Acts 2
2
The Coming of the Holy Spirit
1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a noise like a strong, blowing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw something like flames of fire that were separated and stood over each person there. 4They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak different languages by the power the Holy Spirit was giving them.
5There were some religious Jews staying in Jerusalem who were from every country in the world. 6When they heard this noise, a crowd came together. They were all surprised, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7They were completely amazed at this. They said, “Look! Aren’t all these people that we hear speaking from Galilee? 8Then how is it possible that we each hear them in our own languages? We are from different places: 9Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, 10Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the areas of Libya near Cyrene, Rome 11(both Jews and those who had become Jews), Crete, and Arabia. But we hear them telling in our own languages about the great things God has done!” 12They were all amazed and confused, asking each other, “What does this mean?”
13But others were making fun of them, saying, “They have had too much wine.”
Peter Speaks to the People
14But Peter stood up with the eleven apostles, and in a loud voice he spoke to the crowd: “My fellow Jews, and all of you who are in Jerusalem, listen to me. Pay attention to what I have to say. 15These people are not drunk, as you think; it is only nine o’clock in the morning! 16But Joel the prophet wrote about what is happening here today:
17‘God says: In the last days
I will pour out my Spirit on all kinds of people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams.
18At that time I will pour out my Spirit
also on my male slaves and female slaves,
and they will prophesy.
19I will show miracles
in the sky and on the earth:
blood, fire, and thick smoke.
20The sun will become dark,
the moon red as blood,
before the overwhelming and glorious day of the Lord will come.
21Then anyone who calls on the Lord will be saved.’ #Joel 2:28–32
22“People of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus from Nazareth was a very special man. God clearly showed this to you by the miracles, wonders, and signs he did through Jesus. You all know this, because it happened right here among you. 23Jesus was given to you, and with the help of those who don’t know the law, you put him to death by nailing him to a cross. But this was God’s plan which he had made long ago; he knew all this would happen. 24God raised Jesus from the dead and set him free from the pain of death, because death could not hold him. 25For David said this about him:
‘I keep the Lord before me always.
Because he is close by my side,
I will not be hurt.
26So I am glad, and I rejoice.
Even my body has hope,
27because you will not leave me in the grave.
You will not let your Holy One rot.
28You will teach me how to live a holy life.
Being with you will fill me with joy.’#Psalm 16:8–11
29“Brothers and sisters, I can tell you truly that David, our ancestor, died and was buried. His grave is still here with us today. 30He was a prophet and knew God had promised him that he would make a person from David’s family a king just as he was. 31Knowing this before it happened, David talked about the Christ rising from the dead. He said:
‘He was not left in the grave.
His body did not rot.’
32So Jesus is the One whom God raised from the dead. And we are all witnesses to this. 33Jesus was lifted up to heaven and is now at God’s right side. The Father has given the Holy Spirit to Jesus as he promised. So Jesus has poured out that Spirit, and this is what you now see and hear. 34David was not the one who was lifted up to heaven, but he said:
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit by me at my right side,
35until I put your enemies under your control.” ’#Psalm 110:1
36“So, all the people of Israel should know this truly: God has made Jesus —the man you nailed to the cross—both Lord and Christ.”
37When the people heard this, they felt guilty and asked Peter and the other apostles, “What shall we do?”
38Peter said to them, “Change your hearts and lives and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39This promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away. It is for everyone the Lord our God calls to himself.”
40Peter warned them with many other words. He begged them, “Save yourselves from the evil of today’s people!” 41Then those people who accepted what Peter said were baptized. About three thousand people were added to the number of believers that day. 42They spent their time learning the apostles’ teaching, sharing, breaking bread, and praying together.
The Believers Share
43The apostles were doing many miracles and signs, and everyone felt great respect for God. 44All the believers were together and shared everything. 45They would sell their land and the things they owned and then divide the money and give it to anyone who needed it. 46The believers met together in the Temple every day. They ate together in their homes, happy to share their food with joyful hearts. 47They praised God and were liked by all the people. Every day the Lord added those who were being saved to the group of believers.
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Acts 2
2
The Coming of the Holy Spirit
1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a noise came from heaven. It sounded like a strong wind blowing. This noise filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw something that looked like flames of fire. The flames were separated and stood over each person there. 4They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak different languages. The Holy Spirit was giving them the power to do this.
5There were some godly Jews in Jerusalem at this time. They were from every country in the world. 6A large crowd came together because they heard the noise. They were surprised because, as the apostles were speaking, everyone heard in their own language.
