Acts 5
5
1Now a man called Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold some property. 2He kept back some of the money he received for himself, and brought the rest to present to the apostles. His wife knew what he was doing.
3Then Peter asked him, “Ananias, why did you let Satan convince you to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back some of the money from the land you sold? 4While you had the land, didn't it belong to you? And after you sold it, didn't you still have control over what you did with the money? Why did you decide to do this? You haven't lied to human beings, but to God!”
5Hearing these words, Ananias fell down and died. Everyone who heard what happened was terrified. 6Some of the young men got up and wrapped him in a shroud. Then they carried him out and buried him.
7About three hours later his wife arrived, not knowing what had happened. 8Peter asked her, “Tell me, did you sell the land for this price?”
“Yes, that was the price,” she replied.
9Then Peter told her, “How could you agree together to swindle#5:9. Literally, “tempt.” the Spirit of the Lord? Look, those who buried your husband are just returning, and they'll carry you out too!”
10Immediately she fell down dead at his feet. The young men came back in and found her dead, so they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11Great fear spread through the whole church, as well as among everyone who heard what had happened.
12Many miraculous signs were performed among the people by the apostles. All the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Porch.#5:12. See footnote for 3:11. 13Nobody else dared to join them even though they were greatly respected. 14However, many men and women came to believe in the Lord. 15As a result, people brought those who were sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that as Peter passed by his shadow might fall on them.#5:15. With the thought that even the touch of Peter's shadow could heal. 16Crowds from the towns around Jerusalem brought their sick and those afflicted by evil spirits. They were all healed.
17However, the high priest and those with him (who were Sadducees) became very jealous and decided to intervene. 18They arrested the apostles and threw them in the public jail. 19But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and led them out. 20“Go to the Temple and tell the people everything about this new way of life!” he told them. 21They did as they were told and went into the Temple at around dawn and began teaching.
Then the high priest and his followers called a council meeting with all the leaders of Israel. He sent for the apostles to be brought from prison. 22But when the officials went to the prison they couldn't find the apostles so they went back and told the council, 23“We found the prison all locked up, with guards at the doors. But when we had them open up, we couldn't find anyone inside.”
24Now when the captain of the Temple guards and the chief priests heard this they were totally baffled, and wondered what was going on. 25Then someone came in and said, “Look, the men you put in prison are right there in the Temple teaching people!”
26So the captain went with his guards and brought them in, but did not use force because they were afraid that the people would stone them. 27The apostles were brought in and made to stand in front of the council.
28“Didn't we order you not to teach in this name?” the high priest demanded to know. “Now look—you've filled the whole of Jerusalem with your teaching, and you're trying to blame us for his death!”
29But Peter and the apostles answered, “We have to obey God rather than men. 30The God of our forefathers raised Jesus from the dead—the one you killed by hanging him on a cross. 31God exalted him to a position of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior, as a way to bring repentance to Israel, and for the forgiveness of sins. 32We are witnesses of what happened, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
33When the council heard this they were furious and wanted to kill them. 34But then one of the council members stood up to speak. He was Gamaliel, a Pharisee and a doctor of law who was respected by everyone. He ordered the apostles sent out for a short while.
35Gamaliel addressed the council: “Leaders of Israel, be careful what you plan to do to these men. 36Some time ago Theudas tried to make a name for himself, and about four hundred men joined him. He was killed and all who followed him were scattered and it came to nothing. 37Then after him Judas of Galilee came along at the time of the census, and he attracted some followers. He also died, and those who listened to him were dispersed. 38So in the current case I recommend that you leave these men alone, and just let them go. If what they are planning or what they are doing comes from their own human thinking, then it will be defeated. 39But if it comes from God, you won't be able to defeat them. You could even find yourselves fighting against God!”
40They were convinced by what he said. So they called the apostles back in, had them whipped, and ordered them not to say anything in the name of Jesus. Then they let them go. 41The apostles left the council, happy to be considered worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus. 42Every day they continued to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah, in the Temple and from house to house.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Acts 5
5
Peter condemns Ananias and Sapphira
1Ananias and his wife Sapphira also sold a piece of property. 2But they agreed to cheat and keep some of the money for themselves.
