Acts 5
5
1 But a certain man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a field,
2 and he was deceitful about the price of the field, with his wife's consent. And bringing only part of it, he placed it at the feet of the Apostles.
3 But Peter said: "Ananias, why has Satan tempted your heart, so that you would lie to the Holy Spirit and be deceitful about the price of the land?
4 Did it not belong to you while you retained it? And having sold it, was it not in your power? Why have you set this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God!"
5 Then Ananias, upon hearing these words, fell down and expired. And a great fear overwhelmed all who heard of it.
6 And the young men rose up and removed him; and carrying him out, they buried him.
7 Then about the space of three hours passed, and his wife entered, not knowing what had happened.
8 And Peter said to her, "Tell me, woman, if you sold the field for this amount?" And she said, "Yes, for that amount."
9 And Peter said to her: "Why have you agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they shall carry you out!"
10 Immediately, she fell down before his feet and expired. Then the young men entered and found her dead. And they carried her out and buried her next to her husband.
11 And a great fear came over the entire Church and over all who heard these things.
12 And through the hands of the Apostles many signs and wonders were accomplished among the people. And they all met with one accord at Solomon's portico.
13 And among the others, no one dared to join himself to them. But the people magnified them.
14 Now the multitude of men and women who believed in the Lord was ever increasing,
15 so much so that they laid the infirm in the streets, placing them on beds and stretchers, so that, as Peter arrived, at least his shadow might fall upon any one of them, and they would be freed from their infirmities.
16 But a multitude also hurried to Jerusalem from the neighboring cities, carrying the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits, who were all healed.
17 Then the high priest and all those who were with him, that is, the heretical sect of the Sadducees, rose up and were filled with jealousy.
18 And they laid hands on the Apostles, and they placed them in the common prison.
19 But in the night, an Angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison and led them out, saying,
20 "Go and stand in the temple, speaking to the people all these words of life."
21 And when they had heard this, they entered the temple at first light, and they were teaching. Then the high priest, and those who were with him, approached, and they called together the council and all the elders of the sons of Israel. And they sent to the prison to have them brought.
22 But when the attendants had arrived, and, upon opening the prison, had not found them, they returned and reported to them,
23 saying: "We found the prison certainly locked up with all diligence, and the guards standing before the door. But upon opening it, we found no one within."
24 Then, when the magistrate of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were uncertain about them, as to what should happen.
25 But someone arrived and reported to them, "Behold, the men whom you placed in prison are in the temple, standing and teaching the people."
26 Then the magistrate, with the attendants, went and brought them without force. For they were afraid of the people, lest they be stoned.
27 And when they had brought them, they stood them before the council. And the high priest questioned them,
28 and said: "We strongly order you not to teach in this name. For behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and you wish to bring the blood of this man upon us."
29 But Peter and the Apostles responded by saying: "It is necessary to obey God, more so than men.
30 The God of our fathers has raised up Jesus, whom you put to death by hanging him on a tree.
31 It is he whom God has exalted at his right hand as Ruler and Savior, so as to offer repentance and the remission of sins to Israel.
32 And we are witnesses of these things, with the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to all who are obedient to him."
33 When they had heard these things, they were deeply wounded, and they were planning to put them to death.
34 But someone in the council, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law honored by all the people, rose up and ordered the men to be put outside briefly.
35 And he said to them: "Men of Israel, you should be careful in your intentions about these men.
36 For before these days, Theudas stepped forward, asserting himself to be someone, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined with him. But he was killed, and all who believed in him were scattered, and they were reduced to nothing.
37 After this one, Judas the Galilean stepped forward, in the days of the enrollment, and he turned the people toward himself. But he also perished, and all of them, as many as had joined with him, were dispersed.
38 And now therefore, I say to you, withdraw from these men and leave them alone. For if this counsel or work is of men, it will be broken.
39 Yet truly, if it is of God, you will not be able to break it, and perhaps you might be found to have fought against God." And they agreed with him.
40 And calling in the Apostles, having beaten them, they warned them not to speak at all in the name of Jesus. And they dismissed them.
41 And indeed, they went forth from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were considered worthy to suffer insult on behalf of the name of Jesus.
42 And every day, in the temple and among the houses, they did not cease to teach and to evangelize Christ Jesus.
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Acts 5: CPDV
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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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