7They were all amazed at this. They did not understand how the apostles could do this. They said, “Look! These men we hear speaking are all from Galilee.#2:7 from Galilee The people thought men from Galilee could speak only their own language. 8But we hear them in our own languages. How is this possible? We are from all these different places: 9Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, 10Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the areas of Libya near the city of Cyrene, Rome, 11Crete, and Arabia. Some of us were born Jews, and others have changed their religion to worship God like Jews. We are from these different countries, but we can hear these men in our own languages! We can all understand the great things they are saying about God.”
12The people were all amazed and confused. They asked each other, “What is happening?” 13But others were laughing at the apostles, saying they were drunk from too much wine.
Peter Speaks to the People
14Then Peter stood up with the other eleven apostles. He spoke loudly so that all the people could hear. He said, “My Jewish brothers and all of you who live in Jerusalem, listen to me. I will tell you something you need to know. Listen carefully. 15These men are not drunk as you think; it’s only nine o’clock in the morning. 16But Joel the prophet wrote about what you see happening here today. This is what he wrote:
17‘God says: In the last days
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your young men will see visions.
Your old men will have special dreams.
18In those days I will pour out my Spirit
on my servants, men and women,
and they will prophesy.
19I will work wonders in the sky above.
I will cause miraculous signs on the earth below.
There will be blood, fire, and thick smoke.
20The sun will be changed into darkness,
and the moon will be as red as blood.
Then the great and glorious day of the Lord will come.
21And everyone who trusts in the Lord#2:21 who trusts in the Lord Literally, “who calls on the name of the Lord,” meaning to show faith in him by worshiping him or praying to him for help. will be saved.’ Joel 2:28-32
22“My fellow Israelites, listen to these words: Jesus from Nazareth was a very special man. God clearly showed this to you. He proved it by the miracles, wonders, and miraculous signs he did through Jesus. You all saw these things, so you know this is true. 23Jesus was handed over to you, and you killed him. With the help of evil men, you nailed him to a cross. But God knew all this would happen. It was his plan—a plan he made long ago. 24Jesus suffered the pain of death, but God made him free. He raised him from death. There was no way for death to hold him. 25David said this about him:
‘I saw the Lord before me always;
he is at my right side to keep me safe.
26So my heart is happy,
and the words I speak are words of joy.
Yes, even my body will live with hope,
27because you will not leave me in the place of death.#2:27 place of death Literally, “Hades.” Also in verse 31.
You will not let the body of your Holy One rot in the grave.
28You taught me how to live.
You will come close to me and give me great joy.’ Psalm 16:8-11
29“My brothers, I can tell you for sure about David, our great ancestor. He died, was buried, and his tomb is still here with us today. 30He was a prophet and knew something that God had said. God had promised David that someone from his own family would sit on David’s throne as king.#2:30 God had promised … as king See 2 Sam. 7:12, 13 and Ps. 132:11. 31David knew this before it happened. That is why he said this about that future king:
‘He was not left in the place of death.
His body did not rot in the grave.’
David was talking about the Messiah rising from death. 32So Jesus is the one God raised from death. We are all witnesses of this. We saw him. 33Jesus was lifted up to heaven. Now he is with God, at God’s right side. The Father has given the Holy Spirit to him, as he promised. So Jesus has now poured out that Spirit. This is what you see and hear. 34David was not the one who was lifted up to heaven. David himself said,
‘The Lord God said to my Lord:
Sit at my right side,
35until I put your enemies under your power.#2:35 until I put … power Literally, “until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’ Psalm 110:1
36“So, all the people of Israel should know this for certain: God has made Jesus to be Lord and Messiah. He is the man you nailed to the cross!”
37When the people heard this, they felt very, very sorry. They asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
38Peter said to them, “Change your hearts and lives and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ. Then God will forgive your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39This promise is for you. It is also for your children and for the people who are far away. It is for everyone the Lord our God calls to himself.”
40Peter warned them with many other words; he begged them, “Save yourselves from the evil of the people who live now!” 41Then those who accepted what Peter said were baptized. On that day about 3000 people were added to the group of believers.
The Believers Share
42The believers spent their time listening to the teaching of the apostles. They shared everything with each other. They ate#2:42 ate Literally, “broke bread.” This may mean a meal or the Lord’s Supper, the special meal Jesus told his followers to eat to remember him. Also in verse 46. See Lk. 22:14-20. together and prayed together. 43Many wonders and miraculous signs were happening through the apostles, and everyone felt great respect for God. 44All the believers stayed together and shared everything. 45They sold their land and the things they owned. Then they divided the money and gave it to those who needed it. 46The believers shared a common purpose, and every day they spent much of their time together in the Temple area. They also ate together in their homes. They were happy to share their food and ate with joyful hearts. 47The believers praised God and were respected by all the people. More and more people were being saved every day, and the Lord was adding them to their group.
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International