So when Ananias took the rest of the money to the apostles, 3Peter said, “Why has Satan made you keep back some of the money from the sale of the property? Why have you lied to the Holy Spirit? 4The property was yours before you sold it, and even after you sold it, the money was still yours. What made you do such a thing? You didn't lie to people. You lied to God!”
5As soon as Ananias heard this, he dropped dead, and everyone who heard about it was frightened. 6Some young men came in and wrapped up his body. Then they took it out and buried it.
7Three hours later Sapphira came in, but she did not know what had happened to her husband. 8Peter asked her, “Tell me, did you sell the property for this amount?”
“Yes,” she answered, “that's the amount.”
9Then Peter said, “Why did the two of you agree to test the Lord's Spirit? The men who buried Ananias are by the door, and they will carry you out!” 10At once she fell at Peter's feet and died.
When the young men came back in, they found Sapphira lying there dead. So they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11The church members were afraid, and so was everyone else who heard what had happened.
Peter's unusual power
12The apostles performed many miracles and wonders among the people. All the Lord's followers often met in the part of the temple known as Solomon's Porch.#5.12 Solomon's Porch: See the note at 3.11. 13No one outside their group dared join them, even though everyone liked them very much.
14Many men and women started having faith in the Lord. 15Then sick people were brought out to the road and placed on stretchers and mats. It was hoped that Peter would walk by, and his shadow would fall on them and heal them. 16A lot of people living in the towns near Jerusalem brought those who were sick or troubled by evil spirits, and they were all healed.
Trouble for the apostles
17The high priest and all the other Sadducees who were with him became jealous. 18They arrested the apostles and put them in the city jail. 19But that night an angel from the Lord opened the doors of the jail and led the apostles out. The angel said, 20“Go to the temple and tell the people everything about this new life.” 21So they went into the temple before sunrise and started teaching.
The high priest and his men called together their council, which included all Israel's leaders. Then they ordered the apostles to be brought to them from the jail. 22The temple police who were sent to the jail did not find the apostles. They returned and said, 23“We found the jail locked tight and the guards standing at the doors. But when we opened the doors and went in, we didn't find anyone there.” 24The captain of the temple police and the chief priests listened to their report, but they did not know what to think about it.
25Just then someone came in and said, “Now those men you put in jail are in the temple, teaching the people!” 26The captain went with some of the temple police and brought the apostles back. But they did not use force. They were afraid that the people might start throwing stones at them.
27When the apostles were brought before the council, the high priest said to them, 28“We told you plainly not to teach in the name of Jesus. But look what you have done! You have been teaching all over Jerusalem, and you are trying to blame us for his death.”#Mt 27.25.
29Peter and the apostles replied:
We don't obey people. We obey God. 30You killed Jesus by nailing him to a cross. But the God our ancestors worshipped raised him to life 31and made him our Leader and Saviour. Then God gave him a place at his right side,#5.31 right side: See the note at 2.33. so that the people of Israel would turn back to him and be forgiven. 32We are here to tell you about all this, and so is the Holy Spirit, who is God's gift to everyone who obeys God.
33When the council members heard this, they became so angry that they wanted to kill the apostles. 34But one of the members was the Pharisee Gamaliel, a highly respected teacher. He ordered the apostles to be taken out of the room for a little while. 35Then he said to the council:
People of Israel, be careful what you do with these men. 36Not long ago Theudas claimed to be someone important, and about four hundred men joined him. But he was killed. All his followers were scattered, and that was the end of that.
37Later, when the people of our nation were being counted, Judas from Galilee appeared. A lot of people followed him, but he was killed, and all his followers were scattered.
38So I advise you to stay away from these men. Leave them alone. If what they are planning is something of their own doing, it will fail. 39But if God is behind it, you cannot stop it anyway, unless you want to fight against God.
The council members agreed with what he said, 40and they called the apostles back in. They had them beaten with a whip and warned them not to speak in the name of Jesus. Then they let them go.
41The apostles left the council and were happy, because God had considered them worthy to suffer for the sake of Jesus. 42Every day they spent time in the temple and in one home after another. They never stopped teaching and telling the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012