Acts 5
5
Ananias and Sapphira
1A man named Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, also sold some land. 2He kept part of the money for himself. Sapphira knew he had kept it. He brought the rest of it and put it down at the apostles’ feet.
3Then Peter said, “Ananias, why did you let Satan fill your heart? He made you lie to the Holy Spirit. You have kept some of the money you received for the land. 4Didn’t the land belong to you before it was sold? After it was sold, you could have used the money as you wished. What made you think of doing such a thing? You haven’t lied just to people. You’ve also lied to God.”
5When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. All who heard what had happened were filled with fear. 6Some young men came and wrapped up his body. They carried him out and buried him.
7About three hours later, the wife of Ananias came in. She didn’t know what had happened. 8Peter asked her, “Tell me. Is this the price you and Ananias sold the land for?”
“Yes,” she said. “That’s the price.”
9Peter asked her, “How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! You can hear the steps of the men who buried your husband. They are at the door. They will carry you out also.”
10At that moment she fell down at Peter’s feet and died. Then the young men came in. They saw that Sapphira was dead. So they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11The whole church and all who heard about these things were filled with fear.
The Apostles Heal Many People
12The apostles did many signs and wonders among the people. All the believers used to meet together at Solomon’s Porch. 13No outsider dared to join them. But the people thought highly of them. 14More and more men and women believed in the Lord. They joined the other believers. 15So people brought those who were sick into the streets. They placed them on beds and mats. They hoped that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he walked by. 16Crowds even gathered from the towns around Jerusalem. They brought their sick people. They also brought those who were suffering because of evil spirits. All of them were healed.
The Apostles Are Treated Badly
17The high priest and all his companions were Sadducees. They were very jealous of the apostles. 18So they arrested them and put them in the public jail. 19But during the night an angel of the Lord came. He opened the doors of the jail and brought the apostles out. 20“Go! Stand in the temple courtyard,” the angel said. “Tell the people all about this new life.”
21Early the next day they did as they had been told. They entered the temple courtyard. There they began to teach the people.
The high priest and his companions arrived. They called the Sanhedrin together. The Sanhedrin was a gathering of all the elders of Israel. They sent for the apostles who were in jail. 22The officers arrived at the jail. But they didn’t find the apostles there. So they went back and reported it. 23“We found the jail locked up tight,” they said. “The guards were standing at the doors. But when we opened the doors, we didn’t find anyone inside.” 24When the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard this report, they were bewildered. They wondered what would happen next.
25Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courtyard. They are teaching the people.” 26So the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles back. But they didn’t use force. They were afraid the people would kill them by throwing stones at them.
27They brought the apostles to the Sanhedrin. The high priest questioned them. 28“We gave you clear orders not to teach in Jesus’ name,” he said. “But you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching. You want to make us guilty of this man’s death.”
29Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God instead of people! 30You had Jesus killed by nailing him to a cross. But the God of our people raised Jesus from the dead. 31Now Jesus is Prince and Savior. God has proved this by giving Jesus a place of honor with him. He did it to turn Israel away from their sins and forgive them. 32We are telling people about these things. And so is the Holy Spirit. God has given the Spirit to those who obey him.”
33When the leaders heard this, they became very angry. They wanted to put the apostles to death. 34But a Pharisee named Gamaliel stood up in the Sanhedrin. He was a teacher of the law. He was honored by all the people. He ordered the apostles to be taken outside for a little while. 35Then Gamaliel spoke to the Sanhedrin. “Men of Israel,” he said, “think carefully about what you plan to do to these men. 36Some time ago Theudas appeared. He claimed he was really somebody. About 400 people followed him. But he was killed. All his followers were scattered. So they accomplished nothing. 37After this, Judas from Galilee came along. This was in the days when the Romans made a list of all the people. Judas led a gang of men against the Romans. He too was killed. All his followers were scattered. 38So let me give you some advice. Leave these men alone! Let them go! If their plans and actions only come from people, they will fail. 39But if their plans come from God, you won’t be able to stop these men. You will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
40His speech won the leaders over. They called the apostles in and had them whipped. The leaders ordered them not to speak in Jesus’ name. Then they let the apostles go.
41The apostles were full of joy as they left the Sanhedrin. They considered it an honor to suffer shame for the name of Jesus. 42Every day they taught in the temple courtyards and from house to house. They never stopped telling people the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.
