ^pwe have seen and heard.” ²¹So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, ^qbecause of the people, since they all ^rglorified God for ^swhat had been done. ²²For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.

Prayer for Boldness

²³And being let go, ^tthey went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. ²⁴So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, ^uYou are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, ²⁵who ³by the mouth of Your servant David have said:

^v‘Why did the nations rage,

And the people plot vain things?

²⁶The kings of the earth took their stand,

And the rulers were gathered together

Against the Lord and against His Christ.’

²⁷“For ^wtruly against ^xYour holy Servant Jesus, ^ywhom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together ^28zto do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. ²⁹Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants ^athat with all boldness they may speak Your word, ³⁰by stretching out Your hand to heal, ^band that signs and wonders may be done ^cthrough the name of ^dYour holy Servant Jesus.”

³¹And when they had prayed, ^ethe place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, ^fand they spoke the word of God with boldness.

Sharing in All Things

³²Now the multitude of those who believed ^gwere of one heart and one soul; ^hneither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. ³³And with ⁱgreat power the apostles gave ^jwitness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And ^kgreat grace was upon them all. ³⁴Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; ^lfor all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, ^35mand laid them at the apostles’ feet; ⁿand they distributed to each as anyone had need.

³⁶And ⁴Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of ⁵Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, ^37ohaving land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.