Study Desk

But Peter, ^[o]taking his stand with ^(s)the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: "Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words.

For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, ^(t)for it is only the ^[p]third hour of the day;

but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:

‘^(u) And it shall be in the last days ,' God says, ‘ That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all ^[q] mankind ; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy , And your young men shall see visions , And your old men shall dream dreams ;

Even on My bondslaves, both men and women , I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit And they shall prophesy.

‘ And I will grant wonders in the sky above And signs on the earth below , Blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke .

‘ The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood , Before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come .

‘ And it shall be that ^(v) everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved .'

"Men of Israel, listen to these words: ^(w)Jesus the Nazarene, ^(x)a man ^[r]attested to you by God with ^[s]miracles and ^(y)wonders and ^[t]signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know—

this Man, delivered over by the ^(z)predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, ^(aa)you nailed to a cross by the hands of ^[u]godless men and put Him to death.

^[v]But ^(ab)God raised Him up again, putting an end to the ^[w]agony of death, since it ^(ac)was impossible for Him to be held ^[x]in its power.

For David says of Him, ‘^(ad)I saw the Lord always in my presence ; For He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken .

‘ Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted ; Moreover my flesh also will live in hope ;

Because You will not abandon my soul to ^(ae) Hades , ^(af) Nor ^[y] allow Your ^[z] Holy One to ^[aa] undergo decay .

‘ You have made known to me the ways of life ; You will make me full of gladness with Your presence .'

"^[ab]Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the ^(ag)patriarch David that he both ^(ah)died and ^(ai)was buried, and ^(aj)his tomb is ^[ac]with us to this day.

And so, because he was ^(ak)a prophet and knew that ^(al) God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one ^[ad] of his descendants on his throne ,

he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of ^[ae]the Christ, that ^(am) He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh ^[af] suffer decay .

This Jesus ^(an)God raised up again, to which we are all ^(ao)witnesses.

Therefore having been exalted ^[ag](ap)to the right hand of God, and ^(aq)having received from the Father ^(ar)the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has ^(as)poured forth this which you both see and hear.

For it was not David who ascended into ^[ah]heaven, but he himself says: ‘^(at) The Lord said to my Lord , " Sit at My right hand ,

Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet ."'

Therefore let all the ^(au)house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both ^(av)Lord and ^[ai]Christ—this Jesus ^(aw)whom you crucified."

Now when they heard this, they were ^[aj]pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "^[ak]Brethren, ^[al](ax)what shall we do?"

Peter said to them, "^(ay)Repent, and each of you be ^(az)baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

For ^(ba)the promise is for you and your children and for all who are ^(bb)far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself."

And with many other words he solemnly ^(bc)testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, "^[am]Be saved from this ^(bd)perverse generation!"

So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand ^[an](be)souls.

They were ^(bf)continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to ^(bg)the breaking of bread and ^[ao](bh)to prayer.

^[ap]Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many ^(bi)wonders and ^[aq]signs were taking place through the apostles.

And all those who had believed ^[ar]were together and ^(bj)had all things in common;

and they ^(bk)began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.

^(bl)Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and ^(bm)breaking bread ^[as]from house to house, they were taking their ^[at]meals together with gladness and ^[au]sincerity of heart,

praising God and ^(bn)having favor with all the people. And the Lord ^(bo)was adding ^[av]to their number day by day ^(bp)those who were being saved.

Now ^(a)Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ^[a]ninth hour, ^(b)the hour of prayer.

And ^(c)a man who had been lame from his mother's womb was being carried along, whom they ^(d)used to set down every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, ^(e)in order to beg ^[b]alms of those who were entering the temple.

When he saw ^(f)Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms.

But Peter, along with John, ^(g)fixed his gaze on him and said, "Look at us!"

And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.

But Peter said, "I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: ^(h)In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!"

And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened.

^[c](i)With a leap he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.

And ^(j)all the people saw him walking and praising God;

and they were taking note of him as being the one who used to ^(k)sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

While he was clinging to ^(l)Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the so-called ^[d](m)portico of Solomon, full of amazement.

But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, "Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk?

⁽ⁿ⁾The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, ^(o)the God of our fathers, has glorified His ^[e](p)servant Jesus, the one whom ^(q)you delivered and disowned in the presence of ^(r)Pilate, when he had ^(s)decided to release Him.