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The Acts 5
5
Ananias and Sapphira
1A man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold some land. 2But he gave only part of the money to the apostles. He secretly kept some of it for himself. His wife knew about this, and she agreed to it. 3Peter said, “Ananias, why did you let Satan rule your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit. Why did you keep part of the money you received for the land for yourself? 4Before you sold the land, it belonged to you. And even after you sold it, you could have used the money any way you wanted. Why did you think of doing this? You lied to God, not to men!” 5-6When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. Some young men came in, wrapped up his body, carried it out, and buried it. And everyone who heard about this was filled with fear.
7About three hours later his wife came in. She did not know what had happened. 8Peter said to her, “Tell me how much money you got for your field. Was it this much?”
Sapphira answered, “Yes, that was the price.”
9Peter said to her, “Why did you and your husband agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The men who buried your husband are at the door! They will carry you out.” 10At that moment Sapphira fell down by his feet and died. The young men came in and saw that she was dead. They carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11The whole church and all the others who heard about these things were filled with fear.
Proofs from God
12The apostles did many signs and miracles among the people. And they would all meet together on Solomon’s Porch. 13None of the others dared to stand with them. All the people were saying good things about them. 14More and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to the group of believers. 15As Peter was passing by, the people brought their sick into the streets. They put their sick on beds and mats so at least Peter’s shadow might fall on them. 16Crowds came from all the towns around Jerusalem. They brought their sick and those who were bothered by evil spirits. All of them were healed.
The Apostles Obey God
17The high priest and all his friends (a group called the Sadducees) became very jealous. 18They took the apostles and put them in jail. 19But during the night, an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail. He led the apostles outside and said, 20“Go and stand in the Temple. Tell the people everything about this new life.” 21When the apostles heard this, they obeyed and went into the Temple. It was early in the morning, and they began to teach.
The high priest and his friends arrived. They called a meeting of the Jewish leaders and all the important older men of the Jews. They sent some men to the jail to bring the apostles to them. 22When the men went to the jail, they could not find the apostles. So they went back and told the Jewish leaders about this. 23They said, “The jail was closed and locked. The guards were standing at the doors. But when we opened the doors, the jail was empty!” 24Hearing this, the captain of the Temple guards and the leading priests were confused. They wondered, “What will happen because of this?”
25Then someone came and told them, “Listen! The men you put in jail are standing in the Temple. They are teaching the people!” 26Then the captain and his men went out and brought the apostles back. But the soldiers did not use force, because they were afraid that the people would kill them with stones.
27The soldiers brought the apostles to the meeting and made them stand before the Jewish leaders. The high priest questioned them. 28He said, “We gave you strict orders not to go on teaching in that name. But look what you have done! You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching. You are trying to make us responsible for this man’s death.”
29Peter and the other apostles answered, “We must obey God, not men! 30You killed Jesus. You hung him on a cross. But God, the same God our ancestors had, raised Jesus up from death! 31Jesus is the One whom God raised to be on his right side. God made Jesus our Leader and Savior. God did this so that the people of Israel could change their hearts and lives and have their sins forgiven. 32We saw all these things happen. The Holy Spirit also proves that these things are true. God has given the Spirit to all who obey him.”
33When the Jewish leaders heard this, they became very angry and wanted to kill them. 34A Pharisee named Gamaliel stood up in the meeting. He was a teacher of the law, and all the people respected him. He ordered the apostles to leave the meeting for a little while. 35Then he said to them, “Men of Israel, be careful of what you are planning to do to these men! 36Remember when Theudas appeared? He said that he was a great man, and about 400 men joined him. But he was killed. And all his followers were scattered. They were able to do nothing. 37Later, a man named Judas came from Galilee at the time of the registration.# Census. A counting of all the people and the things they own. He led a group of followers, too. He was also killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38And so now I tell you: Stay away from these men. Leave them alone. If their plan comes from men, it will fail. 39But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You might even be fighting against God himself!”
The Jewish leaders agreed with what Gamaliel said. 40They called the apostles in again. They beat the apostles and told them not to speak in the name of Jesus again. Then they let them go free. 41The apostles left the meeting full of joy because they were given the honor of suffering disgrace for Jesus. 42The apostles did not stop teaching people. Every day in the Temple and in people’s homes they continued to tell the Good News—that Jesus is the Christ.
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.