But you disowned ^(t)the Holy and Righteous One and ^(u)asked for a murderer to be granted to you,

but put to death the ^[f](v)Prince of life, the one whom ^(w)God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are ^(x)witnesses.

And on the basis of faith ^(y)in His name, it is ^[g]the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.

"And now, brethren, I know that you acted ^(z)in ignorance, just as your ^(aa)rulers did also.

But the things which ^(ab)God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, ^(ac)that His ^[h]Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.

Therefore ^(ad)repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that ^(ae)times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;

and that He may send Jesus, the ^[i]Christ appointed for you,

^(af)whom heaven must receive until the ^[j]period of ^(ag)restoration of all things about which ^(ah)God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.

Moses said, ‘^(ai) The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet ^[k] like me from your brethren; to Him you shall give heed to everything He says to you.

^(aj)And it will be that every ^(ak)soul that does not heed that prophet ^(al)shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.'

And likewise, ^(am)all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days.

It is you who are ^(an)the sons of the prophets and of the ^(ao)covenant which God ^[l]made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘^(ap) And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed .'

For you ^(aq)first, God ^(ar)raised up His ^[m]Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways."

As they were speaking to the people, the priests and ^(a)the captain of the temple guard and ^(b)the Sadducees ^(c)came up to them,

being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming ^[a](d)in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

And they laid hands on them and ^(e)put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening.

But many of those who had heard the ^[b]message believed; and ^(f)the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

On the next day, their ^(g)rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem;

and ^(h)Annas the high priest was there, and ⁽ⁱ⁾Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent.

When they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, "By what power, or in what name, have you done this?"

Then Peter, ^[c](j)filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "^[d](k)Rulers and elders of the people,

if we are ^[e]on trial today for ^(l)a benefit done to a sick man, ^[f]as to how this man has been made well,

let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that ^[g](m)by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom ⁽ⁿ⁾God raised from the dead—^[h]by ^[i]this name this man stands here before you in good health.

^[j](o)He is the ^(p) stone which was ^(q) rejected by you, the builders , but which became the chief corner stone.

And there is salvation in ^(r)no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."

Now as they observed the ^(s)confidence of ^(t)Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and ^(u)began to recognize them ^[k]as having been with Jesus.

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

But when they had ordered them to leave the ^[l](v)Council, they began to confer with one another,

saying, "^(w)What shall we do with these men? For the fact that a ^(x)noteworthy ^[m]miracle has taken place through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.

But so that it will not spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man ^(y)in this name."

And when they had summoned them, they ^(z)commanded them not to speak or teach at all ^[n]in the name of Jesus.

But ^(aa)Peter and John answered and said to them, "^(ab)Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge;

for ^(ac)we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard."

When they had threatened them further, they let them go (finding no basis on which to punish them) ^(ad)on account of the people, because they were all ^(ae)glorifying God for what had happened;

for the man was more than forty years old on whom this ^[o]miracle of healing had been performed.

When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.

And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, "O ^[p]Lord, it is You who ^(af) made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them ,

who ^(ag)by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said, ‘^(ah) Why did the ^[q] Gentiles rage , And the peoples devise futile things ?

‘^(ai) The kings of the earth ^[r] took their stand , And the rulers were gathered together Against the Lord and against His ^[s](aj) Christ .'

For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy ^[t](ak)servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both ^(al)Herod and ^(am)Pontius Pilate, along with ^(an)the ^[u]Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,

to do whatever Your hand and ^(ao)Your purpose predestined to occur.

And ^[v]now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may ^(ap)speak Your word with all ^(aq)confidence,

while You extend Your hand to heal, and ^[w](ar)signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy ^[x](as)servant Jesus."

And when they had prayed, the ^(at)place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all ^(au)filled with the Holy Spirit and began to ^(av)speak the word of God with ^(aw)boldness.

And the ^[y]congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them ^[z]claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but ^(ax)all things were common property to them.

And ^(ay)with great power the apostles were giving ^(az)testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.

For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses ^(ba)would sell them and bring the ^[aa]proceeds of the sales

and ^(bb)lay them at the apostles' feet, and they would be ^(bc)distributed to each as any had need.

Now Joseph, a Levite of ^(bd)Cyprian birth, who was also called ^(be)Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of ^[ab](bf)Encouragement),

and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and ^(bg)laid it at the apostles' feet.